Getting Dressed

Learning to get dressed on one’s own can help build a child’s independence, self-confidence, and self-expression. When a child learns to get dressed independently, it also gives the parent one less task to tackle during the early morning routine.

In addition to giving your child greater independence, learning to dress can also help your child strengthen the following skills:

How Do I Prepare for Teaching My Child How to Dress?

Children often start the process themselves by removing items like socks, shoes, gloves, or hats. Instead of scolding them, you can use this opportunity to build vocabulary and awareness for getting dressed. Start by naming the articles of clothing and body parts associated with them.

Another thing you can do is to name body parts and clothing whenever you dress or child. When a toddler is old enough, provide the child with a couple of options (“Do you want the red shirt or the blue shirt?”) and then name the clothing and body parts while getting dressed.

Once you are ready for your child to truly begin practicing the skill, keep a drawer with easy clothes handy. Examples include the following:

It is often helpful to buy larger clothes that can help the child clearly see buttons, openings, and labels. These clothes are often easier for the child to put on and remove, and they will give the child a chance to grow into them and become comfortable with putting on familiar items.

How Can I Help My Child Get Dressed Without Feeling Frustrated?

While getting dressed can feel like second nature by the time we are adults, it is important to remember that there are a lot of steps for children to learn. These include putting on undergarments, then shirts, pants, socks, shoes, and jackets. For this reason, it is usually easier to divide the process into smaller steps. For example, putting on pants can include the following mini steps:

If each of the small steps are a lot to absorb, you can also try teaching the steps backwards over the course of a week. For example, complete all the mini steps exact for the last one. For this final step, instruct your child to stand up and pull the pants up the rest of the way. The next day, make your child do the last two steps. The following should include the last three steps, and so on. This method can help your child learn a routine without feeling frustrated.

Other teaching tips include the following:

If you need additional information or would like your child to work with an occupational therapist for self-care development, contact The Warren Center.