Top tips for teaching children to dress themselves
Mornings with small children can be a whirlwind for parents. Getting them out of bed, fed and dressed ready for the school run can be stressful at the best of time, so when your child starts taking an interest in dressing themselves each morning surely this is a good thing, right?
Sadly, leaving your child to their own devices when it comes to getting dressed can leave you with a little one heading to school dressed as a pirate in pyjama bottoms, so they will need a little help learning what’s appropriate attire for the day ahead.
Try these tips as you start the process of teaching your children to dress themselves and hopefully your mornings will become far easier!
Make a game of it
Children learn through play, so the best way to teach new skills is by using games to ensure that the information sinks in. Using a few hand coloured paper garments similar to those cardboard doll sets you might have enjoyed when you were younger, make a cardboard person and using coloured paper, replicate their school uniform and a few pieces of casual wear that can be affixed to the ‘doll' with tape or blu-tac.
Ask your child which of their outfits are suitable for each situation, such as going to school, a day at the park or a sleepover and they'll begin to learn which outfits are correct for a range of different scenarios.
Reward achievements
Each time your child dresses themselves correctly, a gold star on a chart or token in a treat jar is a good way to motivate them on the days they'd rather be playing with their toys than getting ready for school!
Make it easy
Getting dressed is something us adults take for granted now that we've had plenty of practice, but it's not so easy for little ones. Knowing which way a jumper goes over the head or which shoe for which foot can be a real challenge, so teach your child that labels for garments go at the back and affix some of our iron-on clothing labels, so they have a colourful marker to show the back of the shirt, pair of trousers or jumper.
Shoe labels are also a brilliant time saver as they have a cute and colourful image split into two halves that creates a whole when they shoes are placed together correctly, so it’s a good tool to help you to teach your child how to put their shoes on correctly.
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iron-on clothing labels, shoe labels, tips for children dressing themselves