Canada
UK
France
Australia
Ready for your child to start dressing themselves? This guide has all the tips and tools you need when teaching your child. Start by making sure your child has the fine motor skills needed for this task.
Fine Motor Skills
Fine motor skills help your child with fasteners, including buttons and zippers, as well as tying shoelaces. Make sure your child gets plenty of practice so they’re ready to accomplish these steps . Toys like bead sequence sets and peg boards build these skills in a fun way. Coloring, drawing, and setting the table are other activities that work on these skills.
What’s the right age for children to learn to get dressed by themselves?
Different skills develop at different ages, but many children can get dressed at five years old and do all fasteners by six. Starting during their first year, little ones can take off shoes and socks. These skills then progress over time.
Getting undressed is easier than getting dressed. This is often accomplished by two years old.
Dressing Skills Timeline
Practicing Dressing
Keep practice fun. You can use TheraBand resistance bands to mimic getting dressed. Tie a band into a loop and have your child practice pulling it over their head or feet and up to the waist. See how many loops your child can collect.
Another idea? Have your child dress their dolls or stuffed animals. It’s helpful because your child can see the whole process as they learn.
Dress up clothes make practicing more fun if your child needs an incentive. Costumes are a lot more exciting to try on than regular clothing and so are shirts that depict favorite characters.
If your child needs extra help, try backwards chaining, aka teaching the last step first. Pull the shirt over their head and arms, but let them tug it down. It lets them feel accomplished. After a few times, help get it over their head but have them do the arms. Continue until they can do all the steps themselves.
Once you’re ready to move on from simple clothing, you should start to practice fasteners. Zippers, buttons, and snaps can be difficult at first. Start with clothing or practice vests on the table and progress to having your child wear it while doing the fasteners.
6 Quick Dressing Tips
- Start with undressing first
- Teach your child to look for the tag to help prevent backwards pants or shirts
- If you’re always in a rush in the morning, don’t practice then. Wait until bedtime when you’re more relaxed and can spend more time on it
- Provide two options, like a red t-shirt or a blue t-shirt, and let your child choose
- Shorter ankle socks are easier to manage for little hands than regular socks
- Shoes on the wrong feet? Cut a sticker in half and place each part in a shoe. Then your child can make the complete smiley face or favorite character before putting the shoes on
Medical Disclaimer: The information provided on this site, including text, graphics, images and other material, are for informational purposes only and are not intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other healthcare professional with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your condition.
