How to teach a child to dress independently consultation

Parents should think about how to teach their child to dress independently even before sending their child to kindergarten. While he is at home and his mother pays maximum attention to him, it will be easier for her to start teaching the baby independence skills than for a kindergarten teacher who has at least 20 children in her group.

Psychologists say that the most optimal age to teach a child to dress himself is three years, when he begins the period of self-assertion. But many children go to kindergarten at 2 and 2.5 years old. What to do in this case? After all, if a child in kindergarten constantly does not have time to get dressed either after nap or for a walk, causing dissatisfaction with teachers, then his desire to go to a group and play with children will quickly pass. But not everything is so scary if you start playing dress-up with your baby as early as possible.

Choose comfortable clothes for your child

When purchasing clothes, make sure that your child can put them on independently. Use pants and skirts with elastic, wide T-shirts and dresses, and easy-to-put on Velcro shoes. Everyday clothes should be comfortable for the child: they fit him in size, be made of pleasant fabric, and do not restrict movement. If the clothes are beautiful, but it is uncomfortable for the child to move or sit in them, then it is better to opt for a simpler but functional item.

Blouses or T-shirts should have a neck such that the child’s head does not get stuck in it and can pass freely. If the sleeves are long, it is advisable that they do not fit too tightly around the wrist. This will help the child roll up his sleeves when washing his hands.

Pants with an elastic band are more comfortable and easier for a child. Often, trousers with a zipper or a strap became a difficult test for children who already knew how to go to the toilet on their own, but could not do without help with the fasteners. It is better to leave a belt with a buckle for festive, weekend wear.

It is also better not to use pants that are too tight and difficult to pull off and pull on yourself. In general, any thing that is too tight is difficult to put on on your own. Same with socks and tights: it’s much easier if they are a little larger in size. Difficulties often arise if there are threads from the design on the wrong side. They cling to your fingers and create unnecessary obstacles. Therefore, you should also pay attention to the inside of tights and socks.

Mittens for children are simpler than gloves. But, again, they should be loose, not tight, without complicated fasteners.

Fasteners on clothes should be easily accessible for the child and not too complicated for his age. A zipper is a very good option. Often you just need to help with the dog, and fastening or unfastening it with a cheerful “zip” sound is quick. If you choose clothes with buttons, the younger the child, the larger they should be. The buttons are also comfortable, but they can often be very tight. Therefore, when choosing something with buttons, it is worth checking how they are fastened. Even if an adult needs to make an effort, a child will definitely not be able to fasten them himself, even if he knows how. He simply doesn't have the strength.

If you want your child to be able to put on a headdress himself, then it is better to exclude different ties, since in this case you will still have to help at the final stage. A good option is a hat-helmet. It will also replace a scarf, which is often difficult for a child to tie himself.

Ties, bows and laces often become an insurmountable obstacle during the period when the baby is just learning to dress. Therefore, the best time for them is when the child is learning or already knows how to tie bows, but not at the initial stage.

As your child gets older, you can buy things with zippers. Do this when you see that the child has mastered this type of clasp and needs additional training.

Learning to dress

Sometimes quite funny moments happen when the baby tries to dress himself. He may come out to you with his jacket on backwards or with both legs in one pant leg. It's hard not to laugh seeing all this. But try to hide this reaction of yours, the baby may be offended or, even worse, will deliberately dress incorrectly in order to make you laugh. Then you will have to correct your mistake for a long time.

Therefore, you need to constantly describe to your baby the entire sequence of your actions when you dress him. “We take the blouse and see where the dog is drawn. The dog should be in front. We stick our head into the neck and see if our dog is in place. It's okay, she's there. Now we put one handle into this sleeve, and the second into this one. We succeeded. Well done to you!” or “Shorts should be worn so that the clasp is under the dog. We put one leg here, and the other? That's right, there! You're just smart." After such comments, the baby will remember what to follow and in what order things should be put on.

Explain to your child what signs he should use when getting dressed. The pattern, zipper, pockets and buttons will become a kind of compass for him, which will show him the right direction. For these purposes, buy clothes with a clearly defined front side and visible seams, with a colorful large pattern on the front of the clothing.

Next, begin to “master” more complex wardrobe items - tights, knee socks and socks. Try to buy loose items made from soft stretchy fabrics. Take a pair of socks and tights that are a little larger. It is easier for kids to put on wide and spacious clothes than to pull tight and uncomfortable tights on their legs. If the child cannot cope with this on his own, help him and show him how to do it correctly.

Often, the design of the clothing itself prevents a child from learning to dress independently. All sorts of newfangled “bells and whistles”, such as fakes, numerous zippers, buttons and laces sewn in the wrong place, only complicate the baby’s life. It is for this reason that at first it is preferable to buy clothes with large buttons, fasteners, as well as things with Velcro or elastic bands. Wardrobe items “equipped” with such things are very convenient to use.

Stubborn age

By the age of three, a child enters a period of negativism and stubbornness, so it is better to teach him how to dress and put on shoes sooner rather than later. If you want to teach him to button up, don't wait until he's three or four years old. The baby will get used to being dressed, and the desire to do everything the other way around does not contribute to the formation of the skill. At a “stubborn” age, the baby does not receive pleasure from approval and becomes self-willed, so teaching him to dress independently is quite difficult.

How to put on boots?
Velcro and ties To start learning, shoes with Velcro are ideal. Give the baby shoes in his hands, show how they fasten and unfasten; He will like the sound of Velcro. Let him repeat your actions: even a one and a half year old baby can do this. Praise your child if he manages to fasten his shoes, rejoice at his achievements.

Make sure that he now puts on his shoes (fastens the Velcro) on his own, without outside help. If there are Velcro on the baby’s clothes, he himself can guess what they are for.

Next, we untie the hat: with one hand we grab the string, pull it down - and the hat can be removed.
Make sure that the baby pulls by the tip, and not by the bow, otherwise the knot will tighten and the baby will not be able to remove the hat himself. Buttons
Slowly demonstrate how you fasten the buttons on your jacket. Let the baby hold the base of the button with the fingers of one hand, and with the other hand place the second half of the jacket on top. Latched! By holding the base of the button with both hands and pulling the flaps in different directions, you can unfasten the clothing. Such a discovery will delight and interest the child.

Explain to your child that if he pulls forcefully on the jacket hem, the buttons will come off and the clothes will be ruined.
Zipper
The zipper on the pockets zips up and down by pulling the zipper up or down, left or right. Without lengthy explanations (at 1.5 years old, a few clear, short phrases are enough) show your baby how to handle a zipper. When going for a walk, let your baby do it himself.

To start learning, use zippers with a large fastener and a lock.
Let the child notice for himself that there is a hole in the lock. First, we lower the slider down, insert the base of the second side of the zipper into the hole, and only after that pull the lock up. At first, insert the slider into the hole yourself, asking your child to fasten and unfasten the zipper, then let your child try. How to fasten buttons?
Children's clothing comes not only with Velcro, zippers, but also buttons. Learning how to fasten buttons can be turned into a fun game. Sew several large buttons onto a piece of fabric, and make a loop in another piece of cloth. Kids enjoy playing and at the same time practicing a useful skill. By the way, to develop fine motor skills, use everything you have at hand: sew buttons and Velcro on soft toys and some household items. So, the ears of a hare can be made to press against the head - fasten them with buttons, and the curtains in the nursery can be fastened with Velcro at night.

In developing a skill, use a strong desire to imitate. Show your baby how you button a blouse or jacket (preferably with large round buttons). Slowly show how you fastened the button. Let the baby take the button with one hand and push it into the loop (you should start with the bottom buttons, as this is more convenient). It can be difficult for a child to catch a button in a loop, since small hands are not yet dexterous enough. However, constant training will contribute to the formation of the skill, and the baby will definitely succeed. Encourage your child to button his own blouse or ask him to help button the buttons on your clothes. Do not forget to say that you are growing a real assistant; children like it, they begin to be proud of themselves and their achievements.

When the baby understands how buttons are fastened, he can show curiosity and try to push the button back.
If this does not happen, show your baby how to unfasten them, and over time he will master this process perfectly. Don’t forget to help your child manage the top buttons, since fastening something you can’t see is quite difficult to the touch at this age. How to put on pants?
Explain to your child that it is more comfortable to put on pants while sitting on the bed with your legs stretched out in front of you, and you can stand up after your feet appear from under your pants.
Don't forget to praise your child even for his small successes. How to wear a T-shirt?
In order for a child to learn to cope with a sweater or T-shirt, things must be loose, with a minimum number of buttons. It is important that the neck is free and the clothes pass freely over the head. Otherwise, the child will not only not be able to cope with the uncomfortable thing, but will also begin to get angry, and then completely refuse to get dressed.

Try to calmly and without irritation explain to your child that you need to get into the neck of the sweater with the top of your head, and not with your face, which could get stuck in the neck.
You will have to repeat this not just once, but many, many times, have patience. Tying shoelaces
Show your child how to tie shoelaces. First, practice tying simple knots: let the baby take both ends of the lace in his hands, place them on top of each other crosswise and thread one end under the other (“into the hole”), then pull the ends of the lace in different directions. The knot is done!

When your baby learns to confidently tie knots, you can master the bow. To make it easier for the baby, at the beginning of training we ourselves fold the ends of the laces in half (into a bow), giving them into the child’s hands. The baby can only tie one more knot. Closer to 4.5 years, you can already ask the child to fold the ends of the lace into a bow with his own hands and tie the laces himself.

You need to train constantly, since a child can master any skill only through frequent exercises. Use your child’s interest in new objects, games and toys: tie bows for dolls and each other, make knots on mother’s belt or on a beautiful satin ribbon, use various lacing games, play pirates and tie “sea knots” on a rope. All this will help build the skill, and you won’t even notice how your child begins to lace his shoes.

Perhaps in order to teach your child to dress himself, you will have to reconsider his wardrobe. It is possible that some things need to be abandoned for a while. And before buying new clothes, mentally imagine whether the child will be able to put on new clothes himself.

You cannot suppress a child's initiative . If he wants to try to dress himself, don't bother him. But don’t immediately demand from your child that he only dresses himself. Very often, parents simply cannot stand the slow pace of dressing the baby and, feeling that they are already late, they begin to hastily dress the child themselves, not allowing him to dress on his own. In this case, it makes sense to start getting ready a little in advance, taking into account the time for the baby to calmly master the dressing skills.

Choosing clothes

• When buying clothes, mom should pay attention to the features of such details as Velcro, laces, snaps, buttons and zippers. Sometimes a child’s success directly depends on how convenient it is to use these parts;
• Velcro on shoes and clothes should be wide and have good fasteners. If the special tape does not stick well, the baby will begin to get nervous, thinking that he is not succeeding, and then lose interest in such an important matter;
• The buttons should snap easily and release easily. New buttons are often stiff, so you need to design them first;
• Buttons must be round. Buttons with pointed and uneven ends, resembling flowers or figures of various animals, are very beautiful, but sometimes it is difficult to fasten them even for an adult. The button should fit freely into the buttonhole. Its size should be such that the baby can easily take it with two fingers. It will be difficult for a child to grasp buttons that are too small;
• The zipper should also be easy to fasten and unfasten without sticking. Make sure that the lock is large: a small and thin one usually does not lend itself to the baby’s fingers and makes it difficult to develop the skill;
• Choose laces with strong tips, plastic or metal. Let the ends of the laces be neither too long nor too short: just enough so that the child can tie a knot and a bow without additional effort.

Tips for parents

• Divide all the things into two groups: one is put on by the baby himself, the second is put on by the mother. For example, the mother puts on tights and a turtleneck, and the baby puts on trousers, a vest and a hat. Teach your baby to be consistent, give him things one by one. First, mom puts tights on him, then a turtleneck. After that, she gives the trousers into the child’s hands. When the trousers are on, a vest, then a hat. You can also place these items on the bed in the right order so that your baby knows what to wear next. You can also make a “cheat sheet” and hang it in a visible place in the room. Draw a child (a girl or a boy, depending on who you have) on a piece of paper. Then, from the image of the child, draw an arrow to the image of the thing that needs to be put on first. Then from this thing to the next and so on. This scheme will allow the child to better remember the dressing order;

Or here's another example of a poster

• Prepare your clothes in advance. If you are going to go for a walk in the morning, it is better to prepare your things in the evening, especially in the winter season. Place them in a certain order on a high chair or on the bed;
• Buy items with bold prints, appliqués, or embroidery on the front of the garment. This will allow the baby to quickly identify the front and front side of the clothing;
• Do not take clothes made of thick material (unless it is outerwear); give preference to natural soft fabrics. A comfortable neckline, loose sleeves, pants with elastic or Velcro – these are what you need to pay attention to when choosing clothes for your child;
• Turn the process of dressing into a pleasant experience, accompanied by a good mood and a fun game. As soon as the baby feels that this activity is becoming something ordinary, he will immediately lose interest. Therefore, at the moment when the baby gets dressed, you can hum your favorite song or recite a little rhyme;
• Give freedom to choose things. If the baby categorically refuses to wear this or that item, there is no need to insist. “Do you want to go in a green T-shirt? Let’s choose another one then!” or “You don’t want to wear this blouse because it doesn’t suit your mood today? Perhaps then this one, with a beautiful boat, will do?” It is important for children to know that their opinion is important to you, and you take it into account. Most likely, the problem will be resolved very quickly;
• When choosing a wardrobe, consider the taste of your baby. Invite him to choose his own outfit. If his choice does not seem entirely successful to you, praise him anyway. Just add that some things don’t really fit together or don’t match the weather outside. You can say: “What excellent taste you have! You are a real fashionista. But if we change these pants for others, brown, your outfit will be simply magnificent!” or “Great choice! How did you manage to choose such a set? Only in this blouse you will be cold today, you saw how cold it is outside.” The main thing is to explain to the child the reason - it’s too cold, hot, not suitable for the weather, or the colors don’t match well;
• Don't force you to dress yourself. If for some reason your child doesn’t want to put things on himself, don’t get angry. Perhaps he doesn't feel well or just woke up in a bad mood. Encourage him, tell him that there is nothing wrong with it. Just ask him to help you - you’ve already “lost the habit” of doing this: “I completely forgot how to put on socks correctly, maybe you can tell me?” or “The blouse is offended that you don’t want to wear it. She thinks you don't like her." Believe me, kids react very quickly to such statements;
• Give your baby more time to get dressed. Many parents, when they are in a hurry to get somewhere, become irritated by their child’s slowness and begin to urge him on. And sometimes they even tear the clothes out of the baby’s hands and, with nervous movements, begin to dress the baby themselves. Firstly, such behavior will only create tension in the family, and secondly, the little one will have a feeling of helplessness. Therefore, spend three times as much time dressing your baby on your own as it takes you.

What to do if your baby doesn’t want to dress himself

If the baby does not show a clear desire to dress himself, try to start with simple manipulations with his things. Don't wear clothes all the way down, such as knee-length tights or just one shoe. Invite your child to finish your action, ask: “Do you know what needs to be done next?” or “Something is wrong here... It seems I got off on the wrong foot today and am confusing everything. Will you help me?

You can also give things magical properties, imagine how they feel when you wear them. Tell him that all the T-shirts from your little one’s wardrobe were flown from the land of T-shirts specifically for him to wear: “They were arguing so much among themselves about who would fly to you first that they almost had a fight.” Try talking to your child in the squeaky childish voice of a T-shirt or blouse, voice their desires: “Choose me! I really want to take a walk with you today!” or “You didn’t want to take me with you on a visit yesterday. I hope you’ll at least wear me today?” No matter how stupid this idea may seem to you, believe me, your baby will be delighted with it, even if he understands that you are talking instead of things. Later, the child himself will begin to voice the thoughts of his things. This will develop his imagination and add more charm and fabulousness to the world around him.

If the child still continues to be stubborn, then you should play one very interesting game with him. When you put trousers or a blouse with sleeves on him, tell him that the trouser legs or sleeves are large narrow tunnels, and the legs or arms are trains that have to go through this difficult path. It will be interesting for your child to imagine how “the trains enter the tunnel.” Or you can describe the baby’s things as those of fairy-tale characters. For example, let his blouse be not a blouse at all, but a Pinocchio jacket, and his hat - a cap, his boots - wonderful shoes. There are many options for embodiment, but it is better to choose the character that your child likes. Perhaps it will be Puss in Boots?

Let's invent, play, have fun

There is no doubt that the learning process is not always easy. Parents usually need a lot of patience and time. But all the difficulties will be easy to overcome if a little imagination and play come to your rescue.

• When your baby turns one, you can take a large, lightweight box that's easy to use and put a few of your baby's things in it. At first, your baby will begin to pull them out of there, and later try them on;
• Develop fine motor skills of your hands. This can be done by sewing Velcro, zippers, clasps, hooks, buttons and bright buttons onto one piece of fabric. Sew button loops, the bottom of Velcro or fastener onto the second flap. With a little practice, the baby will be able to put his skills into practice;
• Come up with a story when you are going to the playground. Just going is boring. But if you imagine that this is not a playground, but a spaceship, the fees will go much faster. The “Cosmonaut” needs to get dressed on time, otherwise the ship will not wait and will fly away without him. If the “cosmonaut” managed to arrive at the take-off site ahead of schedule, a small prize should await him. You can navigate by a timer or a regular alarm clock, pre-set for the desired time;
• Have a competition to see who gets dressed faster - mom or baby? Mom, of course, has to pretend that she is in a hurry and definitely wants to win, but she always hesitates and thinks about how this sock is “interfering with her” or the sleeves of her sweater are always getting tangled up with each other. Remember, it is the baby who should win, not the mother. Later, the task can be complicated by discussing in advance that you need to not only be fully dressed, but also have a neat appearance.

READ ALSO: What a child should be able to do before kindergarten - 4 useful skills

When should you expect positive results?

Self-service skills are developed gradually. Don't try to get ahead of nature, don't focus on other children. Remember that your baby develops individually, so you cannot take it as a dogma that a child should fasten Velcro at one and a half years, buttons at two, and tie shoelaces at three. If you are sincerely interested in your child’s success, help in a timely manner, and show him new, more complex actions, then the child will be happy to dress and put on his shoes on his own.

As a rule, children are able to dress themselves completely independently no earlier than five years old. By this age, they can already cope with the biggest difficulties - zippers and laces. To speed up the process, it is necessary to pay constant attention to the development of the child’s fine motor skills and, of course, train every day. Children learn very quickly and always strive to show that they are already adults. Therefore, with the right approach from parents, learning to dress independently does not cause any problems.

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