Teach your child to dress himself

Preschoolers need to be taught independence and dressing by himself is an important step in fostering independence in your child. It also encourages logical thinking in children. They grow into mature adults who are productive, self-assured, self-motivated and are capable of standing on their own two feet. If you have been worrying about teaching your preschooler how to dress himself now is the perfect time to begin. Here are some important points to keep in mind when teaching your child how to dress himself.

Let your child choose: You can get your child excited about dressing himself, by letting him choose his own clothes. Select a few of his clothes and don’t overwhelm him by offering him too many choices. Let him pick from 3to 4 outfits. As your child has not learnt the concept of coordinating his clothes the choices presented to him should be interchangeable. Once your child has selected his clothes keep them in a place where he can easily find them next morning.

Make a poster reminding him about his morning routine: A morning routine poster will remind a child that he has to dress himself every morning. Divide the poster into columns and then draw each garment in one column, then tape these on the poster board where your child can see them. Make sure you put everything in a logical order. For example don’t put the picture of shoes in the first column because if your child puts on his shoes first he won’t be able to wear his trousers. After you have completed the poster, put it in a place where your child can easily see it.

Teach your child to wake up earlier: when your child is learning to dress by himself, he is very likely to struggle quite a bit, so the best idea is to teach your child to wake up earlier so that he won’t get late for school when he dresses himself. This will teach your child the concept of rising early. If your child is struggling with his clothes, you can offer help, but do so only if your child asks for help.

Begin teaching by selecting clothes that are easy to wear: when you are beginning give your child clothes that are easy to wear like knickers that have elastic and t-shirts that can be pulled over. Later on you can graduate to clothes where your child has to button the shirt. Don’t overwhelm the child with the technicalities of shoe-lace tying. Instead select shoes that have Velcro straps.

Teaching your child to button his shirts:  teaching your child how to button his shirt and zip his pants, should come as the last step in teaching your child how to dress himself.  This can be quite a challenge for your child. Begin by teaching him with shirts that have large buttons and buttonholes, these would be easy for your child to manoeuvre. Patiently teach your child to push the buttons in and out of the buttonholes.

Never criticise: Don’t criticise any effort of your child in dressing himself. All efforts should be met with appreciation.

Teaching your child to dress himself should be a fun activity and not a chore. Treat it as a fun activity and watch your child become independent.