Teaching your child to dress and undress on their own: 6 tips for parents

Sooner or later, every parent asks himself the question of how to teach a child to dress. And this is quite understandable, since it is precisely the mastery of the skills of independence and self-service that is evidence that children are gradually entering adulthood. One has only to remember that this skill does not arise just like that; it requires the help of mom or dad to appear.

Dressing rules are best mastered before entering kindergarten. Why is it so important? This is now your only child so small, and you can devote enough time to him. And imagine that he gets into a children's team, where there are thirty such kids and everyone needs the help of a teacher. A kindergartner "armed" with knowledge and skills will sooner get used to the kindergarten and will not feel helpless.

At what age should a child dress himself

Of course, the child does not owe anything to anyone, but there are norms that allow you to track the characteristics of mastering skills. For example, you can study the Federal State Educational Standards, which take into account, among other things, the skills of self-service that kids learn before starting school.

So, what should a child be able to do at different age periods?

At 2 years old children:

begin to dress and undress, but only with the help of an adult;
they can pull on and take off their clothes and shoes, but do not yet know how to unbutton and button them;
know the sequence of putting on clothes (first, underpants, then tights, trousers, etc.).

At 3 years old child:

puts on clothes, but does not fasten buttons (especially small ones);
independently removes and puts on panties, trousers;
takes off his shirt and sweater;
fastens and unfastens Velcro, zippers;
can fold clothes on a chair.

At 4 years old babies:

undress and dress themselves;
fasten the buttons on the jacket and trousers;
cope with buttons;
ask for help from adults if the fasteners on the clothes are on the back or on the side.

At the age of 5, a child:

completely on their own is controlled with dressing and undressing;
can fasten buttons and any fasteners;
ties shoelaces;
hangs clothes neatly;
maintains order in its appearance.

At 6 years old, a child:

completely independent in terms of dressing and undressing;
can clean his shoes with a brush;
sews large buttons under the supervision of an adult;
is able to maintain relative order in his locker;
sorts items into clean and wash items.

These are rough guidelines for what time the child should dress himself. Of course, everything is very individual, so one kid will be able to pull on a jacket at the age of 3 without any problems, and the other will ask his mother for help even at the age of 5. But, in any case, you need to prepare children in advance for such independence.

What mistakes to avoid

If a child does not want to dress on his own, although he will soon be 5 or 6 years old, then you need to scold not him, but yourself. Yes, yes, it is the parents, not the children, who are most often to blame for the delay in the development of self-service skills.

Consider the typical mistakes that moms and dads often make.

"Otherwise we'll be late." A common situation: a mother in a hurry runs around the room, grabs clothes and a child in an armful, dresses him herself and quickly rushes to the garden and to work. As a result, the kid simply does not have time to pull on his trousers and jacket with his hands normally, without unnecessary fuss. Naturally, after that, he loses the desire to dress and undress on his own.
"You're sloppy." Sometimes neat mothers are very annoyed that their children dress too casually. Either his shirt is sticking out from his belt, then the tights are pulled “in a fold”, then the laces are tied ugly. In general, you can find fault endlessly, since babies' motor skills are poorly developed, so you can not wait for accuracy in the first stages. You need constant training.
"Too many nerves." Many children in the process of dressing begin to be capricious and stubborn. And this is extra nerves, irritation, which is enough at work. Therefore, moms and dads simply do everything themselves, despite the child's desire for independence. Whims arise for two reasons: either the baby is dissatisfied with the rush, or he is not able to cope with the complex fasteners and buttons.

So these are the main reasons why a child does not like to dress. It is also worth mentioning the crisis stage of 2-4 years old, when children can protest against any request from their parents. Mom asks to get dressed? The kid throws clothes on the floor to spite her, stomps his feet. This stage must be experienced, while simultaneously using the child's desire for independence for their own purposes.

The main thing is the right choice of clothes

It will be much easier to answer the question of how to teach a child to dress on his own if you stock up on the "right" clothes. That is, with things that will simplify the task, will make the baby feel dexterous and self-sufficient.

What should a mother pay attention to when buying children's clothing?

It is better to choose clothes one size larger. This rule especially applies to tights, T-shirts, turtlenecks, that is, those wardrobe items that need to be pulled over themselves. It will be much easier for a child to put on a large-sized thing than one that fits the body.
T-shirts and sweatshirts should have a well-defined front side, as well as distinctive features in the front... For example, a bright applique, drawing, etc. They will become a kind of reference point for the baby and show how to put on the thing correctly.
At the very beginning, it is worth buying clothes and shoes with Velcro and zippers, lacing and buttons should be put off for later. If the thing has buttons, then they should be well designed so that the child does not have to make significant efforts to fasten and unfasten.
The buttons on the clothes should be round and large. Small buttons, especially of an unusual shape, look pretty, but the baby will not be able to cope with them. His fingers are too naughty. In an older age, you can already focus on beauty.
The quality of the clothes. Well, and the last mandatory rule - clothes should be made from natural fabrics, without rough seams and other elements that cause discomfort to the child. Otherwise, the baby will simply put on and wear it.

Experts advise to introduce the child to the choice of clothes. Get your baby's opinion as you fill up his wardrobe. Also ask what he wants to wear tomorrow in kindergarten. Even if his choice is not to your liking, you should not swear. Explain why it is not necessary to dress like this: the jacket does not match the trousers ("you will look like a parrot"), the clothes are too light ("you will freeze in a group"), etc.

How to teach a child to dress independently - start by undressing

Even very young children understand the purpose of objects, in our case, clothes. And by the age of two, they begin to take an active part in the procedure of dressing and undressing. Here they are pulling their arms into their sleeves, but with enviable stubbornness they are trying to push their legs into their boots. The main thing for parents is not to miss this fertile time and use the child's desire to be independent for their own "selfish" purposes.

How to teach a child to dress quickly? Experts suggest starting ... with undressing. This process is simpler, on it the kid will be able to hone his skills, adapt to the necessary movements. And only then go to the main procedure. The algorithm for dressing and undressing can be studied on the following wardrobe items.

Tights and pants

First you need to teach your child to take off tights (pants). The following algorithm of actions is suitable for this.

The child walks over to the chair and turns his back to the seat.
With both handles, it is taken by the elastic of the tights (pants belt) and lowers them below the knees.
Sits on a chair.
Releases an elastic band from the handles and is taken by one handle by the heel of the stocking, and the other by the toe. Pulls off the stocking.
Does the same thing with the other stocking.
Alternately pulls both stockings (legs) down.
He takes the tights by the belt, straightens them and gets up from the chair.
He turns to the seat, puts the tights on it with an elastic band to the back of the chair and two "stripes" (seams) up.

So, everything is done correctly. Then you can move on to the question of how to teach a child to put on tights. To do this, follow these steps.

The kid comes up to the chair, takes the tights with both hands for the elastic.
Presses the pantyhose to itself, without turning or rotating them.
He sits on a chair, sticks his legs in stockings one by one and pulls the pantyhose up. All!

Dress, shirt or T-shirt

And again we start with undressing. How to teach a child to take off a T-shirt, shirt or dress? You need to proceed as follows.

The kid unbuttons (with the help of his mother) the buttons on the collar of the dress and 2-3 top buttons on the shirt. If the T-shirt is removed, nothing usually needs to be unbuttoned.
He bends down a little, pulls the clothes by the unbuttoned collar with both hands forward and down a little to free his head.
Pull the sleeve down by the cuff with one handle.
Does the same with the other sleeve.
He stands behind the back of the chair and hangs a shirt on it with the hem up and with the buttons down (that is, the front side should be down).

The dressing sequence will look like this.

The kid comes up to the back of the chair.
Leans in clothes, lifts them without turning or rotating.
He pushes his head into the neck, straightens up and alternately pushes his hands into his sleeves. All!

Footwear

First, we traditionally teach the child to take off his shoes correctly. The procedure in this case is as follows.

The kid stands next to a chair (a pouf in the hallway).
Puts the booted legs together.
Leans over and unlaces the laces (parent helps at first) or unfastens the Velcro.
He takes out his legs in turn and stands in such a way that the shoes are between the feet.
Pushes boots under a chair or shelf, always in pairs.

To put on boots or sneakers, you just need to do the following.

The child pushes a pair of shoes out from under the chair without separating them (this is mandatory!).
It stands in such a way that the shoes fit between the feet of the feet.
Alternately inserts the soles of the feet into the shoes and zips them (at first, the help of the parents is needed).

Don't be intimidated by an overly detailed algorithm. Over time, the order of actions will become less fractional, and the child will begin to act automatically. But first, you need to teach him this step-by-step instruction so that he understands what and how to do in order.

Useful tips for mums and dads

Since teaching a child to dress independently at 3 or 4 years old is not a one-day task, you need to be creative in its implementation. You can use games, little tricks and tricks in the learning process.

Make exercise equipment. These are special "gadgets" that help improve fine motor skills. They look like two halves of a dense material, to which zippers, Velcro, hooks, buttons, laces, etc. are sewn. The child plays, and at the same time trains and develops fingers.
Prepare a cheat sheet. If the child dresses too slowly and cannot remember the sequence of actions, draw or buy a poster that shows the algorithm for dressing and undressing. Hang it on the closet in the nursery and invite your toddler to use it as a clue.
Arrange competitions. Camping for a walk can be turned into a fun competition: who will get dressed faster. Of course, the mother will “lose” to the baby, so that he feels more confident and independent. Then the rules can be complicated: not just get dressed quickly, but also look neat at the same time.
Prepare your clothes in advance. So that getting ready to go to the kindergarten does not turn into a real torture, choose your morning suit in advance. You can do this with your child, especially if you have a girl growing up. At the same time, you can practice dressing and undressing in the evening.
Be flexible in your learning process. A child cannot master a skill in one day. Therefore, you need to be patient, and you should also not insist if today he does not want to do something, refuses to dress himself. Offer to dress together, replace the T-shirt with a nice shirt, etc.

Well, one more piece of advice: do not compare your baby with peers. Yes, some children learn dressing more easily. So what? This is not a reason to force the child, rush or scold him for being slow. The skill will come anyway, your task is to help your child feel more adult and independent.

Conclusion

What else do you need to remember? How important it is to praise for any success. Did the child put on tights without your help? Well done! Laced up your boots? Clever girl! Competent behavior of parents, support and praise is a guarantee that the question of how to teach a child to dress independently will soon disappear as unnecessary.

Article rating: