Teaching Kids Dressing Skill

it's almost fall and you know what that means, back to school! And if your home is anything like mine, fall is also the season of crazy mornings, making breakfasts and coffee, packing lunches and backpacks, and trying to get out the door in time for school and work! The mornings during the school year can be so busy that I often feel like I've lived an entire day  before I even pull into my parking spot at office!

Did you know that kids begin to demonstrate dressing skills as early as one year old as part of typical child development? Here are the aes at which most kids are able to complete various dressing skills


Practice pulling clothing up and down, on and off.

1. Snap together two Rapper Snappers and then snap the ends together to make a circle. Have the child put the loop over his head and pull/push it down over his body to his feet. Then have him pull it back up over his body and up and over his head! Rapper Snappers are great a great tool for his because you can adjust the size of the circle, making it smaller for more of a challenge or bigger for easier practice.

2. Tie a length of Theraband in a loop. Make the loop large enough that it will fit around the widest part of the child's body, but, not much bigger than that you want there to be some resistance for the child to have to work against. Have the child take the loop of Theraband and pull it over his head and down over is entire body to his feet and back up again! See how quickly he can do it, and repeat severeal times for practice. This simulates pulling a shirt and pants up and down on the body.

3. Make smaller loops with the Theraband and have the child pull them into and off of his feet to practice with putting on and taking off shoes and socks.

4. Another great way to practice putting on taking off shoes is with slippers! They're softer, less rigid, and easier to get on and off but still require the same movement and a little bit of strength too!

Use the “Flip Trick”!  

This one is great for increasing your child’s independence with putting on his coat.  Place his coat on a table, chair, or couch with the collar toward the edge (front of the coat should be facing up).  Have the child stand at the edge of the surface and place his hands and arms partway through the sleeves.  Show him how to flip the coat up and over his head, sliding it the rest of the way onto his arms as he goes!

Play Dress-Up!  

As an OT, this is my favorite way to work on dressing and clothing fasteners with kids.  Practicing putting your clothes on is a whole lot more fun when you come out looking like a firefighter or a princess, right?  Keep a bin of dress-up clothes in your living room or classroom and encourage kids to put on and take off shirts, dresses, pants, and accessories.  Bigger clothes are great for practicing the motions needed for dressing without the resistance of tight elastic or tight-fitting items.

Save it for Bedtime and Bath Time!

I often recommend to the families I work with at school to save practice with dressing skills until the evening, when things aren’t as rushed and stressful.  Have kids help with taking off their clothes at the end of the day and then with putting on their pajamas, socks, and slippers!  The most important thing is to give kids an opportunity at some point during the day to practice these skills independently!

Work on Clothing Fasteners  

As your child is working on dressing and undressing himself, you can also work in some practice with the fine motor skills needed for buttons, zippers, and other clothing fasteners too!