Getting Dressed

Getting dressed by themselves is a skill that your child will develop over time. Being able to get dressed and ready for the day without help from an adult is fantastic for developing your child’s independence.

At school, your child might:

  • Put their coat on/take their coat off.
  • Change their school shoes for
    wellies or PE Pumps.
  • Pull clothing down and up when
    going to the toilet.
  • Change into their PE kit and put their
    clothes on their chair.

Using these skills will help your child be more confident and make the most out of school.

Top Tip

Getting dressed can sometimes feel frustrating or time consuming, and it can seem easier to do it for them, but the more they practise the easier it will be.

Activities to Help Your Child

There are lots of fun activities you can do to help your child build their confidence at getting dressed.

Try the activities below!

A bit at a time

Asking your child what they need to put on next helps them to think logically about the order they do things.

Starting them off and allowing them to finish helps, e.g. put their jumper on over their head, then ask them to find the arms and pull the jumper down.

Dressing up play

Dressing up is a fun way to support ‘getting dressed’ skills.

Start with scarves and hats and then move on to your clothes that they can pull on and off themselves more easily.

Let them choose

Give your child different options about what they want to wear that day.

This can help them feel a level of control on their outfit and make it more likely they’ll want to get dressed.

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Praise your child

When your child succeeds in putting on a piece of clothing, make sure you praise them!

It helps to be positive and encourage your child when they do something right.

Allow extra time

When children start dressing themselves, it can take them a long time.

Try to allow for this when getting ready for the day, so that you don’t get stressed and annoyed.

Negativity can make dressing more difficult for both you and your child.

Top Tip

Practice is key to being able to do things by themselves.

Handy Videos

These helpful videos can give you more ideas on how to help your child dress themselves.

This page is part of our Ready Steady School series, designed to help your little one make the most of their start to school life.

You might also find these other topics useful:

  • Recognising your name
  • Personal hygiene
  • Making choices
  • Listening and attention
  • Talking
  • Hand and finger strength
  • Mealtime independence
  • Talking about your feelings