Learning to get dressed outside of the morning rush!

You know it's important for your young child to learn life skills and to become more independent. Even their teacher has dropped hints about working on skills like dressing themselves to help with their school day (putting on 12 pairs of shoes after nap is quite a task). But what you also know is that the morning routine is nothing short of chaotic in your home. You would be happy if they ate their breakfast in less than 45 minutes, let alone practice putting on their own clothes.
It's time to look at play time in a new light to help work on these skills, namely dressing themselves independently. Specifically we are going to look at dress up or make believe play to work on practicing dressing routines.

What you need:
✓ Some of your family’s old clothes, ideally a bit too big for them, or buy some at the thrift store.
✓ Craft supplies you already have like glitter, markers, cut up old cloth, scissors, and glue.
✓ Paper and crayons
✓ A cardboard box to put it all in.

What to do:
While you may be low on cash, your young child has a wealth of imagination so there is no need to buy expensive dress up clothes. Play off of your child’s interests. When children are motivated and enjoying a task they often times are able to work above their average ability level. Ask your child what they want to be and then work together (great time to practice independent cutting and writing) to create the supplies. If they want to be a fireman then write the words “Fire Chief” across an old shirt. If they want to be a princess then glue glitter and old fabric pieces onto a hand me down night shirt. Tell them that their regular school shoes are now special policeman shoes for the job. In addition to clothing, use the paper and crayons to create more props like a menu or store hours. Label the box and keep all of their supplies in it so they always know where to find them. You may be surprised at how motivated your child is to learn how to get dressed themselves when they think it is fun. So when you are rushed to get out of the house, take other more relaxed opportunities to practice life skills.

Did you know?
When you are having difficulty with your child refusing to get dressed in the morning the simple act of letting them choose between two outfits that you have laid out can help reduce the stress. When children feel like they have some control they are less likely to resist.