Getting dressed and undressed can be a tricky task to master, as it requires so many skills! This includes being able to plan and organise the sequence of dressing, orientation of clothing, visual perception skills, fine motor skills, the coordination of limbs and good balance.
To be able to be independent with toileting, being able to undress and re-dress lower garments is a core skill to master. Long pants, fasteners and socks and shoes can be hard to get on and off – especially when in a hurry. We have all experienced those times when the zip or button is hard to open in time to avoid an accident!
Many children are heading off to prep in 2025, so using the summer holidays to prepare by working on independent dressing skills can be a big help. It’s also great to consider some helpful clothing tips to increase independence while still learning this skill.
CHOOSING THE RIGHT CLOTHING:
- Choose elastic waist bands for shorts/skirts that are loose and easy to pull on and off
- Consider tags/loops sewn into the sides of pants to help with grasp to pull-up the garment
- Help your child identify the back and the front of clothing
- Add a label with their name to the back of the shirt
- Having buttons or a design on the front
- Think about whether your child has sensory sensitivities to fabrics, seams, labels etc. Resource clothing that is soft and comfortable, often second-hand clothes can be less alerting due the repeated washing to soften the fibres. This may help to reduce feeling irritated and distracted in class with an itchy label or a seam they can feel.
Clasps: buttons, zips
- Add a ribbon/paper clip for an extended tag to zips to help with location and pulling up and down
- Replace small zips with a bigger gauge zip
- Replace small button with bigger buttons, velcro or studs
Strategies for choosing shoes and socks:
- Choose socks that have a looser top, that is easier to get over toes
- Choose socks that have different colour toes to heels to help orientate
- Decorate shoes with a coloured tag or jewel to help identify right and left
- Consider shoes that have Velcro fasteners
DRESSING PRACTICE:
Preparing the environment:
- Lay out clothes in sequence: 1st undies, 2nd shorts etc
- Use visuals of steps as helpful prompts
- Place clothing on the bed or surface next to where they are sitting. A solid box placed against a wall can help with providing stability when the child is manoeuvring their limbs in/out of clothing.
- Place clothing on legs in the orientation to go on the body
- Some kids may find a mirror helpful to self-check – have I got my shirt on straight?
Practicing dressing:
- Break down steps and think about learning the last step in the dressing sequence first. This helps with feelings of success and completion – “I can fasten the Velcro on my shoes and put my hat on”.
- In the same way, learning to undress first is easier!
- Guide dressing and undressing with a ‘hand over hand’ approach – by providing physical assistance with the tricky steps.
- Using videos can give your children another tool to learn, and can reduce some of the prompting from you. Here is a great example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqDkDB7klvA
- If your child has one side of their body that is weaker or does not have the same full range of movement than the other, always aim to dress the less able side first. When taking clothes off remove/undress the stronger arm first.
- When placing arms through sleeves, some children may like to grasp a small ball to help thread their arm through and avoid little fingers getting stuck in the fabric.
Games and fun activities to build dressing skills:
- Dressing up dolls, teddies choosing big clothes and changing toys’ outfits
- Movement games and songs like:
- Head, shoulders, knees and toes
- Hokey Pokey
- Finger songs like Tommy Thumb
- Simon says (touch your nose, head, knees)
- Dressing up games – musical dress ups – themed clothing that the child likes to dress up in
- Hide and seek with clothing – finding the items needed for the day’s outfit
- Body awareness games like:
- Twister
- Hullabaloo
- Making an obstacle course, and at each station put on an item of clothing
- Layering clothes – how many items of clothing can be put on?
- Using hoops and rings to thread arms and legs through
- Make a button box – posting buttons – coins – Connect four game
- Lacing games – firm card, punch holes at intervals and lace to make a pattern
Learning dressing is such an important task, and there are ways to make it fun while your child learns!
Be sure to check out helpful blogs and links to help build your children’s dressing skills:
https://raisingchildren.net.au/toddlers/health-daily-care/dressing/how-to-get-dressed
https://kidsthatgo.com/sensory-tips-for-learning-to-wear-uniform/
https://kidsthatgo.com/bunny-ears-or-down-the-rabbit-hole/
https://kidsthatgo.com/fine-motor-fun/
https://kidsthatgo.com/how-many-instructions-should-my-child-be-able-to-follow/
ROS PULLMAN
Occupational Therapist
