Learning Together Every step of the way
CITY OF TORONTO | EARLY CHILDHOOD SERVICES TEAM: COMMUNITY LIVING TORONTO | SURREY PLACE CENTRE
TIP SHEET
Teaching Your
Child To Get
Dressed
Learning to get dressed or undressed is a big
step towards independence for every child. Of-
ten times, when young children struggle while
putting on their shoes, hat, or jacket, we are
quick to jump up and help them.
When teaching your child dressing skills, make
sure you have plenty of time, patience, and, a
sense of humour. Most preschool and kindergarten
age children need some help with getting dressed
whether or not they have special needs.
Is he struggling with the task or try-
ing to figure things out?
While some children will ask for help when they
need it, others may struggle in silence. Let’s use the
example of a child who is trying to put on his boots
and determine whether he is truly struggling with
the task, or simply trying to “figure things out”.
He is probably trying to “figure things out” if
he:
• Appears to be talking himself through the pro-
cess (e.g., “Foot in boot.”).
• Is testing different solutions to the problem such
as taking his foot out of a boot if it doesn’t fit
properly and trying the other boot.
He is probably struggling if he:
• Appears angry or frustrated.
• Looks from shoe to boot without taking any ac-
tion.
Learning Together - Teaching Your Child To Get Dressed page 1 of 3
• Repeatedly does something incorrectly such as
putting the right foot into the boot shaped for the
left foot.
• Looks at, or gestures to those around him for
help.
Deciding what to teach
Here are some questions to help you decide which
dressing skills to focus on with your child:
• Does he know which clothing fits which body
part?
• Can he tell when clothing has been put on back-
wards or inside out?
• Does he know how to put on or take off clothing
in the right order?
• Can he take off clothing?
• Can he put on clothing?
• Can he attach clothing using velcro, zippers, or
buttons?
In general, children learn how to take off clothing
before they learn to put it on. Also, most children
learn dressing skills that require movement of the
large muscles (e.g., arms and legs) before ones that
require precise movements of the hands and the
 Teaching Your Child To Get Dressed, continued
fingers. Pulling pants up or down is easier than zip-
ping them up!
How to promote independent
dressing and undressing
Most children show an interest in dressing/undress-
ing themselves and will feel proud of their abilities
and accomplishments in this area.
When helping your child get dressed, provide him
with opportunities to participate, follow his lead,
and describe your actions.
Here are some suggestions to build indepen-
dence:
• Begin with the easiest clothing to put on and take
off, such as hat, socks, shoes, or pants.
• Talk about each step of the process. Be sure to
emphasize body and clothing words. For exam-
ple, you can hold out a shirt and say, “Joey, put
your arms out. Now, you can put your shirt on.
That’s right, one arm at a time!”
• Verbally praise your child for each step he ac-
complishes - “Good work taking your shoes off!”
• Encourage your child to sit down to complete
the steps. This may provide more stability while
dressing or undressing.
• Break the skill into smaller steps and teach one
step at a time. This process is known as Task
Analysis – you’ll find more details in the For
More Information box at the end of this tip sheet.
You can also encourage your child to dress inde-
pendently by practising dressing skills with fun
activities.
1. Young children love to dress up in adult clothing
and pretend to be ‘grown-up’. This is a fun and
creative way for your child to practise putting on
and taking off clothing. The larger clothing will
be easier for him to put on. Just make sure that it
is not too long for him to trip over.
2. Use a doll to show your child where clothing
Learning Together - Teaching Your Child To Get Dressed page  of 3
goes on the body and how to put it on. Let him
practise dressing and undressing the doll without
help.
Organizing for Independence
For many young children clothing is a way to ex-
press themselves. While this is wonderful, it can be
a challenge when you are trying to get your child
ready for school in the morning. Some children
may insist on wearing the same T-shirt day after
day. Others may insist on wearing ‘dressy clothing’
to school.
You can involve your child in his dressing routine
by grouping together outfits and allowing him to
choose one to wear each day. This provides him
with a choice and ensures that he is wearing cloth-
ing that is suitable for school and the weather.
Some parents prefer to lay out an outfit the night
before.
If your home has the room, you can set up an area
for your child’s outerwear (e.g., jacket, scarf, hat)
and backpack near the doorway. Put a small mat
on the floor for shoes and attach hooks to the wall
for a backpack and coat. Place a picture of a coat
and backpack underneath the hooks to remind your
child to hang them up. During the winter, you can
add a bin for a hat or scarf. Your child may find
it easier to identify his belongings and practise
dressing if he has his own space. If possible, place
a mirror at your child’s level so he can watch as he
puts the clothes on.
Tips on Choosing Clothing for
School/Child Care
Children who are learning to dress themselves
need more time to get ready in the morning. When
choosing your child’s outfits for school/child care,
think of what he can easily do on his own and with
what items he needs help. It is also helpful to keep
in mind what clothing he might have to remove at
school/child care. A shirt with buttons is OK but
pants with buttons may be difficult for your child
 Teaching Your Child To Get Dressed, continued
to undo in a hurry when he needs to use the wash-
room.
Take a look at the following ideas for “child-
friendly” clothing:
Tops
• Snap buttons are easier to use than regular but-
tons.
• If buttons are difficult for your child to manipu-
late, stick to shirts and sweaters that he can pull
on and off.
• Sweaters or light shirts with a ‘half-zip’ at the
neck are easier for your child to pull over his
head because they have a large neck opening.
Bottoms
• Choose pants or skirts with elastic waistbands.
• Choose pants that fasten with velcro.
• ‘Cargo’ pants that have several pockets
make it easy for your child to carry a com-
munication book or ‘fidget’ toy with him.
Outerwear
• Tie a colourful ribbon or zipper pull to
the zipper on your child’s coat. This
will make it easier for him to pull the
zipper up and down.
• Attach mittens to a string and feed it
through the arms of your child’s coat.
This way he will not lose the mittens.
• A coat with a hood is useful if your child
tends to pull off or forget his hat.
• A coat that zips all the way up to the chin is
good if your child does not like the feeling
of a scarf against his neck.
For more information:
• Visit our two-part series workshop on Understanding and Changing Behaviour - Part 1: Why does he do that?
and Part 2: Planning for Change.
• Read the following tip sheet on Identifying Skills to Teach and Using Visuals to Teach Sel-Care Skills.
• Take a look at the following visual sequences or make your own in the Visuals Engine: Putting Pants On Se-
quence, Flip-Flop Over the Top, Winter Dressing Sequence
Learning Together - Teaching Your Child To Get Dressed page  of 3
Shoes
• Shoes that can easily be slipped on or fastened
with velcro instead of laces are practical in the
winter when children need to take off their boots
when they get to school or child care. You can
also buy curly shoelaces that don’t need to be
tied.
Sensitivities
• If your child is sensitive to temperature changes,
dress him in layers that can be removed easily.
For example, a T-shirt, with a cardigan on top.
• If your child is sensitive to touch, cut the labels
out of his clothing and make sure there are no
loose threads. Try to avoid sending him to school
in new clothing in case the fabric is irritating.
* If your child has a physical disability that makes
it difficult for him to move, grasp, or pull,
you may want to speak to an Occupational
Therapist (O.T.). An O.T. can provide you
with information on techniques and devices
that will make it easier for your child to
dress himself.
The road to independence can some-
times be rocky, but setting small, realis-
tic goals can make it smoother for both
you and your child.
References:
Cook, R.; Tessier, A.; Klein, D. (2000) Adapting
Early Childhood Curricula In Inclusive Settings. Fifth
Ed., Prentice Hall Inc.