Getting Dressed

Think about your child

What are they motivated by? Does your child have a favourite colour they like to dress in? Or even a top with their favourite character on?  

Think about the environment

Where is your child getting dressed? Is it at home, school or changing for swimming at the local leisure centre? Does your child perform better in a calm, quiet area? Is there somewhere to sit with back support? Does your child need to check in a mirror once dressed? 

Think about the activity:

•  Is your child having difficulty putting their clothes on or taking them off? Practise and play dress-up games with fancy dress, bigger, baggier, or mum/dads clothing.  
• Is your child getting their clothes the wrong way around? Help them orientate clothing by having a logo or pattern on the front of their t-shirt, or encouraging them to feel for the label at the back.   
• Does your child get frustrated when in a rush? Always practise away from time pressures (e.g. avoid getting ready for school and practise at weekends).  
• Does your child get clothing in a muddle or appear untidy? Problem-solving together – do not correct them if they make a mistake but ask them what they need to do to fix it. 

Tip! Always ensure the task is achievable. Break the task down into manageable chunks. Begin the dressing activity for the child but let them finish it off themselves. This is known as backward chaining.  

• Children learn to undress themselves before they are able to dress themselves. 
• Use clothes that are slightly bigger and have good elasticity. Let them dress up in your clothes and you try to put their clothes on. 
• Each time you help them get dressed and undressed, make sure the task is carried out in the same way in the same order so it becomes a predictable sequence. 
• Describe what you are doing as you do it. For example, “I am putting your left leg in, now your right leg in. Now you are standing as we pull up your clothes.” 
• As your child begins to anticipate the next steps, allow them time to cooperate in the process. For example, pause as their hand is placed in the sleeve and give them time to push their arm through. 
• Make sure all skills are broken down and appropriate for the level of skill and attention. 

Remember to praise your child’s efforts, big and small. Use reward charts and make it fun!  

Ensure your child is sitting in a stable position, they may find putting socks on easier if leaning against a wall or sitting on a chair.

Select socks that are loose initially. Stretchy socks made from nylon can be useful to start with. Start with a larger size and build up to a sock of the correct size.

Taking off socks   

• Start with removing the sock first as this is easier to master. Encourage your child to hook both thumbs into the sides of the sock and push down over their heel. Then encourage them to hold it at the toe and pull it off.

Once your child has mastered removing their sock, start practising putting the sock on.

• Prompt your child to check that the heel is underneath – socks with different coloured heels can be useful to begin with.

• Help your child to gather up the sock close to the toe section, keeping the heel underneath.

• Help your child to place the sock over their heel using your hands.

• An alternative method is to turn the sock inside out push in the toe area and make a small pouch. The child can then be helped to peel the sock back onto their foot.

• Using a backward chaining approach would be useful to help your child gradually increase their independence.

• It is important that your child is given regular opportunities to practise but that this is kept as pressure-free as possible. Evenings and weekends are a better time than when rushing for school in the morning.

For children to be able to fasten buttons and zips they need to be able to move their fingers and hands in complex, coordinated ways.

Activity ideas to support the development of fastening skills:

• Practise unfastening first, once mastered, move on to fastening

• Begin to include clothing with soft fabric and large buttons/zips in dress-up games

• Practise with clothing placed on your child’s lap, the way round it would be if wearing. Place clothing on your lap and practise while sitting next to each other

• Consider visual perception e.g. colour contrast between buttons and top, most school polos have white buttons on white tops which makes it hard to differentiate

• Encourage the child to slow down and consider how the fastening works. Lots of children get frustrated and just pull at a button!

• You could also use small bags, purses with zips, poppers, or attach different belts and buckles. Make small pockets and attach different fastenings to close them, e.g., different-sized buttons, hook and eye, Velcro, press studs and zips. Hide objects inside the pockets and encourage your child to find them.

Tips for Zips

• Place keyrings on zips for extra pull support

Tips for Buttons

• Do activities involving posting coins to initially build awareness of the mechanism required to fasten and unfasten buttons                     

• Make a button snake, or fastenings board (using a piece of wood covered in fabric and attach various fastenings onto the board.

To help see the laces:

• Coloured Laces can help your child see the different actions of each lace.

To help feel the laces:

• Trial stiffer OR soft and wide shoelaces, this may be easier to work with than floppy laces.

• Thick shoelaces also provide extra friction in the eyelets, which helps keep the starting knot tight while working on the tricky finishing bow.

• Replace slippery synthetic shoelaces with ones made of cotton or other natural fibres, as these provide a better grip and also help keep the starting knot tight.

To help secure the laces:

• Use a Double Starting Knot, which keeps things even tighter.

• Make sure the shoes fit snugly. If the shoe is already nice and tight, the shoelaces don't have to be tied quite so tightly, making it easier to learn.

• Sit comfortably and practice with a shoe on a table or lap, or with a shoelace or rope wrapped around the thigh, instead of awkwardly reaching down to tie your shoes.

• Use a felt tip marker to permanently highlight the points on the shoelace that should be gripped together when making a loop or loops.

• Knot the very ends of each shoelace to stop those ends being accidentally pulled through the knot (when tightening) or out of the eyelets (when loosening).