How to Teach a Child to Dress Themselves

Want to let the kids get dressed on their own and save yourself time? Learn how to teach a child to dress themselves with these useful tips.

How to Teach a Child to Dress Themselves

I was late for work, and my son insisted on putting his shoes on. This wouldn’t have been a problem… if he actually knew how to do it.

You see, all this time, I’d been doing everything for him because it seemed faster that way. Sure, I knew I’d save more time if he only knew how to get dressed—except teaching him how to do that would take time I already didn’t have.

Catch-22, anyone?

Back then, my husband usually had morning duty during school days. He had to shuttle three kids to two different schools on time, so dressing all three of them himself was the easiest short-term solution. But he also knew this wasn’t a sustainable way to get out of the house—he needed to start teaching them to get dressed on their own.

How to teach a child to dress themselves

At some point, all kids will need to learn to be more self-sufficient and independent, including getting dressed. But how do you encourage yours to dress himself correctly and efficiently, and without resistance or power struggles?

After all, watching him tie his own laces will add an extra five minutes you can’t exactly spare. Maybe he insists that he handle a task himself, even if you know he can’t do it well just yet. Or he doesn’t want to dress himself at all, preferring that you do everything for him instead.

It turns out, teaching your child to dress himself is much more doable than I initially thought.

Yes, you do have to carve time (and have patience) so you’re not frantic in the morning trying to get out of the house without being late. And you might have to withhold judgment and perfection when you realize he put his shirt on backward.

But I learned that simple steps can make the whole process much easier. You’ll also boost his confidence and give him a sense of achievement. With the right strategy and your supervision, you can teach your child how to get dressed. Here’s how:

1. Start with elastic bottoms

The best place to start is with elastic bottoms your child can pull on and off easily. Think pants, shorts, and skirts that cinch at the waist without fasteners and accessories like buttons, zippers, belts, and buckles.

For instance, start with loose, comfortable sweatpants than jeans or cargo pants. Or practice with pajama bottoms, as those don’t come with anything but an elastic waistband.

Once your child has the hang of pulling pants up and down, show him how to use button snaps, or at most, sliding buttons. Standard buttons (the ones you push through a hole) should be the last button you introduce, as they’re the most difficult to master.

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2. Have your child sit down to get dressed

Your child might have grown used to standing up as you got him dressed, hand on your shoulder for balance as he slips his legs into pants, for instance.

But you can imagine how difficult this would be if he were to do it on his own. Encourage him to sit down to dress himself, especially for types of clothes he wears on the bottom half of his body like pants, underwear, socks, and shoes.

Have him sit down either on the floor or on a step to put on and remove his clothes. This way, he doesn’t have to worry about losing his balance on top of concentrating on getting dressed and undressed. Shoes can sometimes be easier to slip on standing up, but removing them is usually easier sitting down.

3. Have your child push his arms through the sleeves

Don’t think your child can put a top on himself just yet? It’s not as hard as you might think if you break it down step by step.

Start by encouraging him to push his arms through the armholes. Place the shirt or sweater over his head, then ask him to stretch his arms into the sleeves while you hold the shirt. If he’s wearing a button-shirt or jacket, hold it behind his back so he can slip his arms through the correct sleeves.

The point? He can start with something as simple as pushing his arms through the sleeves. Once he masters that, then he’ll have more confidence to tackle the rest.

Tip: Does your child’s jacket have a hood? Have him wear the hood on his head before putting his arms through the sleeves. With the hood on his head, he’ll know exactly which sleeve each arm should slip through.

4. Encourage older kids to button their own shirts

Once your child knows how to use buttons, have him button his own shirts, even if you have to fix a few mismatched ones.

A pajama top with buttons is a perfect item to practice. They’re soft and simple enough to fiddle with. Have him start with the top, showing him how to match the button to a hole. Once he’s done with the first, he’ll then find the next pair as he works his way down.

Tip: Start with large buttons, as those are easier for him to grasp in his fingers and even practice fine motor skills.

5. Lay out your child’s clothes in order

Whether clothes for the day or pajamas, lay out your child’s clothes on his bed in the order he should put them on.

For bedtime, you might make a pile with undies on top, followed with pajama bottoms, a pajama top, and finally socks. Or you could arrange the clothes left to right on his bed, where he knows to start from the left and work his way to the right.

Make sure they’re all facing up so he knows which is the front and back, as well as turned right side up so he doesn’t have to fiddle with inside-out clothes.

6. Show your child tell-tale signs of the front and back

As obvious as it may be to you and me, knowing which side is the front and which is the back isn’t as easy for kids. You’d be surprised how often my kids—even until now—mistakenly wear their clothes backward.

A few signs to show your child are tags and sizing labels, which should be touching the back of his neck. Another are string on elastic pants, which he should be able to see because they go on the front. Side pockets on pants are another sign that they should be in the front, while square pockets go on the back.

And finally, you can also rely on designs of the clothing. If t-shirts feature prints on both the front and back, let him know that the small picture goes on the front and the big picture is on the back.

7. Have your child remove clothes

Putting clothes on is harder than taking them off, so you might have an easier time having your child remove his clothes first.

For instance, have him remove his own shoes and jackets once he comes home from school. Encourage him to pull his pants down to use the potty. Have him remove his socks before bath time.

Start with one piece of clothing to remove—once he’s mastered that item, you can then give him another one to remove on his own.

Tip: An easy way to remove a shirt is for your child to slip his arms out of the shirt sleeves. Then, with his hands inside, he can push the whole shirt off.

Conclusion

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Fair warning: Showing your child to get dressed and undressed takes some upfront time investment. Dressing him yourself seems so much faster than having him do so himself.

But he’ll need to learn to do this himself, not only to save you time in the long run, but to learn important skills like self-sufficiency and independence. Thankfully, learning how to teach a child to dress themselves with little help isn’t as impossible as you might imagine.

Start with elastic waists he can slip on and off easier than those with fasteners. Have him sit down to dress and undress so he doesn’t struggle with losing his balance. Encourage him to slip his arms through the sleeves first before tackling the whole top himself.

See if he can button his own shirt, starting with pajama tops that are easier to maneuver. Lay his clothes in order, either in a pile or a line. Show him tell-tale signs that indicate the fronts and backs of clothes. And finally, have him remove his clothes as well, as this can be an easier step than slipping them on.

No more wrangling shoes on or zipping jackets every time you leave. Dressing himself can take him longer for now. But consider it a temporary opportunity for him to practice lifelong skills and save you time down the line.

And check out Let’s Get Dressed! by Caroline Jayne Church, all about getting dressed on your own:

Let's Get Dressed

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6 Comments

  1. Great list! My 4-year-old is so funny with front and back. He knows which is which, but he doesn’t always care. And yes, elastic pants are a must, especially for little kids who go to school.

    1. Nina Garcia says:

      Haha Rebecca that’s so funny! He’d do really well on Backwards Day if they have those at school 🙂

  2. Kelly Warner says:

    All these tips are really helpful. I have a daughter and I’m going to experiment today itself and will share my experience. Thank you very much for sharing.

    1. Nina Garcia says:

      Glad to hear it, Kelly—thanks!

  3. Donna Lloyd says:

    Thank you for your generous sharing! It helps me and my children.

    1. Nina Garcia says:

      I’m so glad you find the blog helpful, Donna! <3