Activities and strategies

Here are the main steps in dressing that children learn. They are outlined in approximate order of difficulty.

Remember that undressing is always easier than dressing:

• taking off hat, gloves, socks and shoes
• putting on hat
• taking off jacket (if undone)
• pulling down trousers and underpants and taking off
• pulling shirt on or off head
• pulling zips up and down
• putting on jacket
• taking off loose pyjamas
• putting legs in underpants and trousers, and arms in shirt
• putting socks and shoes on
• putting on a front opening shirt or blouse
• buttoning (start with big buttons before small, don’t worry about the top button)
• zipping up (including putting zip foot in zipper)
• tying shoelaces