Getting dressed
Duration/age

What will you wear today?
There are plenty of decisions to make when you help your child get dressed in the morning.
What are you doing today?
Does what you do change what you will wear? Is it a day at home or a going out day?
Today we are going to playgroup so you’ll need to wear clothes you can play in.
What is the weather like today?
You can find out by looking at the weather forecast or just looking out the window.
It will be cold outside so what will you need to wear - a jumper or a T-shirt?
What do you put on first when you get dressed?
First goes the underwear, then the outer wear. You can talk with your child about making sure the clothes are around the right way and not inside out or back-to-front.
First put your left leg into the jeans and then your right leg. Now put the top over your head . . . one arm in, the other arm in.
Show your child the difference between shoes and socks. It doesn’t matter which foot the socks go on but it does matter with shoes. Talk about why this is different.
Materials you will need
- Shoes
- Clothes
- Weather forecast
Why does this matter?
Getting dressed helps your child to develop their motor skills as they put the clothes on and as they balance, stretch and reach.
When you are making decisions together about what to wear your child will be learning to sort and group like ‘some clothes are for warm days, some are for cold days’ or ’some clothing is for day time and some for night-time’.
As you encourage or help them get dressed they will be learning about sequencing - ‘first your socks, then your shoes’ - and following directions.