We go out shopping, find the CUTEST outfit for our little one, and come home excited to put them in it! Dressing can be a great opportunity to teach our children. It’s something we help them with at least twice a day. Even when they get old enough to give us a hard time, which they will at some point, we can still provide a learning opportunity! Dressing routines can teach them names of clothing even before they can imitate sounds and words. As parents, we just have to label what we are putting on them. It not only teaches them but it may even distract them from being upset about what is happening😊 Over the years, I’ve seen some parents/caregivers turn it into a song! “These are your socks, socks, socks!” The tune doesn’t matter(and neither does your singing voice!). As they get older, ask your child to give you the article of clothing to put on(receptive language) or ask them “What’s this?” as you show them, so they can label it(expressive language). If they don’t know or the word is too hard for them at the time, label it for them so they eventually imitate it. Repetition and practice are keys to learning. What better way to do this than in daily routines! Even as they get older and more headstrong, provide choices(when able) for the child to pick out clothing. You can ask, “Do you want to wear the blue shirt or the green shirt?”. You may use a favorite character that’s on the clothing. Any method you choose, you are teaching them to combine words! Also, you can teach them “on” and “off”. “We put shoes on”. “Take your coat off”. There are so many phrases. Furthermore, you can incorporate questions in this routine. “Do you wear shoes on your head?” “No, shoes go on our feet!”(Be silly with this!). “Does our hat go on our head?” “Yes, on our head!” Another example is asking “where” so they can use words to answer one of the first “wh” questions they will begin to understand. “Where do our socks go?” “They go on our feet!”(Encourage them to respond “feet” or “on feet”). Although we may not always have a lot of time to spend in this routine, significant learning can occur!
TIP: Give you child time to respond, at least 3-5 seconds.
Words/sounds to use: names of clothing, colors, body parts, on, off, yes, no