10 ways to teach your kid to dress

Happy Mother’s Day!!

Mother is the first teacher that we humans are gifted with. And of the many ways a kid learns from her mother, OBSERVATION plays one of the key roles in learning. It is well said;

“When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts. A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child.”

Daily we learn and at the same time, we teach our children. Not only kids are taught new things by their mothers, but mothers too grow once more along with the kids and with little tasks by themselves. Being a mother lets you perceive the world in a completely new dimension.

When a kid struggles to tie the shoelaces, it reminds us of our own days as a child and at the same time as a parent, we want him to tie them tidily and faster. Getting our kids dress up is one task that takes a lot of toll in the early days of parenting, especially when the child develops her own liking of colors and even kind of dresses. Making the kid learn to dress up has its advantages like they become punctual, they enjoy the flavor of dressing according to the occasion, it makes them more responsive and disciplined and in addition, they have fun while dressing themselves up and the ultimate satisfaction of seeing themselves in the mirror and feeling; “Yah, I look good”.

10 tips to help mothers to dress up kids with less hassle and hustle

1)    Do not introduce shorts or pants to be worn with belts in the early years (till 10 years) because it can be harder for the kid to tackle at the beginning. So go for elastic shorts for kids, pants for kids, or full-lengths.

2)   Mothers are advised to dress up along with their kids. Kids love to observe what elders do and they learn a lot through just observing. This is the simplest way to encourage them and at the same time teach them DIY(do it yourself).

3)   If you allow them to get dressed up in front of a mirror-like dressing table will make them much more enthusiastic. Seeing and doing is fun for all of us and more so for the kids.

4)   Whenever you have time on hand, do make them practice. Make it playful, be calm and enjoy the moves with them. Let them make mistakes and learn and re-learn.

5)   Make your child sit down or stand at a comfortable level to dress up whether wearing shorts, pants, t-shirts, frocks, shoes, or any other kinds of dresses. This will help in making the body balanced during dressing up and will prevent them from falling and hurting themselves.

6)   One thing is that as the kids grow, they learn to button serially, but initially let them button in misplaced order then unbutton, this gives them scope to learn. Be calm and enjoy these little endeavors on the path of learning.

7) At the beginning (up to 5 years), do not give them choices to make, the parents should make choices for them to wear the desired outfit. Kids’ clothes can be arranged in front of them in prior and they are allowed to wear them or made to wear them. But as the child grows let them dress as per their choices and do not force your choice on them, though it's very difficult for mothers to not share their minds with their children.

8)   While wearing shocks, if the kid wears in the wrong leg let him learn from his mistake, even we (most of us) did the same.

9)   Encourage your child to re-arrange the cloth when she removes the clothes and put it back at a proper destined place for clothes to be washed. This teaches them discipline.

10) The last and most important; offer their favorite dress 3 times a week to make them eager to wear it by themselves and this is the time that they learn fast and the most.

These are the primary tips to make your child ready for dressing up by themselves. The most important virtue of the mother in the whole process is patience. Don't forget to enjoy the little moments with your child which may never come back again. These precious little things are always priceless!!