Daily Routines: Getting Dressed
WE MAKE IT EASY FOR PARENTS TO IDENTIFY TEACHABLE MOMENTS for COMMUNICATION and life skills.
Welcome to ETP’s daily routine series! How do we add play or language into the mix when it feels like “another thing to do”? Whether it’s time, motivation, or just not knowing where to start, we want to help you troubleshoot!
Grab your notebook and join us every Monday as we share a parent-tip blog post. We’re excited to show you exactly how you can utilize your daily routines (something you already do) to expand your child’s language skills..
We’re kicking off our daily series with something we do every day: getting dressed!
7 strategies to encourage foundational language skills whle getting dressed for the day
There are a few different ways you can implement these strategies easily into your daily routine. If your child is younger, choose one and try it out for the whole week. If you have an older toddler, you may want to vary the strategies throughout the week or even use more than one within the task. You know your child best and can do what works best with the time you have!
The next time we’re helping our kids get dressed:
01 OFFER CHOICES
Offer choices of outfits or just one item of clothing.
“Do you want the red or blue shirt?”
“Dinosaur socks or unicorn socks?”
02 LABEL + DESCRIBE:
Label body parts and talk about their function as you are helping your child get dressed. The age and ability of your little one will determine how detailed you want to be.
“Let’s put your socks on. Socks go on your feet. Our feet help us walk.”
“Shirt goes on & pull it over your head. Oh, there you are! I see your eyes! Eyes help us see.”
03 TALK ABOUT THE WEATHER
Tell your child what the weather will be like or look outside together to discuss. Talk aloud to let them in on your thought process. Share what clothing items are appropriate for certain kinds of weather and make a good decision together.
“It’s hot outside today! Let’s find shorts and a short sleeve shirt.”
“It’s going to rain later today. I wonder what we should wear to the store? Yes, A raincoat is a great idea!”
04 FOLLOW DIRECTIONS:
Try just one-step for younger toddlers. If your child is older, try adding in more steps.
One step direction: “Get your pink shoes.”
Two step directions: “Put your shoes on and get your backpack.”
05 BE SILLY
Have a few minutes to laugh together? Try putting a clothing item on somewhere it does not go! See how your toddler responds and have fun together!
(Put pants on head) “Ok, you’re ready to go! Oh wait! Your pants don’t go on your head! A hat goes on your head!
(Put socks on hand) “Let’s put your socks on your feet. Uh-oh these are your hands! Where do the socks go?! *pause* Oh, your feet!”
06 SEQUENCE
Use words like first, next, then, and last to sequence the steps in getting dressed. Allow your child to participate in choosing what’s “next”.
“First, we put on your diaper/pull-up/underwear then your pants.” “What should we put on next? Your shirt or your socks?”
07 REPETITION
Use the same familiar language/vocabulary to help build and reinforce your child’s understanding of the routine.
Super simple and doable, right?! See how your child responds. See what they can do!
Just like that, you’re leading the way to help your child make decisions, label objects, understand functions of objects, and follow directions. Win. Win. Win!
If you loved these strategies and you’re ready for more, check out the Play By Play. It’s the ultimate cheat sheet for play based learning and no-prep language activities. We curated a handy list of our top 10 go-to strategies for increasing communication! Click below to purchase, and we can’t wait to get you started.
Vocabulary & Concepts
LET’S CONSIDER THIS NO-CURRICULUM approach TO LEARNING EARLY VOCABULARY CONCEPTS.
Getting dressed in the morning lends itself to a variety of new and familiar vocabulary + concepts. It’s an easy and approachable learning experience for children. The foundational language that we use in daily routines often carry over into other daily interactions as well as early academic skills.
HERE’S SOME VOCABULARY TO USE WHILE GETTING DRESSED:
Use this vocabulary list to get you started and add any others that may be unique to your family or child.
Nouns: shirt, sweater, shorts, pants, dress, hat, socks, shoes, underwear, diaper, pajamas, buttons, zipper, pocket, head, hair, arms, chest, stomach, hands, feet, toes
Verbs: pull, push, help, stuck, get, put on, zip, put in
Descriptors: clean/dirty, colors, patterns, sizes
Level up with THESE BASIC CONCEPTS WHILE GETTING DRESSED:
Basic concepts are the words that children need to understand in order to participate in everyday tasks, follow directions, and engage in conversation. Below are 10 basic concepts and one example of how to incorporate them while getting dressed.
ON/OFF: Take items on and off
IN/OUT: Take clothes in and out of a drawer, closet, or bin
UP/DOWN: Zip a jacket up or down
OPEN/CLOSE: Open and close a door, drawer, or closet
BIG/LITTLE/SMALL: Compare your items or a siblings items to theirs
COLORS: Comment on colors of items of clothing
CLEAN/DIRTY: Describe items of clothes
SAME/DIFFERENT: Compare socks or other items of clothing
TOP/MIDDLE/BOTTOM: Put items away or getting them out of a dresser drawer, closet, etc.
FIRST/LAST: Use as you sequence putting on clothing items
Use the basic concept checklist in the Play by Play to keep track of the concepts your child has mastered and the concepts you will introduce to them next!
If you find value in having a concept list for this daily routine, just imagine having a concept list for the toys you already own! Try a free toy guide out on us!
WHAT’S A GOOD GAME PLAN?
We love following a simple framework to be productive without too much fuss. Try using what we call the 2-1-1. You're going to choose 2 concepts, 1 vocabulary or power word, and 1 strategy for the week.
HERE’S WHAT THE 2-1-1 COULD LOOK LIKE:
2 Concepts: on/off
Take inventory of what toys you can use for these concepts. For example, use a stacking ring to put the rings “on” and then take them “off”.
Consider your daily routine. Model the words on/off when getting dressed for the day.
1 Power Word: help
Model this when it is relevant like when your child needs help putting on their socks/shoes.
1 Strategy: Offer a choice of two while getting dressed or during another activity.
Looking for MORE quick, doable strategies to increase your child’s language and life skills?
Check out our Play Day Challenge and learn 7 ways to make it happen! Click below to subscribe and we’ll meet you in your inbox!
SOURCE:
Cheslock, M., & Kahn, S. (2011). Supporting families and caregivers in everyday routines. The ASHA Leader. https://doi.org/10.1044/leader.ftr1.16112011.10
