Your child has advanced from the days of just pulling off her socks and hat. At this age, she can get dressed and undressed by herself, though she may still need help with trickier fasteners (e.g. zippers, buttons, snaps, buckles, and laces). She can put her shoes on and take them off again, particularly if they are slip on or use hook-and-loop (i.e. Velcro) strips to fasten them and may be able to tell which shoe goes on which foot. She can zip her jacket, particularly if it has been started for her, and she knows how to use snaps and buttons, especially larger ones. All in all, as far as getting dressed goes, she is well on her way to independence!

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Play Tips:

How can you support your child’s development of this Self-Concept skill at this age? It’s as easy as 1-2-3.

1. Work on her fine motor skills. Helping your child develop her fine motor strength and skills will help her develop the strength and coordination to work small buttons, buckles, and other types of fasteners. Shadow puppet play (with fingers) is great for improving fine motor skills, as are many crafts, such as sculpting with craft dough, cutting with scissors, or even simply drawing, scribbling, and writing.
2. Pick out easy-to-use clothes. At this age, keep it simple. For example, your child’s pants can still have an elastic waist rather than a button and zipper, particularly if your child struggles with such fasteners. At this age, it will be more helpful for her to be able to get dressed independently, rather than struggle with difficult fasteners, especially when it’s time to use the toilet!
3. Let your child practice on fasteners. If your child is having trouble, find ways to help her practice. Remember, practice makes perfect! The fasteners could be on clothes you’re wearing, on bags, or on your purse or backpack. There are also toys made just for children to practice different fasteners. Some are in the form of puzzles, some are stuffed toys, and others are simple boards with fabric and a zipper, snaps, buttons, or laces.

(SPECIAL OFFER: Sign up for Playful Bee’s Bee Well developmental learning program to give your child the best start in life. The first 10,000 children enroll for FREE! Sign up today.)

Developmental Milestones:

Has your baby achieved the following Self-Concept developmental milestones yet? If yes, check off all the skill(s) he has already mastered to date using Playful Bee’s developmental milestones tracker. It’s absolutely FREE and easy to use, just click HERE!

• Is able to do more complicated dressing tasks.

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Playful Bee

Education Team at Playful Bee

Playful Bee is an e-Preschool that delivers inquiry-based preschool learning from the classroom to your home. Our preschool curriculum was created by our talented team of rock star teachers. With years of hands-on preschool and Kindergarten teaching experience, they've developed a high-quality preschool experience that is convenient-to-use and easy-to-teach by you, grandparents, or your nanny at home.

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