Home > Activities > 3-4 years
Chatting with your child whilst they get ready for the day is a great opportunity to introduce more words into your everyday routine.
You could ask them to talk through the order of which clothes they are putting on, asking questions like 'what are you putting on first?' or 'what's next?'
Check out the video and points below for some inspiration from our families.
The benefits of talking through dressing children
- Talking to your child about what they need to put on allows them to practise following simple instructions.
- Asking children what they need to put on next helps them to think logically about the order they do things.
- Naming body parts and certain items of clothing can help children learn the concept of right and left.
- This activity helps get kids to practise using the words for body parts and clothing.
- Letting children choose what they want to wear can help them make choices and express preferences.
- Going through the stages with your child will help them learn independent dressing.
Image caption, Let your child lead the conversation as they are getting dressed for the day. You could ask, 'where should your socks go?' or 'what shall we put on next?'
1 of 3
How to chat children through getting dressed
Let children lead and choose what they are going to put on first. Ask them where the item of clothing goes on their body and make it fun - you might ask them if their socks go on their head and see how they respond.
Ask them what they're going to put on next.
You could offer them choices of what to wear, for example, 'are you going to wear your jeans or your shorts?'. Depending on their answer, you can ask them why they want to wear those clothes. This can get them thinking about and expressing their plans for the day or the weather.
Ask them about their favourite clothes, for example, 'which is your favourite t-shirt?' or 'which of these t-shirts do you want to wear?'.
You could see if they know the difference between left and right by asking them as they put on their shoes and socks.
If they use words and short phrases, you can help build on them by repeating them back and adding detail. For example, if they say 'blue jeans', you could say 'you're putting on your blue jeans to go to grandma's, they're very smart'.
Other ways to learn through routines
There are lots of ways to learn through children's everyday tasks and routines:
- Take their knowledge of clothes further by getting your child to help with sorting laundry or making choices about dressing for the weather.
- You could try getting your child helping with cooking by performing simple tasks like fetching ingredients, counting them out and mixing them together.
- You could play sleepy time games together to help them wind down at bedtime.
