At what age should my child be able to get dressed by himself? Be capable to button his shirt? Lace his shoes? Put the right shoe in the right foot? Margo answers these questions!

Between 1 and 2 years old a child can:
Take off a few easy pieces of clothing if he is motivated to do so;Participate in getting dressed by stretching arms and legs;Zip or unzip a zipper if the bottom parts are attached.

Between 2 and 3 years old a child can:
Take off his shoes if they are undone, his socks and his pants if undone or with an elastic band;Unbutton big buttons;Start to dress themselves with loose clothing, but will need help with mistakes.

Between 3 and 4 years old a child can:
Undress himself, but needs help with fastening and with tight clothes over his head;Unfasten a zipper completely;Dress himself, in part, if the pieces of clothing are loose and correctly placed in front of him.

Between 4 and 5 years old a child can:
Undress and dress himself, but might need help with small fastenings and some tight pieces of clothing;Distinguish between back and front of some pieces of clothing, but may put them backwards;Fasten with a zipper and use medium size buttons;Tie knots and buckle a belt or a sandal.

Between 5 and 6 years old a child can:
Undress and dress himself, but needs help for ties in the back, close to the neck or close to the wrists;Fasten small buttons and snap-fasteners, tie a knot and make loose loops;Putting shoes on the right feet.

A few aspects to bear in mind!
•Undressing is easier than getting dressed, so start encouraging them to take off their clothes, their dolls clothes, teddy bears, etc.;
•Play with disguises, which will help children develop their autonomy while having fun;
•For those children who show hyper reactivity to certain textures of clothing (ex.: socks seams, labels, wool fabrics, etc.) try exploring different materials while playing and not during dressing time;
•Do not force a child to touch a texture if he is uncomfortable.

Sources : – Ferland, F. (2004). Le développement de l’enfant au quotidien Du berceau à l’école primaire. Éditions du CHU Sainte-Justine. – Talbot, G. (1993). Batterie Talbot Outil d’éva-luation pédiatrique. Éditions du CHU Sainte-Justine. – Website Regard 9. https://www.regard9.ca/index.html – Website Your kids OT Make Learning Fun. http://www.yourkidsot.com/blog/best-tips-for -tying-shoe-laces