Preschool Development: Getting Dressed and Undressed

As a parent, one of your biggest challenges is and will be learning to adapt your parenting as your child ages. What is fine for a 1-year-old will likely need to change for a 2- and 3- and 4-year-old. Both parents and children can get stuck in a rut, doing things the same old way.

Dressing oneself is a milestone. So start with the simplest tasks: putting on a pair of socks, then pulling up a pair of pants or shorts or pulling on a T-shirt.

Begin slowly, teaching one task at a time. After a week or so, add a new task. Along the way, remember that young children love being in control. Let your child pick the color of socks, for example. Even if the socks clash with the rest of the outfit, your kid will be proud to be the sock picker.