Teaching Children to Dress Independently: Visuals for Early Childhood and Disabilities
Getting children out the door can be a stressful task. Helping them to stay focused to completed the many tasks that need to be completed can seem impossible sometimes. We found a way to conquer one of those tasks. (Hey, every little bit helps!)
These Dressing Hooks were created to increase your child’s ability to dress independently. Dressing Hooks help to organize the sequence of steps necessary for getting dressed with visuals. Simply set out clothes in advance and teach the process of dressing through repetition and visual strategies.
They come in both black and white and color. The text is also editable. Some clothing items can look similar to others, like tights or leggings. Maybe you call a sweatshirt a hoodie. Change it! Simply click the text box, and type your preferred label in the downloaded resource.
Even better, you can delete the text all together if preferred. I did this for some individuals I work with. The words weren’t necessary, and labeling wasn’t a strong skill set yet. Making connections to the actual clothing items and the pictures is sometimes more appropriate than reading text.
Using the pictures as labels can also be useful. The picture below shows them on a dresser to help a learner put away their laundry on their own. Just another use!
How to Use:
Determine the clothes that you intend to have the child wear. Place the clothing items on the dressing hooks in the order that makes the most sense for dressing. For example, you might hang underwear on the first hook, socks on the second, then pants and shirt.]
Place the corresponding picture symbols above each dressing hook. If the first hook holds underwear, then the picture symbol for underwear will hang above it. Picture symbols can be attached by a piece of tape, velcro or other removable adhesive.
Teach the child to begin with the first hook, and to place that clothing item on. Prompt and reinforce the child as is appropriate. Show the child how to move to the next hook, putting those clothes on and the next hook, always in order from left to right. Praise the child generously for a job well done and offer help as it is needed.
Place a small basket or bag on a hook to hold socks.
Use the hooks consistently for dressing and the child will learn how to dress him or herself with greater independence!
