To help our children learn to dress themselves wisely, we made dressing for the day a fun event. First we asked them to observe the weather outside and discussed our plans for the day. Then they selected clothing based on their observations. Good decisions were celebrated with cheers.
Our toddlers loved the positive attention they gained from making wise choices, and they enjoyed choosing their own outfits. To facilitate the process, we separated clothing into categories, keeping long-sleeved shirts in one drawer and short-sleeved shirts in another. We stored church clothes in a basket on top of the dresser.
There were still days when our children were not quite so enthusiastic about dressing appropriately. What 2-year-old doesn’t suffer a sense of tragic injustice when barred from wearing his superhero outfit and dinosaur boots to his aunt’s wedding? In the end, however, we have four children who emerge from their bedrooms each morning appropriately dressed. That’s worth cheering about!
This article appeared in the March/April 2013 issue of Thriving Family magazine. Copyright © 2013 by Danika Cooley. Used by permission. ThrivingFamily.com.