Oh dear, haven't been focused on teaching dressing...

[pollu85x]

My DS is 3.5 and starts pre-reception in September. I'm feeling really bad as I've realised he isn't very good at dressing himself and I haven't really given him the time to learn.

I'm particularly worried about pants on and trousers on. Any hints? Please tell me we have enough time to master it! Are there any types of pants particularly easy to get on?

Is pre reception what we call nursery? Where they do a morning or afternoon in school?

If so I couldn’t worry too much about dressing, ours went to school in their pe kits on pe day, didn’t really need to dress themselves

I’d focus on getting him to wipe his bum, put his coat on and off and shoes on and off. I don’t think you need to worry much more than that, but if you have time, let him dress himself in the mornings.

DS2 is just learning to dress himself and for pants and trousers I’ve gone with “label at your bum (because the word bum makes him laugh so he remembers it) and one foot at a time”. He’s got little boxers because he wanted “pants like Daddy and DB” and he finds them quite easy because of the thicker waistband.

I’d focus on coat on and off, and pants and trousers for now so he’s not overwhelmed.

As others have said, skills needed for reception are coat on and off (unzip but not zip up) and shoes on and off, independent for toilet. All you have a year to work on.

It's only from 3.5 we really started taking the time to practice.

I found with the right incentive mine found his own way of doing things quite quickly! So I got on better leaving him to do it rather than micromanaging if that makes sense.