Developmental Milestones for Dressing
Did you know that there are specific developmental milestones that your child should meet for dressing themselves and tying their shoes?
When children learn how to undress and dress themselves they are participating in a fundamental task of daily living. Dressing requires multiple components to work together for an appropriate outcome. A foundation to dressing requires coordination between their two hands to manipulate clothing and fasteners. However, children also need to have the ability to incorporate a variety of other skills such as their visual skills, sense of where their body is in their environment, and their balance and strength. When these skills all work together appropriately, children will gradually be able to dress themselves independently.
Developmental milestones for dressing are as follows:
By age 1: The child will cooperate with dressing by holding out their arms and legs and begin pushing them through the holes. Children will also start taking off socks and shoes.
By age 2: Remove their jacket if not fastened and their shoes if the laces are not tied. They will also help with pulling down their pants and finding the armholes in a shirt when placed over their head.
By age 2½: Takes off elastic waist pants and helps to unbutton large buttons. Assists with pulling on socks and putting on button front shirt or jacket.
By age 3: Begins putting on overhead shirt with a little help, putting shoes and socks on without fasteners (which may be on the incorrect foot or with the heel on top). Can pull down their pants by themselves, zips/unzips jacket that is on track, can button large front buttons but may still need assistance to remove pull over shirt.
By age 3½: They should be able to locate the front of their clothing, perform snaps/hooks of front fasteners, unzips zipper on jacket separating the zipper, buttons multiple buttons, unbuckles shoe or belt and puts on mittens. At this point they may need only supervision during dressing to orient the front and back of clothing.
By age 4: Removes pullover clothes without help, buckles shoes/belts, zips jacket zipper, puts on socks and shoes but needs assistance in tying shoe laces. Is able to identify the front and back of clothing routinely.
By age 4½: Able to put belt through loops of clothing
By age 5: Ties and unties knots and is able to dress without needing supervision
By age 6: Able to tie bows and is able to put together snaps, buttons and zippers on the back of clothing.
As children learn how to dress themselves they will start to take more responsibility of the routine as their family does less. If the child is having challenges with other developmental milestones this process of dressing may not be as simple. If you have concerns and your child is not meeting these milestones, it is important to speak to your pediatrician as your child may need a referral for occupational therapy.
If you have questions regarding developmental milestones for dressing, please visit our website at www.collaborativecorner.org and reach out to our occupational therapist, aubrey@collaborativecorner.org free of charge.
For more information on developmental milestones for dressing please see:
Dressing milestones adapted from Klein, M.D (1983) Pre-dressing skills by Communication Skill Builders, Inc.
Aubrey Kohler, OTR/L, DRS
Occupational Therapist
aubrey@collaborativecorner.org