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Dressing Practice Board

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Dressing Practice Board

Description

Your toddler practises big buttons, zips, or velcro on a fabric board or an old garment, a hands-on way to build the finger skills behind dressing themselves.

What to prep

  • fabric_board_or_garment
Cost: FreeBest time: Anytime

Play guide

  1. 1Set out a fabric board or an old garment with one kind of fastening, such as big buttons or a chunky zip.
  2. 2Sit beside your toddler and show the motion once, slowly, so they can watch.
  3. 3Hand it over and let them explore the fastening at their own pace.
  4. 4Offer a small hint or steady the fabric only if they get stuck.
  5. 5Let them open and close the fastening as many times as they like.

Success signals

Your toddler grasps and pulls a zip, pushes a button, or peels velcro. They keep working the fastening rather than handing it straight back. They try the motion again after seeing it work once

If it's tricky

The fastening is too fiddly: Start with velcro, which is easiest, before buttons or zips. They get frustrated: Do part of the motion and let them finish it. They lose interest: Leave it out for them to return to on their own