Hello, Toddler Families
This week we continue to focus on self care, such as putting on and taking off jackets, mittens, hats, socks, and shoes. A popular motto used by Montessori teachers is “help me to help myself.” What does this mean? We observe for signs of frustration or wait for the children to ask for help. When it comes to dressing, specifically, this means allowing them the time and space to remove and put on articles of clothing without interruption or offering to help.
The “Montessori Coat Flip” is one of our favorite dressing techniques. Lay the coat out so the hood/tag is at your child’s feet. Show them how to insert their arms into the arm holes and then stand and flip the coat over their head. Voila! The zipper or buttons can be trickier. With zippers, we help them to start it and children can finish. Here is the song we sing to accompany the “Coat Flip:”
“Tag by the toes,
Arms in the holes,
Over your head,
And on it goes!”
Socks are often more challenging than shoes for toddlers. To practice the motion of putting on socks, children can stretch rubber hair bands with their hands! They can even practice pulling hair bands over their feet onto their ankles and back off again. Start by only pulling them over their toes and let them just pull over the heel, until they get the hang of that step.
We teach dressing and undressing not just to make our jobs easier, but mainly because children feel a sense of accomplishment from completing these skills independently and this boosts their overall confidence. Lastly, it's important to focus on the positives. They may put their clothes on backwards or inside out, but focus on all the progress they've made!
A Home Tip: Allow your child to struggle. Wait for your child to ask for help before stepping in and when you do, move slowly and patiently and only offer as little help as is necessary. The trickiest part is that this also means not offering praise or reinforcement because that is also a distraction. Many times, if a child is given "wait time" they will accomplish more than we realize they can do.
We are excited to have a beautiful final week of October exploring the changing season and all of the magic that comes along with that. As always, please let us know if you have any questions!
Warmly,
Morahs Megan, Sarah, and K