Dressing Skills: Developmental Steps for Kids

Dressing may seem like a simple task, but it is actually a task that requires multiple skill sets from children. Dressing requires skills such as fine and gross motor coordination, body awareness, bilateral coordination, right/left discrimination, postural stability, and motor planning. As a parent, it can be difficult to know at what age a child should develop certain skills in dressing.

Developmental steps of self-dressing skills in children*:

1 year:

Pulls off shoes
Removes socks
Pushes arms and legs through garments

2 years:

Helps pull down pants
Finds armholes in pullover shirts
Removes unfastened jackets
Removes untied shoes

2.5 years:

Removes pull-down elastic waist pants
Unbuttons large buttons
Puts on front button shirt

3 years:

Puts on socks and shoes (though it might be the wrong feet or socks upside down)
Puts on pullover shirts with some help
Buttons large buttons
Pulls down pants
Zips and unzips with help to place on track

3.5 years:

Identifies front of clothing
Snaps fasteners
Unbuckles belt
Buttons 3-4 buttons at a time
Unzips jacket zipper

4 years:

Removes pull over shirts without help
Buckles belt
Zips jacket
Puts on socks correctly
Identifies front and back of clothing

5 years:

Dresses alone
Ties and unties knots

6 years:

Ties bows and shoelaces

According to Jayne Shepherd (2005), achieving independence in dressing may take up to 4 years. During this time, parents gradually perform fewer of the tasks, and encourage their children to do more, with the ultimate goal of independence.

*Source:

Shepherd, J. (2010). Activities of daily living and adaptations for independent living. In J. Case-Smith, (Ed.), Occupational therapy for children (5^th ed., p., 501). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Mosby.