When children begin to manifest the desire to proceed alone to their dressing and personal hygiene it is important to support them. Let’s see some useful suggestions
At birth the child is dressed, changed, washed by mom and dad. It cannot be otherwise, the child cannot collaborate. At least until the first year of age, when the child instead begins to show interest for these activities and sends signs of participation: he extends his hands, takes clothes, he wants to touch the water.
It is in this period that The action of the adult must begin to decreasegradually, giving more and more space to the child.
Intervene less
How does harmony happen? The adult makes calm, large and clear gestures and thus allows the child to fit into himself.
Wait for the child’s gestures before acting gives the child to start participating actively.
As the child grows, his manual and coordination skills increase and less and less will be the help of mom and dad will be necessary.
The rhythm of this development is not predefined, but personal. Each child has his own times that must be respected. The desire to do alone must be natural, find welcome, not be forced or hindered (in this regard, we refer to our article on the frames of the lacing, Montessorian activity that favors autonomy in the dress).
Following this process, the child will independently take care of putting the bedroom in order, of his own dressing and personal hygiene, finding the help of the adult where necessary. However, help should not be deniedindeed, even if it requires effort, patience and time, the possibility of practicing, to make themselves skilled and autonomous must be granted.
Everything that the child can do by himself must not be done by the adult, except if the baby does not want it, by affection, tiredness, disinterest.
Where and how to encourage autonomy
Children learn much earlier to undress than to dress. There is a period of life, around 18/24 months, in which the child knows how to undress independently and is interested in doing it. Give him time to take off his clothes independently before intervening to help him in the dress.
At this stage the adult makes slow and precise gestures allowing the child to participate when he wishes:
- We offer the trousers to put on e We wait for the baby to lift the leginviting him to do it and not taking his limb
- We open the shoe or ciabatta Waiting for him to put on his foot
- We always show the procedures on us: the washing of the hands, put on and parade the clothes and shoes, the washing of the teeth and so on
Choice of bibs and clothing
We always prefer bibs that skewer And not to be tested, to allow the child to make themselves autonomous in less time.
As well as clothing: shoes and dresses with velcro closures, trousers and soft shirts without complex ties are fundamental in the early years of life to make the intervention of the adult less decisive.
We build a child -friendly environmentwith hanger at the entrance for jackets, hats, shoes.
The parent and the educator must periodically ask the question: “How can I do less why the child can do more?” And so putting strategies in the field that act in this direction: modify the environment or the relationship, without forgetting that the times do not say the adult but the child. When he is ready to take a step on the path of autonomy he will try to communicate it and we will have to be ready to welcome and accompany him.
