Putting clothes on the right way round

Putting clothes on the right way round is tricky. Most children still put their clothes on back to front sometimes when they start school. Some children can find this challenging as they move through school. As with all dressing skills, it is best to start teaching this skill as soon as you can.

Putting clothes on the right way

• Use t-shirts, jumpers, pants, with a picture or logo on the front to give a visual prompt.
  Choose a coat with a different coloured lining to make it obvious which is the inside and
  which is the outside
• Make sure the back of all garments are marked by having a label, name tape, iron on sticker,
  permanent marker or coloured thread. Remove other labels to avoid confusion e.g. labels on
  side seams
• Point out the front and back each time a garment is put on
• Encourage your child to find the label/mark on the back, before they put their clothes on
• For garments that go on the top half, lay them on a table/bed/floor face down with the
  bottom nearest the child. Encourage your child to put their arms in first so they can see what
  they are doing and then pop it over their head
• For garments that go on the bottom half, lay these on the floor face up with the top closest
  to the child. Have the child sit down. The child can then grip the waist band and push their
  legs into the garment

Turning clothes the right way

• Practice recognising when things are round the wrong way e.g. socks
• Get the child to tell you why
• Practice with easier items first e.g. socks /coat sleeves
• To turn clothes round the right way; put the hand in, pinch the end (while holding the top
  with the other hand) and pull it the right way round. You may need to physically guide the
  child at first, then progress to guidance and prompting, then just prompting
• Encourage your child to help you with the washing. This will give them lots of practice of
  working out when things are the wrong way round and then turning them the right way
  round