Growing Winter Gear Skills: Tips For Dressing Kids For The Cold

I am convinced there is a spell cast upon children when the words “It’s time to go” are uttered. It prevents them from going any faster than the speed of molasses unless it is in the opposite direction of their gear or the door. Maybe you’ve even laid the clothes out in front of them, and there was a glint of confidence in their eyes as you turned away; they’ve got this! But when you’ve finished getting a baby bundled or some loose ends tied up, nothing has happened. Or worse yet, they’ve removed their pants and socks and have one mitten on and one leg down the wrong side of the snowsuit. What.is.happening?? We’ve all been there. Your toddler and preschool teachers are there with you. There are strategies and alternatives to ease at least some of the pain of prepping for the elements. I can’t promise you perfection, but these tips might offer hope for progress and fewer palpitations.

Time Is On Your Side…If You Can Allow Enough Time

Pad your schedule as much as you can. For school days this might look like getting to All Seasons early and dressing out at the car before you walk in or dressing in the square or lounge area. Time doesn’t solve all problems, but it can really take some of the pressure off and return a bit of Zen to leaving the house. Getting to school early has some added benefits: children may see friends from class who are also getting ready for play. As your child becomes more experienced with the process, their speed will increase. This is a great accomplishment to recognize and celebrate with them!

Show and Tell

As the leaves fall, the winter gear chart goes up! At home, I post a small strip with pictures of winter gear in the order I want my kids to put the items on. This is also a tool used in the classrooms to help children follow the multiple and complicated steps of gearing up for cold weather. Take a moment to consider that not only are the children being tasked with putting on several items, but for many of those items, there are multiple steps to just get that one thing on. Let’s take snow pants for instance: they need to be facing the right way around (1 step), two legs in (2 steps), 2 straps up (2 steps), zipper up (1 step). That’s six steps for just the first clothing item! After conquering that, the child still has a long list of tasks ahead of them: boots (2 steps), a jacket (3 steps), a hat (1 step), and mittens (2 difficult steps). A grand total of fourteen tasks. Providing a chart can help them not only see what needs to be done but can help them see what they have accomplished and that they are indeed moving forward on the journey to the great outdoors. A visual is also a great anchor should your young adventurer wander off into their thoughts or nearby distractions. Finally, a visual is a great complement to auditory input. The more multi-sensory we can make learning, the better. The chart, your voice, and the clothing itself provide visual, auditory, and tactile input, respectively.

Ideas for visual charts:

• Photos of your child/children putting on the various items

• Photos of the items

• Illustrations (A web or Pinterest search will bring up numerous resources.)

• A chart where the tasks move from the “To-Do” side to the “Done” side as they are completed (These are usually magnetic or Velcro.)

• A chart with flaps that fold up and close with a magnet or Velcro as they are completed so the only visible steps are the ones left to be completed.

Positive Peer Support

When it’s time to gear up, we like to bring over some of the experienced preschoolers to help the toddlers who are so new to this whole process. The older children love helping and the younger ones very much appreciate being shown the ropes by “the big kids.” At home, if siblings are available, they can be enlisted similarly!

Make It Fun

If getting dressed and out the door has become a struggle for you, it’s probably as stressful for your children as it is for you. As a consequence, your child may develop a negative outlook on the routine and avoid or resist it in the future. Try to find some ways to infuse fun into the routine. Music is one way. Create a “Getting Out the Door” playlist and make it your goal to leave before the music ends or take turns choosing songs. Maybe if the whole process goes smoothly there’s a special celebration song in the car! Could your family make up a silly “getting ready” song? My family is a little competitive and sometimes racing a timer has helped. It works best with a visual timer, so try to find something online or even a kitchen timer would do. Silliness and exaggeration can go a long way. I remember one child at All Seasons who resisted putting on snow pants. When the snow pants started to scream so loudly for legs that I had to cover my ears, the kind child helped me by putting the wailing snow pants on and taking them outside.

Make It Easy and Empowering

Something that really motivates kids is feeling capable and accomplished. To that end, I have three tricks that I know of to help small bodies get jackets on independently.

1. The Chair Trick: Place the coat over a chair (a small one if you have it), and then the child backs into it and puts their arms through. The chair essentially holds the coat open for them.

2. The Hood Trick: Teach the child to put the hood of the coat on their head, so that their head is essentially holding their coat for them, and then swing left and right to get their arms in.

3. The Flip Trick: (Hands down, my personal favorite, and most kids’ too.) “Put the tag by your toes, your hands in the holes, and flip! Over it goes!” Lay the jacket on the floor, with the collar or hood at their feet, and have the child bend over to get their hands in the arm holes deep enough that when they lift their hands up, the coat comes with it and continues up and over their head. It’s so quick and fun!

Look For and Celebrate Small Steps

When we first start bundling up and unbundling with the toddlers, the process is chaotic, not very linear, quite time-consuming, and sweat-inducing. We celebrate all the small victories along the way. Did someone try to do a step on their own? Did someone offer help? Did they remember to put all their items back in their cubby? As we make our way through the winter months, the children really do become more and more adept. In your own home, the improvements and positive changes will happen as well and are worth noticing out loud. Pointing them out to your child will be so motivating for them.

Remember: They’re Little

Learning to get the layers of winter clothing on and off may come quickly to some, but for most, it will take practice and time. Take heart in knowing that your children are still developing some of the dexterity, fine motor coordination, strength, and planning skills needed to navigate winter dressing. Remember that All Seasons graduates are great at putting on their own gear by the time they leave. Hopefully, these tips make one of the challenges of winter easier.