Help kids getting dressed and deciding what to wear?

Deciding what to wear is hard enough when you are well practiced but can be really difficult for some kids.  Out autistic boys get dressed in what we put them in or what is laid out for them. Initially we helped our eldest, Anthony get himself dressed using a sequencing strip and this was very successful.  Although I still have to lay out his school uniform on school days, he can now choose clothes for himself at the weekend but he still sometimes is sent back upstairs because something isn't right.  It's colder than he thinks so he needs trousers not shorts, a top looks very strange with the trousers etc.  Our younger daughter Jane was doing a fun craft activity and I thought it looked like it could be a great way to help the kids decide what to wear. 

Jane was having fun making a doll out of a wooden spoon and dressing it. Either the adult, or the adult and child can dress the doll and then kiddie can copy it to get dressed.  School day? Dress it in a school uniform. Sunny?  Try shorts and t-shirt.  You may have fun making the clothes too, Jane thought crayons would be best.  However, if like our autistic kids can be sometimes, your child needs things to be exact, then you can do this.  We have a generic smiley face, but you could add your child's face to the spoon or use photos of their real clothes.

What you will need:

• A wooden or other large spoon
• A face /hair
• Various cut out clothes
• Masking tape
• Glue stick

Simply stick the face on the back of the spoon and then use masking tape to add the clothes. By using the masking tape you'll be able to re use the clothes.  After the spoon person is dressed simply stand them up in a cup.

This fun activity can be used just for play, for learning about what clothes go together, what to wear given the weather today or even just as a labelling activity for kids learning to name their different clothing items.   Let me know what you do.

Links
Our blog - Mess free picture meal play
Our blog - Our mummification mishaps - autism and dressing up in school

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