2 Simple Ways To Teach Your Child To Put On Their Coat Independently

2 Simple Ways To Teach Your Child To Put On Their Coat Independently

As a preschool teacher, one of the most stressful times of the day can be getting ready to go outside. Putting on your child's coat may not seem like a big deal, but it can be a time-consuming activity when you have 20+ students in a classroom. We want our students to spend their time learning or playing. Not putting on coats! 

How can we help them without doing everything for them? I want to share my two favorite ways to teach children to put on their own coats.

Why Should I Encourage My Child To Put On Their Own Coat?

As parents and teachers, we want to do what is best for our children. We want to take care of them and help them, but sometimes we are hurting them by not allowing them the time to do these things independently. Allowing your child to dress themselves enables them to learn skills they will need in their day-to-day lives. Something as simple as putting on a coat helps your child with balance, coordination, flexibility, and strength. Your child will also build necessary self-confidence by doing these things independently. 

How Do I Teach My Child To Put On Their Own Coat?

Over the years, parents and teachers have tried many ways of teaching children to put on their coats. I am going to teach you my two favorite tricks! These are effective methods that have been used for decades and handed down. They are simple to teach and easy to learn... with a bit of practice, of course!

Flip & Zip: The Magic Coat Trick

This is my favorite method to teach children. We call it the Flip & Zip method in my classroom. This method is excellent because you can use it with ANY type of coat. You do not need a hood for this trick to work.

1. Have your child/student place the coat on the floor or a table with the armholes facing up.
2. Show them how to stand by the hood/tag/neck of the coat.
3. Place their arms inside the armholes and have them flip the coat over their head. 
4. The coat will easily slide on and will be ready for zipping!

Once the child learns where to stand, they will be putting their coats on without assistance in no time! My assistant and I wait for our students to Flip and come over to us for a Zip until they are ready to learn the zipping part. 

Give your child enough space to Flip & Zip without hitting anyone with their arms or coat! If you have a large classroom, allow only a few students to go get their coats at a time.

The Hat Helper Trick

This method is another excellent way to learn how to put on a coat. However, your child will need a hood for this trick to work. We call this the Hat Helper trick. 

1. Have your child/student first place the hood of the coat on their head. 
2. Gently pull the coat with the opposite arm and slide your arm in the hole. 
3. Now place the other arm in the armhole using the same method.

You will not need as much space to do the Hat Helper trick, which is helpful in a busy classroom setting. 

Practice, Practice, Practice!

Give your child time to practice! This is a new skill that will take time to perfect. 

• Don't ask your child to get their coat on when you need to head out the door. Give them plenty of time to achieve the task without feeling rushed. 
• Don't help unless you are truly needed. It's hard to see our children struggle, but doing it for them takes away the learning opportunity and will make the task harder to learn. Explain, encourage, and then, only if they are really tried their best, help them.