The Coat Flip: Putting on a Coat Independently (3-5 years)

Getting dressed is an important life skill for pre-schoolers, but many children find dressing tricky, and it takes practice. Jane, one of our Early Years Specialists, suggests turning it into a fun game…

Begin by breaking the dressing activity into small, straight forward steps. Tackle one step at a time and give help where needed with the other steps of the task, for example, help your child to place the coat the correct way to start.

You Will Need:

• You and your child
• A coat (and one for yourself if you’re practising together)

The Coat Flip:

Start by talking to your child about what you’re going to do. Consider having a coat of your own so that you can practise together.

Once you’ve explained the activity, encourage your child to tell you what they’re going to do – ask questions – for example, “What will you do first? Tell me what comes next.” This will prompt them to communicate and use predictions.

Step 1: Child to put the coat down on the floor/a table.

Step 2: Child to stand near the tag/hood (tag to toes).

Step 3: Child to put their arms through the arm holes.

Step 4: Child flips the coat over their head.

Optional song to sing whilst putting on your coat:

Sing “Let’s do the Flip” to the tune of “Let’s do the Twist.”

“Tag to the toes, hands in the holes, and over it goes!”
“You put the tag by your toes, and your arms in the holes. And then you flip, flip, flip-flip, flip-flip.”
“You put the tag by your toes, and your arms in the holes. And then you flip, flip, flip-flip, flip-flip.”
“Flip flop over the top.”

How This Supports Your Child’s Learning:

Dressing can be a complex activity. Children need to be able to master several skills, which include:

• Fine Motor Skills– being able to reach, grasp and release objects in order to complete tasks such as buttoning or holding the item of clothing.
• Co-ordination- where a child needs to be able to create co-ordinated movements, using one arm and both arms. A child also needs the control of hand movement that require fine motor skills, such as fastening buttons.
• Fine Motor Skills– being able to reach, grasp and release objects in order to complete tasks such as buttoning or holding the item of clothing.

This activity will support your child’s learning in a number of ways, including ordering, listening, and understanding – enhancing their communication and language skills. It encourages independence, confidence, and resilience, and will help your child to feel prepared for the next stage of their journey.

Keeping Everyone Safe:

Candy Floss says: “Make sure there is enough space around you to ‘do the flip,’ that your pockets are empty and take care if your coat has a zip.”

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If you enjoyed this article and found it to be useful, you can check out more of our early childcare resources in our Family Resource Zone!

And, if you’re not yet a Bright Horizons parent, but are interested in what our nurseries can offer your child on their exciting educational journey, book a personal tour at your local nursery today!