tee: old navy | skirt: old navy (in pink) | shoes: old navy (go up one size if your little has thicker feet) | necklace: kendra scott
Today Emma Grace is channeling her inner Carrie Bradshaw…or maybe I should say her inner “Elsa” as she’s not a child of the 90s. Either way, she is taking feminine chic to the next level with her tulle skit and feminine color palate.
Today’s post is about more than just feeling like a princess; it’s about learning to let your child dress herself. As of the past couple of months Emma Grace has not only showed interest in dressing herself, but she has been voicing her opinion on what types of things she wants to wear.
Instead of getting stressed out at the thought of EG walking out the door in her underwear and a cape, I’ve started to do a little research on why you should let your kids be involved in the getting ready process. I found this amazing article from parents.com and will outline some of the benefits below, but I highly recommend reading the full article here.
Allowing your toddler to self-dress touches on 3 types of development:
1. Gross motor skills – lifting their arms/legs in coordinated fashion to put through clothing; balancing to put legs through pants or shoes on
2. Fine motor skills – using fingers to manipulate smaller parts of clothing (zippers, buttons, snaps, etc.)
3. Cognitive development – understanding the sequence of putting on clothing; being able to associate the weather with the appropriate type of clothing
personal mommy tip: since we are still in the learning stage of picking out our own clothes, I try to give Emma two choices to pick from on the days that she needs to be dressed appropriately (think: church, school, etc.); this way EG will still look appropriate, but I’m letting her have control and make her own choice because let’s be honest, if I let EG dress herself she would go “nakey” everywhere…
speech therapy tip: As an SLP, I can’t help myself but interject about what a great language opportunity this can be for your little – not only are you modeling appropriate language and building your child’s vocabulary (i.e. “Do you want to wear this black dress or this shirt with pink polka dots”), but you can start helping your little make associations with the weather. For example, your conversation could go something like this:
“Emma Grace, is it hot outside or cold outside? You’re right, it’s still really hot. Do you think we should wear pants and a jacket or a shorts and a shirt? Oh, you want to wear a jacket? Do you think that will be hot when you go outside? Yes, you’re right, it would be hot. Let’s wear the shorts and the shirt. Shorts and shirts are perfect for warm weather.”
Okay, I’m finished…but if you ever have any speech questions please feel free to email me!
photography: sukilynn
xx – anna & emma grace
