Back to school sales have some of the cutest outfits but not all clothes are little-hands friendly. Following are some tips for helping your child start preschool or kindergarten.
- Check to see if your child can do up the buttons and snaps on pants. A snap that your child can’t close isn’t as much of a problem as one that s/he can’t open! Zippers on coats are also not easy for kids to do. Some of them are quite tricky to put together and the zipper sometimes pulls away from the fabric at the bottom, making it next to impossible. Shoes with velcro are much easier to do up than shoes with laces and some laces just will not stay done up at all.
At school, the crayons, paints and markers all say Washable but some colors are more washable than others. There’s some kind of scientific magnetism that works like this: the more expensive the outfit, the greater the chance of a stain.- No matter how careful kids are, paints spill; classmates accidentally knock over their blueberry snacks, knees slide on grass and clothes play. Clothes that can handle a few accidents make life easier for kids and parents.
- Teachers ask that everything be labelled. There are sometimes security issues with having both first and last names but even initials help. Lost and found boxes at school must have a sort of fertilizer because the items in them keep multiplying.
Is your child able to take care of needs like getting a sweater if cold, or taking one off if too hot? This doesn’t qualify as an academic concern, but it is an important issue for your child’s comfort at school. Did you know that being able to dress independently (most of the time) is part of kindergarten readiness, too?