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Should Kids Pick What They Wear To School?

Should Kids Pick What They Wear To SchoolShould your child be able to wear whatever they want to preschool? This question has
become a long-standing debate. Some people believe children should wear whatever they want, while others think uniforms should be supplied to stop the question from popping up all together. Around the time your child enters preschool you might notice that they want to pick out their own outfits—which can sometimes look more like funky costumes than school clothes.

Since most preschools and daycare centers don’t come with a uniform, it’s up to parents how they dress their child for school each day. So should you let your daughter wear that sparkly pink tutu to school, or force her to put on a more appropriate summer dress? Here we take a closer look at the debate, helping you find a happy median when it comes to what your child wears to school.

Why and When Do Kids Want To Dress Themselves?

Does your child suddenly a have voice about they want to wear? If so, this is completely normal. A spokeswoman for the Academy of Pediatrics, Alanna Levine M.D., states that when children start being bossy about what they want to wear, “It’s a sign that she’s growing up. Preschoolers are at a stage where they’re also trying to assert their independence and test limits. Getting dressed provides an opportunity to put both things into practice.”

All in all, kids just want a say in what’s going on, especially once they reach 3 and 4 years old, at which point they are often described as “little control freaks.” While there are plenty of things your children must listen to you about, it’s okay to grant them some independence where it doesn’t matter as much.

That doesn’t mean you have to give your child the freedom to wear whatever they want. Instead you can offer them suitable options to pick from, instead of telling them to wear a green sweater, you can ask them if they prefer the red or green sweater. Offering options allows your child an opinion in what they wear, while still granting you a say in their final decision.

Costumes Vs. Clothing—How To Control What Your Child Wears While Still Giving Them Freedom To Be Creative & Independent

A child that knows how to tug up their zippers and pull on their jeans is showing off growing independence, something that feels good at any age. Allowing your child to get dressed on their own as often as possible is actually good for their overall development.

It’s also important to let kids form their own style and sense of self, which can be expressed through the clothes that they wear. Still, we understand that even the brightest children can struggle picking out appropriate clothing. So as a parent how do you find a happy median?

Here are 5 tips for keeping your child properly dressed, while still giving them freedom to think for themselves.

 1. Organize Closet By Type Of Clothes

Separate your child’s everyday out-in-the-world clothes from their dress-up and playtime clothes. This way they visually understand which clothes are for school, and which clothes are for playtime or special occasions, like Halloween. This might help eliminate a few arguments about wearing a dog costume to preschool.

 2. Change Out Closet Seasonally

Each season, change out your child’s closet so that they only have clothes for that season out on display. Everything else can be put into plastic bins stored under the bed, or on a shelf out of your child’s reach. This way your child doesn’t tromp downstairs wearing snow pants and a big heavy sweater when it’s 90 degrees outside.

 3. Remove Temptation To Wear Best Dress Or Suit 

There are certain clothing items reserved for family parties, weddings, or other special occasions. Some kids want to wear these fancy outfits all of the time, even to play in the sand at daycare. To remove the temptation, you can keep fancier clothes in your own closet or somewhere else out of reach.

4. Offer Options To Make Life Easier

Instead of letting your child pick what they want to wear from their whole wardrobe, you can select 2 or 3 options for them to pick from each day. This grants your child a voice in what they wear but keeps the selection trimmed down to something appropriate and comfortable for their daily activities.

 5. Speed Things Up With A Game

Do you find that letting your child pick out what they want to wear slows things down considerably? Speed up the getting dressed process by making a game out of it. Tell your child that you will close your eyes and count while they get ready, in order to determine how long it takes. If you play this game often, your child will enjoy trying to improve their time, thus offering a fun way to keep kids moving as quickly as possible on busy days, while still practicing their independence.

 

 

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