Have you ever had your seven-year-old come out of his room wearing brown, green and beige camouflage shorts with a red and blue striped shirt? Many moms share the frustration that as a child gets older and more independent, they want to dress themselves. However, kids aren’t born with an instinct on how to match colors and patterns. This taught behaviour comes with time, patience and lots of trying again. As you explain to your child how to pair clothing, start simple and don’t rush. Avoid frustrating your child by limiting the choices in the beginning. If your child can distinguish colors, then they are ready for matching outfits.
Start by example. Avoiding crazy patterns and clashing hues when you pick out clothing will show them how to do the same. Teach them that similar colors go well together. Bring out a color wheel if you need to so they can have a visual to go by. Hang it on the closet door and let him pick a shirt and find the shirt’s color on the wheel. He can then choose the colors on both sides of the wheel to discover what color bottoms to wear. Next, explain that all colors of shirts match with jeans and certain colors such as black, white and gray go with basically any piece.
Then help your children reorganize their closets and drawers putting matching outfits together. Put both pieces on one hanger or on top of each other so he can grab it and get dressed on his own. Taking this step will help him grab a complete ensemble quickly without getting aggravated.
Using a dot system will eliminate frustration. Place a certain sticker on the tag of one pair of pants and a matching sticker on the tag of every shirt that goes with that pair of pants. Then your child can look at the tags to match his clothes. Doing this for each color of clothing will help your child be confident in his choices. Praise him for his wise choices and encourage him to try again when he makes a mistake.
