HOW TO TEACH A CHILD TO DRESS (FASHION FOR KIDS)
My friend’s daughter was seven on Sunday and we all planned to be there for her birthday party. So, in my usual way, I went to my kids’ rooms to help sort their outfits, I went to my daughter’s room first. Ms. Pink (my nickname for her because of how much she loves pink) insisted on showing up at the birthday party in pink cotton panty hose and a pink mini dress with glittery pink dolly shoes! This young lady is four and very opinionated about her dressing. My son on the other hand would agree to any outfit I choose as long as he is comfortable, he will be confident wearing them
I’m pretty sure I’m not alone on this fashion war with at least one kid. How do we help them see that there are specific kinds of clothes for different scenes? I’ve found that these 5 ways work for me and my little angel and it’s worked for my friends as well;
1. LISTEN
I let her know she has a voice and it’s valid on every issue, not just fashion. I listen to her when she has something to say and we discuss her thoughts on the said issue.
2. SHOP WITH YOUR KIDS
I go shopping with her in her favourite kids’ fashion store Ruff ‘n’ Tumble, as I do, I learn the kind of style she is naturally pulled to and I then lend my voice in these special mother-child bonding moments to let her know what events the outfits she picked would work best for.
3. GIVE GIFTS
To show her how impressive her styling is, I give her a gift; compliments, a new mirror sticker (it could say “superstar” or something nice). The idea is to let her know that I noticed her efforts and I appreciate and love that she’s learning.
4. VETO POWER
I help her understand that I get to pick outfits for specific events like Easter concerts and so on and she has days where she gets to pick outfits, and there are days when we pick together (sighs). This helps her appreciate my involvement and reduces the chances of rebellion at such an early stage.
5. COLOURS
We are big on understanding colours. It helps to have a colour wheel so together we practice what colours complement the other. I also sometimes let her watch me pick my outfits or even help out. Pointing out how colours are paired when we go shopping for trendy kids’ clothing from a quality kids’ clothing brand also helps to reinforce this lesson.
As you can imagine, for the birthday party, I reminded my daughter that there are other colours that complement pink nicely so we added some white to her outfit. A win-win if you ask me, and my little Ms. Pink still got to express her four-year-old self and her definition of fashion.