Dressing Skills for a Two Year Old by: Marcia H. Bakemeyer, OTR
It's difficult to identify how a 2 year old would use her skills to participate in dressing skills without knowing more about that child specifically, but I think some general comments and questions can be made. First, can the child take off and put on her socks? Does she understand how to properly orient the opening and motor plan how to insert her foot while holding the sock open? Can she place a more solidly made shoe such as a molded "Croc" on her foot? If she has the ability to do this, she is ready to try a shoe that fastens. Velcro is a good fastener to start with, because it requires a sustained pinch bilaterally and only very basic eye hand coordination for placement. I think this is very appropriate for a two year old if her readiness skills are in place. Two year olds are learning how to play with connecting toys such as Duplo blocks, so Velcro fasteners are a great way to start.
