Dad Blog: Making Routines Fun

Getting your child motivated and dressed to go to school or ready for any type of event can be difficult sometimes.  Your child may prefer to laze about in bed in the early morning, or perhaps distract herself with various toys strewn about.  And, as time goes by and the need to leave your house nears, your child may still resist your pleas to get dressed.

Getting Dressed Gymnastics

This has happened many times in our household, causing tempers to rise and myself to become frustrated with my daughter.  After a brief moment to calm down and think, a solution presented itself.  All kids like activities to be fun, and getting ready to go somewhere is no different.  With Alex’s love of gymnastics in mind, I figured out how to make getting dressed fun:I spread her clothes around the house, creating an obstacle course for her. She could navigate to each item of clothing and then put them on. I suggested these challenges for her:

• “Flamingo walk” to her leggings.
• “Bear crawl” to her skirt.
• Crawl under the coffee table to the shirt.

She willingly moved through each step and was dressed in no time!

Fun Routines for Younger Kids

When Alex was younger, I also used fun activities to get her motivated and dressed in a reasonable time. Try out some of my favorites:

• Pants machine
  • I hold her pants high above her head and say “pants machine!”
  • She stands with her back to me and I ask her to press the activation button.
  • She reaches back and pushes a “button” on my leg which then “lowers the pants machine” down so she can step into the pair of pants.
• Shirt smooches
  • I put my face into the neck hole and have her face me, lowering myself to her level and planting a kiss on her forehead while slipping the shirt over her head.

Personalize Your Play

As parents, we sometimes have to remember that our children do like things to be “fun,” especially mundane activities like getting dressed.  It is a good idea to make sure you know what types of activities your child likes to partake in, and cater to those when thinking of ideas that could help get your child motivated and moving.  If your child has a competitive streak, perhaps timing them in these activities, or offer to race them as you get dressed yourself.  The important thing to remember is that when meeting resistance from your child when they are asked to do a routine activity, try to make the activity less routine and more fun for him or her.- Mike Hoekstra (Dad)

About the Author

Mike has been a stay-at-home dad and full time college student the last few years, learning the finer points of “dadding” as he goes along.  He is by no means an expert on childcare, just experienced in raising an independent, strong-willed daughter.  His philosophy is to remember that a parent’s job is to prepare our children to meet the world at large by ensuring they have the requisite tools to navigate this oftentimes strange but wonderful world.  “Remember, always talk to your child as if they understand every word, even if they don’t understand.  And always love your child in every action, because this, they always understand.”