Self-care is a major part of Montessori-based learning. Not only does it foster independence and confidence, it also makes life easier for everyone! If everyone can get ready on his own, things are a lot less complicated, especially in the morning when there can be a bit of a rush to get out the door.
Emil will be three years old next month, hard to believe. He has proven to be the most motivated to be independent at this age. He has been dressing himself for about four or five months now and seems to thoroughly enjoy it. He changes clothes several times a day, I think mostly just for the practice of it. As with everything else, kids this age seem to be obsessed with repetition — it’s the practicing over and over that gets the skill down pat! 
A part of Montessori self-care is keeping clothing within reach and easy for the child to access. Low shelves with baskets of socks, undies, shirts, and shorts/pants would be a great way to start. Emil has a dresser that he can manage on his own and is very good about sorting; he knows where his socks and underwear go, as well as his beloved pajamas (he really has a thing for pajamas) and all the rest, and you’d better not try to mix it up or he’ll let you know about it! 
Taking these pictures was interesting for me, because I realized that I rarely actually see Emil getting dressed. He does it on his own every morning and prefers not to be hovered over (I actually asked him if I could take these pictures and he said yes – though he also told me when he had enough!). When we were first showing Emil how to get dressed, Andrew and I showed him how to find the tag of his shirt or underwear or shorts so he knew front from back. He rarely puts things on backwards, which is more than I can say for myself, ha! 
I think the best advice about encouraging your two- or three-year-old to get dressed on his own is to give some guidance but to give even more space and privacy and time for figuring it out on his own. Leave the room and don’t come back in too quickly to help! It seems that the most trouble for me happens when I am watching and waiting. Who needs that kind of pressure?! 
Ta da!
Bravo Emil! Emil is such a cutie, he looks so serious getting the task done, he’s in the zone! My two year old is very independent and my assumption is he’ll start pretty soon as well. My four year old, however, is so busy that he has no time to get dressed so most of the time, especially in the morning when we’re all trying to get out of the house, we end up helping him along. The time he succeeds without me nagging him feels always so good!
Go Emil! What a cutie. He looks like such a mix of Milo and Oliver – it’s crazy!
Emil is so adorable doing it all himself. I think this is so important, but somehow Wyatt is so not into it. He’s (slowly!) getting better, but would really prefer to lie there and be dressed into the foreseeable future. Emil is all ready for school life 🙂