Does your child resist getting dressed because the fabric feels scratchy or too tight? Do they get frustrated trying to zip a jacket or with using utensils at mealtime? Or do they have trouble staying focused during routines like brushing their teeth or combing their hair?
Your child may not yet have the words or understanding to explain what feels wrong, so their resistance is their way of saying, “this doesn’t feel right to me.”
Occupational therapists are trained to look beneath the surface to understand which factors may be impacting your child’s comfort with dressing, feeding, and hygiene tasks.They observe how your child moves, responds to different sensations, stays focused, and follows a sequence of steps. Then, using play-based strategies, they support your child’s development and help build confidence, coordination, and independence.
Why Simple Tasks Feel Hard for Some Kids
Getting dressed, feeding, and hygiene all rely on several developmental skills that coordinate with each other. If these skills don’t integrate smoothly, everyday routines can feel harder than they should.
The developmental skills needed for daily tasks include:
- Motor coordination: The ability to use both sides of the body together for tasks like buttoning, balancing, or using utensils. If your child’s coordination is delayed, these actions can feel awkward or tiring.
- Sensory processing: The ability to interpret touch, sound, movement, and taste. If your child’s brain processes these sensations as too strong or not strong enough, routines can trigger discomfort or avoidance.
- Self-regulation and attention: The ability to stay calm, alert, and focused including when switching between activities or starting and finishing tasks.
- Planning and sequencing: The ability to remember and organize the steps in a routine. If your child has difficulty organizing or remembering the steps, starting or finishing a task can feel confusing.
The Occupational Therapy Approach to Daily Routines
An occupational therapist will first conduct a thorough evaluation to understand which of your child’s developmental skills can benefit from support. From there, they consider the whole picture, including your child’s age, strengths, and personal interests, so they can design a customized treatment plan.
Your child’s therapist uses evidence-based techniques to help your child build confidence and ease in completing everyday routines. Therapy may include games, movement activities, or sensory play that strengthens coordination and motor skills while building confidence and independence.
This fun and motivating approach makes learning feel natural, enjoyable, and rewarding. As your child makes progress, you’ll notice smoother, less stressful routines at home.
Here’s how occupational therapy supports the three most common self-care areas: dressing, feeding, and hygiene.
How Occupational Therapy Helps with Dressing Skills
Getting dressed is a complex task that depends on coordination, sequencing, and sensory comfort all at once. Buttons, zippers, and socks may look simple, but they rely on fine-motor precision, bilateral coordination, and body awareness. If your child has sensory sensitivities, even the feel of certain fabrics can feel overwhelming.
Occupational therapists help your child build the skills needed for independent dressing by:
- Strengthening hand and finger muscles through play-based, fine-motor activities that support grasping and fastening
- Improving coordination and balance through playful movement activities such as reaching for toys, tossing beanbags, and more
- Supporting sensory regulation by gradually introducing new fabrics, textures, or clothing tags to help your child feel safe and relaxed, at a pace that feels comfortable to them
- Practicing sequencing through step-by-step dressing games or picture-based sequence charts that show your child what to do next and make routines predictable and manageable.
How Occupational Therapy Helps with Feeding Skills
Your child needs proper nutrition to grow and thrive, but sensory or motor differences can make eating more difficult or uncomfortable. If your child avoids certain foods, has trouble sitting at the table, or struggles to hold utensils, occupational therapy can help.
Occupational therapists support your child’s comfort and coordination around eating by:
- Improving posture and core stability for better control and focus during meals
- Encouraging exploration of new textures through playful, low-pressure activities
- Building hand and arm strength for using utensils and bringing food to the mouth
- Creating predictable mealtime routines that help your child feel calm and confident
How Occupational Therapy Helps with Hygiene Skills
Brushing teeth, washing hands, and combing hair all rely on fine-motor control and sensory processing. If your child needs support in one or more of these areas, daily hygiene routines can feel unpredictable or overwhelming.
Occupational therapists help your child build comfort and consistency with hygiene routines by:
- Introducing grooming sensations in a child-led way to help your child feel more comfortable and in control
- Turning hygiene tasks into playful activities, such as brushing a doll’s hair or washing toy dishes first
- Teaching strategies like using mirrors, songs, or countdown games that show how much time is needed for each step
- Creating a consistent order for daily routines so your child knows what to expect and feels more at ease
Support Your Child’s Occupational Therapy at Home
Your involvement is a key part of your child’s progress in occupational therapy. Growth happens faster when you continue practicing the skills they learn in therapy at home between sessions. Your child’s occupational therapist will work closely with you to teach strategies that turn everyday moments at home into opportunities for learning so practice becomes part of your child’s daily life.
As you work with your child at home, remember to:
- Keep practice and routines predictable, and in the same order each day
- Create small wins that build your child’s confidence and independence
- Recognize effort and progress rather than focusing on perfection
Reach Out to More to Say Pediatric Development & Therapy
If you’d like to learn more about how occupational therapy can help your child feel more comfortable and confident with daily self-care routines, call More to Say Pediatric Development & Therapy at (203) 828-6790 to schedule an evaluation at our Branford or Oxford, CT, clinic or via telehealth if you live in Connecticut. Our team of pediatric occupational therapists is dedicated to helping your child gain independence and thrive.
