Getting ready to go outside

[playfelt]

If your group is all about the same age letting them do it and encouraging and helping only where needed is great. In a multi age is where the most problems come because some get dressed quickly and others sit there and stare at you like they have no idea where a boot or hat goes and then the group in the middle cries to do it themselves when they haven't the ability yet and the whole process descends into the free for all that initiated the original complaint. No ages were given but my guess is that there is a wide range of dressing abilities in the group. One of the ways to lesson issues is to help everyone get dressed at the same rate so they are all ready to go out at the same time which means doing it quickly for the youngest, limiting the parts the middle group can do such as starting the zipper and letting them pull it up not waiting for them to get it started - that skill can be practiced at other down times not at going out time. And the oldest get themselves dressed and are positioned such that once dressed they can't get past the caregiver and the younger ones to get back into the playroom.