Parents help children learn to perform personal tasks themselves as they are developmentally ready. Most children become ready as their fine motor skills improve through the many activities they participate in.

Some of those self-help tasks are:

• Taking care of toileting needs.
• Unbuttoning and buttoning or unsnapping and resnapping pants.
• Taking off and putting on a sweater or jacket.
• Buttoning a sweater or shirt.
• Zipping a jacket.
• Cleaning up spills.
• Setting the table.
• Pouring your own juice.
• Cleaning up your place at the table after you are finished.
• Cleaning up materials after you play with them.
• Tieing your shoes.

Children will learn these skills faster if you have patience with them and help them learn. They will continue to try if you show by your attitude that you have confidence in their ability to learn. Your child truly wants to learn skills and to make you happy. Not every child learns at the same pace so please do not compare your child with your neighbor's.