Today, we get to enjoy a blast from the past. Three years ago, I posted about the “Coat Trick” we’ve always used to teach our little bitty kids how to put their coat on by themselves. My little bitty kids are not so little bitty anymore, therefore, they no longer use the coat trick. (Although, I do think it would be funny to see my lanky 5’10” fourteen year old see if he can still do it.)
First, lay down the coat with the outside part of the coat touching the floor. The neck of the coat should be facing your child. The child puts his arms into the sleeve holes of his coat…
And flips the coat over his head.
He adjusts his sleeves…or you adjust them for him.
Then he wipes his nose with his sleeve. (This step is optional.)
Tada! Coat is on.
Here’s a video, which is a much easier way to see how the Coat Trick works. It takes all of 14 seconds to watch. Please be sure to admire Malachi’s silly face as he prepares to show you the Coat Trick on video. The silly face part of the Coat Trick is also optional. :)
Aww!! So cute! This is how we taught our girls to put on their coats too! They love being able to do it by themselves even when they are small!
Great idea!
And I think that wiping your nose on the sleeve should be mandatory ;)
No kids of my own, but teaching preschool special ed I use it all the time! I learned this trick in grad school. Too bad this video want posted sooner! You could have saved me a lot if money and a couple of years :)
I didn’t do this trick with my son, who now is 4 but he learned to put it on just as adults do. I also taught him how to hold his long sleeve shirt sleeve when he puts his arms in and how to pull the cuff on the arms to take the jacket off without turning it inside out. I wasn’t about to turn the jacket right side in a million times so it was training time! He got it after a few times of putting the jacket back on and taking it off correctly. Now, if he can only zip up his jacket on his own! That is a bit more tricky!
He is so cute. What a great idea. My 3 year old grand daughter will be over in a couple hours. Can’t wait to show her. She already has the sleeve thing down :)
Awww. My grandfather taught me this trick almost 40 years ago. Awwwwwww. My daughter is 2 – I will have to remember to teach it to her when she can maneuver it. :-)
Too cute!
My daughter learned this in preschool – they called it “Flip-Flop-Over-the-Top”! :)
Many years ago, I taught at a Preschool. One of the first things we taught our kids was how to put their coats on this way…with 20 children, this saved lots of time~!
my fisrt born is 3 and very independent! i’ve been wondering how to teach him this and now i know! cant wate to show him! :)
I would love to win a copy of this book :) And I never did the coat trick with my son either. But he is now almost 18 (in july) and my daughter is 14 months, so I get to try it with her eventually!
Ewwww! What is it with kids and wiping their noses on their sleeve? Or worse yet, your sleeve:o)
This is how my 2 year old does it too.
I have taught preschool for several years along with having a 6 and 3 year old myself. We have used this technique in our home as well as used it to teach many of my students who are just learning to put on their own coat. My 3 year often still puts his on this way:)
This is a great idea! Thanks for sharing! And hes so cute. :)
How cute is that? I wish I had known about this trick when mine were little. They are 18 & 19 now and neither one likes to wear a coat…wonder if it’s because they never learned how to put one on…
Awesome! I have two littles that I will definitely be trying this with!
Oh my goodness, your son is sooo cute!
This ebook sounds really interesting. Would love it. Hope I’m not too late in entering.
I use to love putting my coat on that way. Taught my niece and nephew how to do it this way. What fun!
My three-year-old refuses to put on her coat that way. She always wants us to hold it for her (“like daddy does for mommy”) so she can put her arms in the sleeves one at a time.
I think that’s so sweet that she wants to do it like daddy does for mommy!! :)
Yeah, but it’s less cute when I have the baby in my arms and we’re trying to get out the door! ;)