Socks and Shoes

Taking socks off

The objective of taking socks of is for your child to be independently able to take off his socks.

A great way to teach taking socks off is by using the deconstruction method.
The steps for “taking socks off” are as follows ( once each step is mastered move on to the next):

1. Pull socks all the way down so they just cover the toes
2. Pull socks all the way down so they cover about half the foot
3. Pull socks slightly over the heel
4. Pull socks off all the way from above the heel

What to do

1. Sit on the floor with your child.
2. Engage your child by saying your child’s name or touching your child’s arm.
3. Point to your child’s feet and say “It’s time to take off socks “.
4. Take your child’s foot and pull the sock down as described in step 1.
5. Prompt your child through the motion of taking the sock off all the way.
6. Put the sock back on to just cover the toes and say “Take off sock”. Perfect outcome: your child takes off his sock. Praise!
7. Not so perfect outcome: your child just sits there and doesn’t know what to do.
8. Repeat “Do this (show motion)” and prompt your child through the motion. Repeat the instruction. Your child does it. Praise! Your child still doesn’t know what to do: repeat the instruction again and prompt your child through the motion. Do that for 3 times and move on to a different task and come back to shoe tying later. Once your child repeats the motion, have your child do something completely different and then repeat steps 7-9.

It might take your child a while, a couple days maybe even a couple weeks, to grasp the concept of what is asked of him/her. Don’t get frustrated and stick with the program. Your child will get there! Reinforce (Praise) a right response or even if your child is trying really hard. In the video you will see a demonstration of how to run “Taking socks off” program.