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):
- Pull socks all the way down so they just cover the toes
- Pull socks all the way down so they cover about half the foot
- Pull socks slightly over the heel
- Pull socks off all the way from above the heel
What to do
- Sit on the floor with your child.
- Engage your child by saying your child’s name or touching your child’s arm.
- Point to your child’s feet and say “It’s time to take off socks “.
- Take your child’s foot and pull the sock down as described in step 1.
- Prompt your child through the motion of taking the sock off all the way.
- Put the sock back on to just cover the toes and say “Take off sock”. Perfect outcome: your child takes off his sock. Praise!
- Not so perfect outcome: your child just sits there and doesn’t know what to do.
- 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.
