Snow Pants First Printable Sequence Chart

It may be March but it’s still winter in Wisconsin! We have snow on the ground yet, so outdoor play requires all the winter gear: snow pants, coats, boots, mittens and hats. If you live where it snows, you know the drill. Perhaps you’ve said, “Snow pants first!” a million times so you need a
winter clothing visual schedule. My Snow Pants First Printable Sequence Chart helps preschool children learn to independently get ready to play in the snow. Download the chart at the bottom of this page.

Helping my group of eight get ready to play outside is a big task. Even with help, getting everything on can also be overwhelming for the child. There are several steps and sometimes a process for getting each item on.

To help children learn the steps and minimize everyone’s frustration, I made a visual reminder of the steps to getting ready to go outside. Mine is personalized, with actual pictures of my child care children putting on their coats and snow pants, but this version works for everyone.

Just print, laminate if desired, and post it near the closet. Show it to your children and talk about what comes first, second, third, and so on.

Chanting Helps Children Remember

Creating a song or chant often helps children remember what order to put on their winter gear. Try “snow pants, boots, jacket, hat, gloves” over and over. It creates a fun vibe where everyone is concentrating on the same goal. Some children learn best by hearing. Others by seeing. We all learn by doing. Having a combination of methods to support children helps them learn quickly.

Snow Pants First Printable Sequence Chart

The numbered photo chart helps children gain independence in dressing themselves. Often, I find they can do it; they just put things on in the wrong order, which leads to frustration since they may need to start over if they forget to put on snow pants first.

I have boots listed as second because it’s easier to bend over and put on boots without having the bulk of a coat. Then, the coat and hat afterward, so if the child uses the flip-coat-over-the-head method, they won’t lose their hat or get caught on mid-flip. Gloves are always last.

I can’t help every child at once so I let the older ones do as much as they can on their own while I support the younger ones. Then I start helping with zippers and more complicated things like putting snow pants elastic over boots, tucking mittens under the coat cuffs, and getting things comfortable.

It’s not a cure-all, but it can help if you teach children to look at the chart, think, and put on their things in this order. And that’s what we want children to do – think and dress independently!

Snow Books for Children

Read a book, then introduce the sequence chart. Talk about what the children will do each time they get dressed for outdoor play. Practice the song or chant.

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