Your Growing 3-Year-Old

Your toddler is 3 and ready for more independence. Take a look at what this exciting year will bring and how to prepare for what's next.

By Caitlin Foster

Buff Strickland

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Getting Dressed

You're probably becoming very familiar with the phrase, "Let me do it!" One of the many tasks your toddler wants to try is getting dressed all by herself. "Three-year-olds should be able to dress themselves in basic attire, such as pull-on pants or slip-on shoes," says Mike Mosiman, coauthor of The Smarter Preschooler: Unlocking Your Child's Intellectual Potential. Help your little one with this grown-up task by laying out clothes for her and choosing easy, pull-on styles that don't have difficult buttons and zippers. Be ready to assist your child, but have plenty of patience. By dressing herself, your tot is learning important skills and independence.

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