I ran across this fun article the other day on social media, and loved the concept behind it (I Let my Toddler Dress Me for a Week — Here’s What Happened). Basically, the author gave her son free reign on her closet and willingly wore whatever he put together (even mismatched shoes!).

This morning I was scheduled to go into Theo’s classroom to volunteer (a parent reader brings a book to read aloud to the class every week), so I thought this would be a fun occasion to try this out. Last night I told him about it after dinner, and he immediately went up to my closet to start looking. He was methodical (he insisted on layering — me wearing a shirt “on the bottom and the top”) and knew he wanted me to wear leggings and a skirt and not pants.

It was hilarious to watch him toss things aside or keep them in consideration. Except for my leggings, he immediately eliminated anything that was black or gray. Obviously he enjoyed patterns and bright colors. I even let him pick out my lipstick, jewelry and shoes, and he had so much fun running around and looking at all the pieces together.

This was such a fun activity for us to do together: 1) it’s free, 2) it gives your child some agency and being able to tell mom what to do/wear, 3) makes you consider wearing things beyond your comfort level. Try it out!