What Is Most Important About What You Wear at School?

This conversation/game will help your child appreciate that clothing matters – a lot. (It won’t be news to them.) It will also help them understand all the components that people see – and judge. People ‘read’ each others’ clothing to learn about their values or family income or even favorite musical genres. It can also marginalize or isolate kids.

Make up cards listing criteria. Some suggestions:

• Fits well
• Everyone else is wearing something like it
• New
• Expensive brand
• Clean
• Modesty
• Supports the activity you’re doing
• Don’t keep wearing the same thing
• Other ideas

Ask your child to put these in order of importance. Do they think others would order them the same way?

What if someone had new clothes that didn’t really fit? Why might that happen?

What if someone wears the same clothes over and over again? Why might that happen?

Are there kids at school who follow punk or other trends? What do you think they might be saying?

Brainstorm a list of what you CAN’T tell about a person based on what they are wearing?