Teddy's Salon — Brush, Wash, and Trim

Pretend hairdresser play that rehearses hairbrushing, face washing, and nail care. The child is the stylist first and the customer second, and chooses how much happens.

  1. Set up a “salon” with a chair, a mirror, a hairbrush, a damp flannel, a dry towel, and an emery board (nail file). Seat a doll or soft toy as the first customer.
  2. The child grooms the toy — brushes its hair, washes its face, dries it, files its “nails.” Narrate like a hairdresser. “Now I’m going to brush the back. Tell me if it pulls.”
  3. Next customer is you. Let the child brush your hair and wash your face, and tell them what feels good — “a bit firmer, please — lovely.”
  4. Now offer the chair to the child. Start with firm squeezes of the shoulders, arms, and hands (“the salon massage”).
  5. Let the child pick the order from a short menu of brush, face wash, and nails. Say what you will do and count it out — “ten brushes, then done.” Use firm, slow strokes and hold the hair above a tangle so it does not pull.
  6. For the face, hand the child the warm flannel to do it themselves in the mirror; you only “check the corners” with firm, single wipes.
  7. For nails, the child files one or two nails with the emery board, or you clip just one or two real nails if they agree. Stop while it is still going well and admire the result in the mirror.

Variation: run the salon in the bath with a doll, or use it as the real morning routine once a week, with the child “booking an appointment” and choosing the services.

Requirements

  • Space: Bathroom or bedroom, in front of a mirror
  • Surface: A stable chair or stool; a towel on the floor if water is involved
  • Materials: Soft toy or doll, hairbrush or wide-tooth comb, flannel, towel, emery board, mirror; optional nail clippers for the adult
  • Participants: 1 adult + 1 child
  • Supervision: Close — adult is the play partner and the only one to handle clippers

Rationale & Objective

Hairbrushing, nail cutting, and face washing are everyday touch that a child does not control. It is often light, comes from behind or near the face, and is done to them, and the head, face, and hands are among the most touch-sensitive parts of the body. Distress during grooming is one of the behaviours the Sensory Profile 2 Touch Processing section asks parents about, and tolerating it is listed for this skill area. The strategies in this game come from occupational therapy practice. Make the touch predictable (say it, count it), let the child initiate and control it where possible, since self-applied touch is far easier to tolerate, use firm pressure in place of light touch, and offer deep-pressure input beforehand, as children’s OT services commonly advise before nail cutting. Rehearsing on a toy and on a parent lets the child experience the routine from the outside first. In the OT Practice Framework these are activities of daily living, so comfort with them supports independence in self-care.

Progress Indicators

  • Early: happily grooms the toy or the parent but declines the chair, or accepts only 2–3 brush strokes; pulls away from the flannel
  • Developing: accepts a counted set of brush strokes and a self-applied face wash; allows nails to be filed or one nail clipped when warned first
  • Proficient: sits through brushing, a face wash, and several nails in play with little protest; tells you what would help (“slower,” “hold my hair”)
  • Advanced: brushes their own hair and washes their own face as routine; tolerates real nail cutting and hair washing calmly outside the game

Safety Notes

  • Only the adult uses nail clippers or scissors. The child’s tool is an emery board. Trim after a bath, when nails are softer, and never cut close to the skin
  • Detangle from the ends upward while holding the hair above the knot — pulling at the scalp is the most common cause of brushing distress
  • Stop at the agreed count even if the job is unfinished. Keeping that promise is what makes the next session easier
  • Do not restrain a child to finish grooming during this game; it is for building comfort, and the unavoidable jobs can be done separately and briefly
  • Extreme, lasting distress with hair washing, brushing, nail cutting, or toothbrushing that makes daily care a struggle is a good reason to ask a pediatrician about an occupational therapy assessment

Hints

  • Playfulness: give the salon a name and a price list in pretend coins; the child “pays” for a service and tips the stylist with a high five
  • Sustain interest: rotate the theme — pet groomer, barber shop, spa day with a warm towel, a salon for toy dinosaurs with a toothbrush for scrubbing
  • Common mistake: slipping in real, rushed grooming once the child is finally sitting still. Stay inside the agreed menu and count so that the child keeps trusting the game
  • Limited space: no salon needed — play on the bed with one doll, one brush, and a hand mirror
  • Cross-domain: sequence the steps with picture cards (executive function); practise polite requests and feedback (language, social skills); write an appointment card with the child’s name (early writing)
  • Progression: grooms the toy → grooms the parent → receives firm massage only → counted brushing → self-applied face wash → filing nails → one clipped nail → the full routine outside pretend play

Sources

  • Dunn, W. (2014). Sensory Profile 2. Pearson — Touch Processing section (responses to grooming and being touched)
  • Ayres, A.J. (1979/2005). Sensory Integration and the Child (25th anniv. ed.). Western Psychological Services
  • American Occupational Therapy Association (2020). Occupational Therapy Practice Framework: Domain and Process (4th ed.). American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 74(Suppl. 2) — activities of daily living, personal hygiene and grooming
  • Schaaf, R.C. et al. (2014). “An intervention for sensory difficulties in children with autism: a randomized trial.” Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 44(7), 1493–1506
  • Miller, L.J., Anzalone, M.E., Lane, S.J., Cermak, S.A. & Osten, E.T. (2007). “Concept evolution in sensory integration: a proposed nosology for diagnosis.” American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 61(2), 135–140
  • NHS Fife Children and Young People’s Occupational Therapy (2020) — “Top Tips for Sensitivity” (deep pressure before nail cutting; firm strokes and counting during hair care)