Establishment of Average Body Measurement and the Development of Block Patterns for Pre-School Children

There is a need for mass production of garments for pre-school children to meet their clothing needs. Clothing has been included in some of the items banned from importation in order to save foreign exchange for provision of raw materials for the manufacturing sector in Nigeria. The purpose of this study was to establish average body measurements of pre-school children of ages 2 to 5 years, adapt block patterns for them and standardize the patterns drafted. Fifteen design criteria based on comfort were utilised to standardize the patterns drafted. The population of the study comprised all pre-primary school children in the 180 schools in Cross River State of Nigeria. The sample consisted of 400 pupils. Prototype garments were produced and modelled by four pre-school children of ages 2,3,4 and 5 years. The garments were evaluated by five judges. Results after analysis of data with mean and ANOVA provided average body measurements and also indicated that the patterns developed were appropriate for the target group. The results also showed that there is no significant difference in the mean body measurement for height and backneck to waist for ages 2,3,4 and 5 years. The average body measurements obtained are therefore recommended for drafting and adapting patterns for the target group and the standardized block patterns are also recommended for clothing manufacturing companies. African Journal of Educational Studies in Mathematics and Sciences Vol. 3 2005: pp. 61-72