Our Guide to Dress Up Play

We absolutely love dress up and pretend play. R spends the majority of his time playing in other worlds, pretending to be something from his dreams, or acting out the stories from his favorite books. It makes sense for me to start writing more about this, and I look forward to sharing more ideas! But before I do, I thought I'd take a look back and spotlight a resource that's already here- my series on dress up play.

The Benefits of Dress Up Play shares six reasons why dress up play is a great way to spend time as a child. They are playing, and play is important!

Dress up play is important! Now to build a wardrobe. Fancy store bought costumes make great gifts, but aren't needed. This post shares creative and inexpensive ways to build a child's dress up stash. 

Creating a dress up space can make your child's wardrobe seem more inviting. Plus, it helps corral it all into one place. Click here to see how we made the most out of a very small space.

Has dress up play lost its appeal? This post shares five ways to add a bit of variety and extend your child's play.

I really enjoyed writing this series, and I hope you enjoyed reading. Please feel free to share your ideas in the comments of this post, or on my Facebook page. I'd love to know how your family does dress up!

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Dress Up Play: More Ways To Play

If you've ever watched children play dress up, you know that they have plenty of ideas on how to play. Which is wonderful! But if their interest starts to dwindle, or you'd like to add a little more variety, here's a few suggestions.

1. Play with them! Put on a mask and jump into their story. Ask questions and take their lead. They'll have a ton of fun with you. You can also switch it up and lead the story for awhile. This will help reinforce taking turns, even in pretend play. 

2. Play a guessing game. Have your child dress up in various ways. Each time they come to you with a completed outfit, take a guess at what or who they are. My son delights in my silly wrong guesses. This is a great game for when you are busy, cooking dinner, etc, but your child is still needing some attention. This works best with a mix and match wardrobe.

3. Give them a subject. Name a person to dress up as. Set a timer (longer for younger children, shorter for older) and have them race to put together a costume that transforms them into their subject. This can be anything from a fireman.. to daddy on a lazy Saturday morning. 

4. Give them a mission. State the objective. Get creative with it. One example would be to hide some costume jewelry and inform them that the robbers hid their loot, but will be coming back to it soon. Their mission is to find the jewels before the robbers come back for them. Set a timer or complete a task of your own. They have to complete their task before time is up. 

5. Take dress up play outside! When I think of dress up play, I typically imagine playing indoors. But this doesn't have to be the case! Those costumes will be fun in new ways by just changing the setting. Take it outdoors and see how their play evolves.

These five ideas are great for breathing new life into dress up play. They are easy suggestions that will bring lots of new fun when it comes to costumes.

Do you have any games to add to this list? Please let me know in the comments.

*If you've missed any of the series, you can find the previous posts here:

The Benefits Of Dress Up Play

Dress Up Play: The Wardrobe

Dress Up Play: Creating A Space

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Dress Up Play: Creating A Space

Now that I've posted about the benefits of dress up play and given you a few ideas for a creative dress up wardrobe, I wanted to share how we organize our space.

I have found that having a designated area for his dress up items is the best way to encourage my son to use them. When he has free access to his costumes he's more apt to put them on and really enjoy them. I also try to make this area a place he'd like to spend time in.

I know that it can be hard to store and organize dress up materials, especially when you are working within a small space. It's easier to scatter and stuff them into various areas to hide them away. But seeing them is important, and can be done in a way that doesn't make you want to close the door and never look back. In our home, R has a dress up corner in his playroom. It's not particularly fancy, but I like the looks of it. Here's how I set up our space.

We placed an accordion style coat rack low on the wall to make it easier for R to access. He can easily get what he wants from the pegs and he can easily put it all away. The rack holds his costumes, hats, and even a couple swords. It frees up valuable floor space and makes everything visible and appealing.

Beneath the hanging rack we have a small bin for his accessories. Because we are not storing all of his items in one big box, this bin is small and out of the way in this tiny space. The dress up area is the first thing you see when entering the playroom. I didn't want a large trunk to make the entryway feel crowded.

On the adjacent wall we have a full length mirror. R loves seeing how he looks and being silly in front of it. Next to the mirror we have pictures of R in a few of his costumes. He loves looking at pictures and videos of himself and I thought this was a good way to personalize the area.

There are lots of other ways to organize a dress up area, but this is what works for us now that we have less room to work with. I liked that it was simple, yet efficient.

But now I'd love to know, how do you organize and set up your child's dress up area? What do you like about your area? Are there any downfalls to your particular method? Feel free to share in the comments or on my Facebook page.

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Dress Up Play: The Wardrobe

Yesterday I wrote a little about the benefits of dress up play and why you should encourage it. Today I thought I'd share a few ideas on what to include in your child's creative wardrobe.

R received several costumes for Christmas, but store bought, pre-made costumes aren't needed. You can easily stock your dress up stash with items already found in your home. Or you can go shopping for some deals! There are heavily discounted costumes up for grabs after every Halloween. And thrift stores and yard sales are great places to shop for inexpensive pieces.

Here's a few ideas to get you started.

• Mom or dad's old clothes. Is there something hiding in the back of your closet that you no longer wear? Bring it out and give it to your kids. They will surely cherish your discard and enjoy pretending to be you!
• Old towel or pillowcase. One moment they can be a cape, the next they can be a fancy wrap.
• Hats. Straw hat, baseball cap, winter hat, etc. Find these at thrift stores and dollar stores, or the back of your closet.
• Mixing bowl. It's an easy and quick helmet of any kind.
• Costume jewelery. It can dress up a princess or give a robber something to steal.
• Sunglasses. How about the ones you misplaced and then found again after you had already bought their replacement. Does that ever happen to anyone else?
• Reading glasses. Minus the lenses! You can find these for cheap at dollar stores.
• Shoes. Your child will delight in walking around in your oversize shoes.
• Purses and wallets. I bet you have one you can spare.
• Credit cards. Give them the thin fake ones that come in those junk mail offers. 
• Cardboard tubes. A toilet paper tube can turn into a spy glass. A paper towel tube is a fun megaphone. A wrapping paper tube is an amazing sword. Watch and see what your kids can come up with!
• Bandannas and scarves.Cute accessories or face mask for that pesky robber.
• Old watch. Perfect spy gear.
• Old cellphone or calculator. They'll be taking important calls. 
• Homemade crafts. Let your kids get creative and make their own badges and face masks. What else can they make themselves?

What are some of your kid's favorite dress up items?

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The Benefits Of Dress Up Play

Dress up play is time tested and it's a classic for good reason. Do you remember the days you'd transform yourself into a princess or superhero and get lost in the plots you made up as you pleased? Are you encouraging your children to do the same? Here's a few reasons why you should.

The Benefits Of Dress Up Play

Dress up play stretches your children's creative muscles. When they are playing freely and trying on different personas, they are using their imaginations. The creativity isn't just in picking out what to wear. They are creating different scenarios to play through, often with inventive props. They are looking at things in new ways.

They are telling a story. Often, you will be able to hear their story through the dialogue they come up with. They aren't merely practicing funny voices. They are putting their language skills to good use.

They can work through their feelings and even explore the feelings of others. When they are in their own little world they feel safe enough to explore the different emotions. They can use dress up play to make sense of the world by acting out and working through various problems.

Another wonderful benefit comes to you, as the parent. By watching your child act out their story, you are getting the opportunity to view how your child perceives the world. You are clued in to what has impacted them. The good and the bad.

They are practicing life skills. Changing into costumes is wonderful practice for younger children learning how to dress themselves. Tea parties are social affairs that call for manners and etiquette.

Dressing up is fun! That is evident by the smiles, giggles, and squeels. And also by the roars and stomps. They are playing, and playing is important.

Do your children enjoy dress up play?

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