One of the best parts about childhood is that there are so many possibilities. Every door is open for your child to go through and the beauty of parenthood is watching them learn and grow. And as they do, you can best help them by offering them plenty of space to learn and experiment. One great way of doing so is by creating a dress up area and encouraging dress up games.
Dress Up Games Are Important for Child Development
Children really start exploring their identity and different roles at around the age of three. Dress up games let your child try out different roles and explore different ideas about the world. They are also ideal for encouraging imagination and creative play. The following is a look at what to include and how to stage a dress up area for your child or children:
What To Include in a Dress Up Area:
- Open space near a closet, chest, or other drawers. First off, a dress up area should be relatively open to allow for plenty of movement. Games involving dressing up should focus on exploring different character roles and encouraging your child to express emotions in a safe way. For example, your young girl might want to dress up as a soldier and practice being brave like them, pretending to save someone.
- Plenty of fun and colorful clothing. Clothing is the central component of dress-up games. That's, after all, part of our inspiration at Teetot -- to offer as many diverse and quality costumes for children as possible. But while we are proud to offer some excellent children's costumes, you don't have to fill an entire closet with them. Have a couple of high-quality costumes that your child really loves available but also fill up a chest with old but fun and colorful clothing.
- Don't forget the accessories. Hats, scarves, and costume jewelry are great for adding those final touches to various costumes. Plus, you never know how your child will want to mix and match items. For example, maybe they want to add their own cape to a superhero costume or really deck on the jewelry when playing a princess. You should also consider having prop making be a key part of dress up games. Examples of this might be taking boxes and painting them like airplanes or fort-building pillows and blankets.
- Encourage your child to take the lead. Remember, the key to dress up games is encouraging your child to explore who they are and who they want to be. As such, these games are most successful when you encourage your child to take the lead. If they aren't sure, ask questions like, 'how do you think mermaids dance' or 'what would a superhero wear to the grocery store?'
Visit Our Store for High-Quality Costume Wear
Your house and neighborhood thrift stores are great for many accessories and normal clothing, but when you need something special, visit our online store.