Costume parties in the children's room – great fun all year round
Fasching, Carnival or Halloween are, of course, a suitable occasion to dress up – the children's birthday another. But why only then? Even rainy autumn and gloomy winter days are perfect for it to take out the dress-up box again and rummage through it. When it's too wet or uncomfortable to play outside, children quickly feel cooped up and boredom sets in. Then, out of sheer boredom, they can hardly get excited about anything. A dress-up box then resembles a gateway to the realm of imagination. And when you open it, new play situations arise by themselves: A soft rustle, a short, suppressed giggle – you turn around, and suddenly a terrifying, grim-looking robber stands before you who has his eye on a very special prize: the cookie tin in the kitchen. Who wouldn't immediately hand over the cookies at this droll sight?
They grow through different roles
Boys usually like being cowboys, action heroes or strong authoritative figures like a knight or pirate captain. Girls, on the other hand, often adore sweet princesses, enchanting fairies or cheeky witches. But professions like doctor, police officer or construction worker also belong to many children's regular dress-up repertoire. And there's a reason for that: through children's costumes & role-play accessories, children create a kind of counter-world. They put themselves in the role of adults and thus develop an understanding of the behavior of grown-ups. And as a police officer, witch, pirate or superhero, children who sometimes feel small in their everyday lives can feel very powerful through play.
Often the little ones particularly enjoy transforming into an "evil character" such as a vampire, for example. With child-friendly costumes like the Draculino vampire dress-up set, such characters are nothing threatening for little dress-up artists, but have a delightfully spooky charm. And a child who turns into a little dangerous bloodsucker is no longer afraid of nasty nightmare monsters that lurk under the bed in the children's room. Children therefore try themselves out through costumes and thus slowly build their self-esteem and empathy. This is essential for their development.
One costume – a thousand ideas
A well-filled dress-up box that leaves no wishes unfulfilled, from the flower fairy to the fearless pirate – that's every child's dream. Unfortunately, constantly new costume wishes can be very expensive in the long run. But you don't have to buy everything new for every role play not have to buy everything new. Many costumes can be adapted with slight modifications for different dress-ups and roles. What was yesterday the jacket of the feared pirate Capt'n Kalle may be the skirt of a noble musketeer tomorrow. The dreamily beautiful dress of Princess Rosalina can already be the gown of a flower fairy or sorceress tomorrow. All that's needed is a little imagination and whatever Mom and Dad can spare from their wardrobe.
Make new from old – create clever dress-up accessories in no time
Our tip for you: Don't just throw old, worn garments into the used-clothes collection or the trash. An aunt's hat combined with a feather – the perfect headwear for a dangerous robber. A large strip of an old curtain becomes the veil and train of a fairy-tale princess. A scrap of fabric, an old shirt, gloves … almost anything that gets sorted out of the parents' wardrobe is suitable for new disguises. And who would have thought that striped pajamas, a bit of makeup and Capt'n Kalle's leg shackle could in no time turn a little ray of sunshine with a rascal's grin and freckles into a dangerous convict?
So you see: Often it's the small creative ideas that bring even more variety to dress-up role plays. All that children need besides a few clever costumes and props, is a big portion of imagination … and they certainly have plenty of it!
