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Kids
love to imitate! When young children
dress up as characters or adults and
act out roles, they learn about the
world around them as well as develop
their own identities. Simple kids
costumes and unstructured free play
are usually enough to create a fun
environment for children of all ages
- as long as they can pretend and
have an audience - they're happy!
Halloween costumes are the most
popular - however, children can have
fun all year if they have the right
costumes on hand.
There
are many costumes that can be easily
put together or there are quite a
few that are much more elaborate.
If you haven’t already, set up a
chest or trunk with all of your
child’s dress up clothes to keep
them stored neatly and easily
accessible for play time. Here are
some of your best bets to keep your
kids busy and amused all year long:
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Careers: Children love to act
out what they see grown-ups doing
every day. Some of the most popular
costumes that can help them imitate
their every-day heroes are doctors,
chefs, police officers, teachers,
fire fighters, and train conductors.
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Princess/Fairies: Everyone
would like to be royalty! Many
princess items such as plastic
crowns, jewelry, makeup and magic
wands are available online and in
most toy/department stores. Feather
boas and tutus can make the costume
complete.
-
Pirates: Ahoy mates! The fun
in being a pirate is the great
accessories - from the eye patch to
the parrot - the imagination can run
wild.
-
Animals: Ideas range from
ladybugs and bees to dinosaurs and
frogs.
-
Cardboard Box Costumes: Kids
love arts and crafts - they enjoy
making their own costumes - and this
allows them to have something to be
proud of! Cardboard boxes can be
made into many neat costumes, such
as robots, race cars, a Jack in the
Box or a television. Ideas abound -
and will give your child the
opportunity to be creative. Keep a
good size box in the garage - and
when they're ready to create, you'll
have a project on hand!
-
Witches, Wizards, Ghosts and
Goblins: Forever a favorite for
young boys and girls - especially on
Halloween. A list of costumes would
never be complete without these
timeless classics.
-
Monsters: Whether imitating
one from a movie - or just putting
on a frightening face, monster
costumes allow for much imagination.
Children can choose any type of
clothes - even from the rag pile to
put together a monster outfit. You
can use eye shadow, lipstick,
markers, or face paint to draw on
monster faces. Let them tell you how
they want to look - What color
should their face be? Do they want
to be funny or scary? Horns and/or
fangs? Spots or stripes?
-
Favorite Characters: Along
with the many timeless costumes
listed above, children love to
imitate their beloved super heroes,
villains, and movie or cartoon
characters. There are a wide range
of costumes available from Spiderman
and Darth Vader to Hannah Montana
and Barbie - you will always be able
to find a costume to satisfy your
child’s most recent interest.
Playing dress-up is one of the most
creative things your children can
do. Not only do they get to change
outfits and stay occupied for
extended periods of time, they can
absorb a lot of knowledge about the
world around them while having fun! |
