Some days, you would give anything to go back to the carefree days of childhood. Kids are just the opposite. They dream about the days when they will be in charge and take responsibility. They love to help out and pretend to be all grown-up. Indulge their love for dressing up with a game designed just for them.
Ages
Dress-up games are most ideal for preschoolers and early grade schoolers. If you are unsure whether your child will enjoy dress-up games, take a cue from his playing habits. If on his free time he enjoys putting together an outfit or costume to act out his favorite scene, he might enjoy incorporating dress-up into a game. Older kids may not appreciate dress-up quite as much, but they may participate in a relay-style dress-up game.
Themes
Use dress-up games to celebrate a party theme or to reinforce a unit lesson at a preschool or daycare. Dress-up games can reflect a season or holiday. Have kids dress up like Santa, elves, nativity characters or others for Christmas or winter. If you are teaching a specific lesson, such as community helpers, kids can dress up like their favorites.
Materials
Before your game begins, get your costume materials ready for dressing up. You can purchase old uniforms or outfits from thrift stores for kids to play with. Even your own closet might have some options. Throw your worn-out work uniforms in a dress-up trunk for the kids. You can also make masks or outfit ingredients with paper plates or brown paper bags. After Halloween, you may find some costumes on sale.
Rules or Not
Games can be more or less structured, depending on your goals. If you want a challenge for the kids, set out outfits for each child or team. You can have the kids race to see who can put on their outfits the fastest or who can dress the most kids in a team in a specified amount of time. If you are less concerned about a winner, you can let kids go crazy and see who can make the best outfit.
Creativity
If you are teaching a specific unit, on people or animals, you may put together a certain outfit for each child. If you just want to encourage dress up and imagination, set out a trunkful of outfit components, and see what your kids can create and discover.
Photo Credit
- dress and hat image by Lisa Eastman from Fotolia.com
