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Dress-Up Activities for Kids

A child's stage comes alive, awakening the imagination by the discovery of an old hope chest stored away in an attic filled with vintage clothing, trinkets and memoirs. Their creativity is nurtured as they dress up and adorn themselves with these treasures, pretending to perfectly fill their role in a land of make-believe. Dress-up activities for kids are a simple way for children to explore different personalities and characters while learning new skills and abilities.

Games
- Dress-up games encourage children to learn through play. A simple role play game for toddler or preschool age children would be to have them act out a nursery rhyme with props and character costumes. A trip to the zoo or the animals section in the library can inspire kids to dress up like their favorite animal and imitate their every move. Small children enjoy dressing up in their parents' clothes, often re-purposing the clothing to combine an unusual fashion statement with a new persona. Encourage children's creativity by interacting with them to expand their thinking and invite them to tell stories explaining their character.
Themes
- Educational themes incorporated into dress-up play help kids relate to lessons. Lessons aren't solely for the classroom. Themed dress-up activities engage children in the world around them, immersing them in learning. Dress-up activities involving seasons and the weather can teach kids to be prepared and can enhance their sensory skills. Dressing up as a community helper teaches children understanding of jobs and responsibilities, as well as compassion. Fairy tales and super heroes are among the favorites to dress up like. Learn about historical events and multicultural diversity through dress-up play. Parading around as film, TV or book characters magically bring stories to life.
Crafts
- Transforming everyday items found throughout the home into fantasy or mystical props to enhance a child's dress-up costume will add to their excitement, especially if they've created the design. Thrift stores are full of inventive opportunities to craft together clothes, shoes and accessories for kids' dress-up activities. A nature hunt with the kids collecting feathers to create Indian headdresses provides opportunities to learn about clothing and history; then they are able to role play and include the thrift store cowboy hat and boots.
Computer
- Interactive computer programs provide opportunities for kids to create avatars in their likeness or dress-up paper doll type characters with drag and drop templates from kid-friendly websites. Instructional software for kids' dress-up activities guide children through a series of steps improving their fine motor skills as well as helping with sequential learning. Online dress-up games also allow a child to explore and experiment with different traits and characteristics to learn more about themselves and others.

Kids Games