Hobbies And Interests
Dressing-Up
The advantage of this game is that you can do it in the comfort of your own home and children of all ages can join in and have fun. Playing a dressing-up game involves raiding all the closets in the house and seeing what kind of outfits you can come up with. You could give all the players a theme for each outfit -- for example, dressing for a snowy day or a princess ball. Once everyone is dressed up, all the players can take part in a short role-playing session.
Window Shopping
This is a great game for children aged 10 and over, according to Michelle Atler, manager of a children's party planning company. Children are let loose in their favorite clothing store and told to pick five outfits that they would like to buy in no more than 10 minutes. Each outfit has to represent a different style -- for example, outrageous, silly, glamorous, casual and unique. All the players have to rate each other's outfits from one to five. The player who ends up with highest score overall gets to keep one of the outfits of her choice.
Magazine Creative
This game is ideal for quiet play, and will encourage children to be creative while improving their arts and crafts skills. It requires just a couple of glossy magazines, preferably fashion and beauty related. Children can flick through the pages and create their own fashion outfits by mixing and matching the pictures of clothes and models that they like. Once they have chosen some models and clothes, they can either cut out the images and glue them onto cards, or else draw their own versions. This is an excellent way for children who have a keen interest in fashion to learn about the different styles, shapes, colors and fabrics that the fashion industry uses, says fashion designer Daniel Comry.
Fashion Show
For a special occasion, children could take part in their own mini fashion show to an audience of family and friends, says Atler. Children can each choose their favorite outfits to showcase on the catwalk, and others wanting to take part in other areas could organize the music and create a seating area for guests. If you have a larger party taking part, you could serve refreshments and cookies to the audience and give them the opportunity to make a donation to a charity of the children's choosing.
Customize Your Clothes
Older children with a creative flair could apply their passion for fashion into customizing their own clothes, says Comrie. This could include putting multicolored laces in sneakers, sowing badges onto jeans, cutting slits in trousers so they flare out and ironing prints onto T-shirts. This is a fantastic way for children to explore fashion, but be aware that depending on their age, adult supervision might be required.