Countless dress-up costumes are easy to assemble with basic garments and accessories.
Playing dress-up is an old favorite with kids, who love to dress like everyone from Mom and Dad to doctors and police officers. Classic favorites also include princesses and super heroes, but there's virtually no end to the dress-up options for boys and girls. In addition to good old-fashioned fun, it's also a developmental activity, since dressing up stimulates a child's imagination and provides many hours of constructive playtime away from the TV and video games.
Storage
Store dress-up costumes and accessories in a place that's readily accessible to children. Storage bins, hampers and baskets are easy-access, ready-made options. Take the shelves out of a small bookshelf and install a tension rod near the top, then hang costumes on the rod; store accessories in a storage bin underneath or in small baskets on top. Make sure your choice of storage containers is safe -- a trunk may look nice, but the lid can slam down on fingers and children can climb in and get stuck.
Shoes and Hats
Clothes are the foundation of dress-up play, but shoes and hats help pull it all together. Kids love to clatter around in their parent's old shoes, but take care with heel height. Old boots add clunky fun to the activity and inexpensive rain boots now come in a rainbow of colors to brighten up a costume. Cowboy hats, sombreros, baseball hats, vintage women's hats with veils and feathers, chef hats, construction hats and stocking caps all make eye-catching costume toppers.
Accessories
Colorful scarves can do more than accent the neck area; sling one around a boy's shoulder and across his body, then tie it at the waist and fit it with a felt scabbard to hold a play pirate sword. Pair long white gloves with a tiara and a sparking necklace for a little princess. A feather boa goes a long way to transforming a little girl into a cabaret star.
Clothing
Search for costumes at thrift stores, rummage sales, dollar stores and garage sales. Check for old costume-worthy garments in closets at home and ask relatives if they have anything they can offer up to the cause. Look for old aprons that tie around the waist -- they make wonderful capes for super heroes. Cut old dresses, fancy blouses and tops to the right length for your kids so they won't trip over them. Halloween costumes usually go on sale right after the holiday. If you're good with a needle and thread, check fabric stores for remnant sales and pick up a couple of yards of some inexpensive material that you can whip into a homemade dress-up outfit of your own design.
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