How To Get Your Toddler Into Dress Up

Think you’re the odd parent out, because your kid doesn’t seem to like dress up? Maybe you never got into dress up that much as a child, so you don’t know where to start to try to expand your child’s play. You could be in a toy or play rut, and awaiting Christmas or your child’s next birthday to try and get some fresh ideas into the mix. Once you’ve got a new option like a toy kitchen or a set of toy musical instruments, you might feel like you get ten minutes of play time out of it before it, too, gets relegated to the catchall toy bin. Well, what if it didn’t have to be so hard for you to inspire interest in new play activities for your young child? Below are three foolproof strategies to get your child out of their play rut and into more exciting play that will last.

Start Them Early

 What is the right time to start teaching your child how to pretend, and use their imagination in play? The answer is that it’s never too early. Many of our Baby Halloween Costumes also come in toddler sizes, providing the perfect link from dressing your child up for the enjoyment of others to them dressing up for their own enjoyment. You might be surprised at how magical the experience of dressing up can be even for a child who is under two years old, especially if they’re dressing up as something they already love. For example, if your one year old loves dogs, try our Baby Pink Poodle Costume in their size. Once your child is around 18 months to two years old and older, check out our Toddler Costumes collection for an even larger selection of options.

Use Favorite Characters

 One of the best ways to encourage imagination in play early on is to act out, practice, and role play scenarios with which your child is already familiar. So, if they have a favorite book or cartoon series, dress up as those characters and act out their favorite story or episode together. We’ve got all the classics stocked, from Batman and Wonder Woman to Scooby Doo to Star Wars and Ninja Turtles. But you’ll also find more modern favorites like Rubble, Everest, and Skye of Paw Patrol fame, Dora the Explorer, and even Hatchimals. By teaching your child how to play act favorite sequences they already know, you’ll provide them with the building blocks to come up with their own play ideas.

Play With Them

 Independent play can be hard for very young children. But with a little strategic coaching, you’ll be listening to them narrate their own rich play ideas in no time. Experiment with sequencing play, by first identifying a pretend problem, then offering your child options on how to solve the problem, and then acting it out together. For example, if your child likes Peppa Pig, the problem could be that George lost his dinosaur. The solutions could be to look upstairs, look downstairs, or set up other favorite toys that might help the dinosaur find his way home. The potential ideas for play are endless. We’ve got plenty of Peppa costumes to choose from, and you can even dress up as Mummy Pig or Daddy Pig, too.