Wednesday 30 September 2009 @ 4:27 pm
Making a costume for kids is an economical way to stimulate children’s imaginations and create fun for them year ’round, not just at Halloween! You can also order online costume accessories and props, as well as additional costume pieces that you can mix and match for even more creative play.Children have such vivid imaginations and they sure do love using them! It’s important to nurture children’s creativity at an early age. Not only do you provide kids with hours and hours of fun play time, but creative activities that are not bound so much by rules. Instead they are heavily dependent on individual ideas, and help kids to develop skills in ‘thinking outside the box’.
Play acting is one such activity that kids can play with a parent, other children or a group of kids in their family or neighborhood. These kid’s activities are greatly enhanced with a collection of children’s costumes you and your children can make together, at little cost and hardly any time. And what a fun bonding experience too!
Let’s take a look at just a few ideas for children’s costumes that provide hours of fun and developmental education. Both boys and girls can get behind the costume games.
Fairy & Princess
The fairy princess children’s costume is invariably every little girl’s favorite. A couple of yards of netting can be gathered at the waistline with a basting stitch on the sewing machine and then attached on a ribbon waistband, or on an elastic a few inches smaller than the child’s waist. A plain colored tee-shirt may be decorated with glow-in-the-dark star stickers on the front and back of the shirt, tiny rose appliqués or a length of frilly lace around the neckline. To complete this children’s costume, you can make a shiny wand of gold cardboard in the shape of a star, and purchase an inexpensive dime store tiara bedecked with rhinestones.
Robin Hood & Knights
Robin Hood and Medieval knight’s costumes are among the top choices with boys. For Robin Hood, a square of green felt is easily stitched with just three pieces, two triangular pieces for the cap, with the third piece stitched around the cap for a brim. Add a feather, affixed with a glue gun. His tunic is simple, made of brown felt, in two pieces, with a V-shaped neckline in the front and large sleeves that are easy to pull over his head. (Felt is a good children’s costume material, as it requires no hemming.) Transform this tunic into a knight’s armor, using navy blue felt and a silver permanent marking pen to draw shiny links for a realistic look worthy of Prince Valiant. A piece of sturdy silver colored cardboard, with the hilt decorated with sparkling rhinestone jewels makes a handsome accessory indeed.
Wild West & Native American
Cowboys, cowgirls and Native American children’s costumes are more perennial kid’s favorites. All of these costumes work well in felt, which is an easy fabric to work with. And you can even just glue the pieces together. No sewing required! (Don’t’ you love glue guns?) Fringes attached to cowboy and cowgirl vests and a simple skirt or pair of chaps, all fringed, are a hit. Decorate these costumes with cheap silver stars and, don’t forget the bandanna and hat! Beads on felt tunics and leggings make a handsome Native American costume, along with a long, black wig, which can flow loosely or braided. Keep it in place with a beaded head band you purchase, or make it with that handy glue gun.
You can see how easy it is to create an entire wardrobe of costumes for kids. Let the kids pick the costume of their choice. Pirates, cartoon action characters and any of the Disney movie characters are ever popular and can be ordered easily online. Accessories can be interchangeable with different costumes too. The Medieval knight’s sword can fill in for Jafar’s sword. And the tiara or a Princess’ veil can serve in a number of roles. Who knows but that the kids may turn into budding actors, staging their own play with their easy and inexpensive children’s costumes? They love to invite their parents to their performances!
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