Why many parents are learning to play dress up with their kids- and why you should too

Imagine your child putting on a crown, a cape, or an eye-patch, a wrapping paper tube made up to look like a sword jutting from their backpack. They climb onto the bus surrounded by kids in cowboy hats, masks, and fairy wings. 

Off to school they go.

 It’s not Halloween, it’s just a regular day.

What if pretend was part of your child’s education? You might be surprised to learn that researchers say such a world would likely have more perspective, empathy, and innovation. 

Empowered with this knowledge it’s a wonder recess isn’t seen as an integral part of every curriculum. 

With screen time use at an all-time high we’ve all but forgotten what it means to play pretend.

Don’t wait for schools to teach it, do it yourself at home. 

Experts sometimes call it Dramatic Play, and it basically means to engage children in activities that foster their creativity such as storytelling, role playing, and pretend. The results of these activities have been linked to the development of perspective, empathy, divergent thinking, and enhanced problem-solving skills.

There are millions of ways you can engage your children in Dramatic Play but for this article we’re going to focus on one near and dear to Figmentation and that’s the classic, dress-up.

Dress-up is much easier than most people think. You don’t need to invest in props and costumes. 

Think Bigger. 

You probably have everything your child needs already sitting around. With kids there is no box to think outside. Everything is possible.

Turn your child into a knight with a colander helmet and a wooden spoon sword. Or maybe they love to pretend they’re in a rock band, so you break out all those pots and pans. Remember the days of building forts out of sheets, a couple chairs and one precariously placed broom?

A pan lid can be a shield, a hairbrush can be a microphone, a sheet can be a toga, and a cardboard box can be ANYTHING! 

Next comes the fun part. It’s your turn to ignore the limits your mind grows into as we age. If your child wants to pretend to be a Firefighter in outer space, PERFECT! If they want to be a Storm Trooper in a tutu and fairy wings, time to get the wands. 

Let them lead the story but ask them to tell it from each character’s point of view. Let them imagine themselves as the hero, the imperiled, and even the villain. Experts say this helps them build empathy and perspective. 

Ask them where they are adventuring today and what problems they might need to overcome. Give them open ended questions like what they did next or who helped them, and let their little minds come up with the solution. Researchers say this leads to divergent thinking and enhanced problem-solving skills. 

The less structured the game the better. That little mind will find ways to fill in the blanks. This helps develop their creativity. 

To quote the experts, “Empathy has been proved to be related to creativity”. 

It seems to us at Figmentation that storytelling and pretend could be exactly what the world needs.