Should we let our children dress up ?

Disguise is an activity like any other

If your daughter wants to disguise herself as a fireman and your son as a pirate, know that they are simply experimenting with their experiences and what they have learned.

•  Indeed, dressing up is above all a game of imitation. The child will try to reproduce what he sees in everyday life. Putting on Mommy's boots ? Making phone calls or putting on gloves to do the housework ? Your child is simply experimenting with adult life on his own scale.
•  On top of that, dressing up should  be a free and spontaneous activity. The child will be able to play with his image, and give free rein to his imagination. These role-playing games are very interesting because they allow to shy children to escape and gain self-confidence.
•  It is also the pleasure of taking oneself for others, of disguising oneself, of having a new role. At that moment, children are in their own world : they escape from reality to be the ideal person in their eyes, whether strong, courageous or tall. Then when we think of disguise, we very often think of little girls dressed as princesses. This example reflects the child's need to identify with a role model that they love. The heroic side is often emphasized.

Learning by disguise The disguise box

• Disguises are not only playful, they are also educational in the sense that they participate in the awakening of the child. The child takes control of his appearance and is introduced to the theatre by speaking aloud, taking on a certain tone.
• It is also a way to participate in the building of his personality. If the child moves more naturally towards manual roles or if he prefers to play the master and the mistress, it is because he is experimenting with different interests. In addition, the child associates trades with colours and certain equipment, for example, red for firemen and white shirts for doctors ! In this way, he develops his culture and his vision of jobs.
• Once the child has dressed up, it is an excellent way for him to develop his imagination and creativity. A piece of wood becomes a weapon or a magic wand, a leaf and pebbles become soup. So many scenarios that your child will be able to develop according to his desires ! By creating stories for themselves, they develop ideas and more or less associate objects with specific functions.

The disguise box

•  Disguises are not difficult to access. Most often it is the child's imagination that allows the costume to come to life. For example, a duvet hung around your neck and you're superman. Thus, do not hesitate to gather a maximum of elements (old clothes) and accessories so that the child can blossom.
•  It's also an opportunity to improve dressing skills. That's right, if the child has to put on gloves, tie a belt, put on a zipper, tie knots or make buckles... It's a great way to teach them while playing ! Disguises are often an excellent way to do a manual activity with the family : a make-up workshop, the creation of a mask, gloves, painting on clothes,... Many workshops that will make disguise all the more attractive, in addition to developing fine motor skills.

Privileged moments of disguises, key moments :

Above all, life is often punctuated by high points where disguises are put to use : carnival, Halloween, school parties or even birthdays... They are made to be shared and it's an opportunity for the child to stand out or to integrate !

Thus we can list many benefits to disguise : Development of imagination and creativity in addition to developing motor skills, all in a quest for identity filled with curiosity, and most often in a good atmosphere.

The Familib team.