I loved playing dress up as a child. My best friend had a huge barrel (or was it two?) overflowing with dresses, costumes, poofy underskirts to make “hoop skirts”… We had a game called “Fine Ladies of the Country” where we would dress up “fine” and put on airs.
My, my. Those dress-up games are stamped firmly in my memory as some of the best play times.
Children love dress up. Boys and girls alike! And you can encourage this important role-play activity by providing a barrel, or box, or drawer full of props for them to get creative!
Our son is just getting into playing train conductor, construction worker, policeman… and we love to watch him “working,” as he says! 
Visit my latest guest post at the Melissa & Doug blog, where I share 10 Must-haves for the Dress-Up Barrel, as well as a few games to make playing dress-up more fun!
Do you have memories of playing dress-up? Let me know what you think of the article when you visit by leaving a comment, or tweeting it to your friends!!
Trisha W
Friday 25th of January 2013
Don't be afraid to add in some necklaces. My boys enjoyed those types of things too. Also, there are some great DIY tutorials on Pinterest for Super Hero capes. I have a few pinned here http://pinterest.com/boisewiebers/halloween/.
T Rex Mom
Tuesday 22nd of January 2013
Great posting on the top ten items you need. We are really into dress up around here. In fact, today at the pediatric clinic our daughter's health care provider asked if we do pretend play. I chuckled and replied, "Is there any other kind. We are always somewhere else or someone else in our household." Even the other day at the library, T jumped into one of the computer seats and did not play any games like the other kids. Instead, he put on the headphones and told the librarian he was "contacting the general to get my orders." These kids crack me up. Great photos of A playing dress up. It just keeps getting funner.
Me, I used to hold court in my princess dresses. My palace was a screen in porch.
T Rex Mom
Tuesday 22nd of January 2013
Great posting on the top ten items you need. We are really into dress up around here. In fact, today at the pediatric clinic our daughter's health care provider asked if we do pretend play. I chuckled and replied, "Is there any other kind. We are always somewhere else or someone else in our household." Even the other day at the library, T jumped into one of the computer seats and did not play any games like the other kids. Instead, he put on the headphones and told the librarian he was "contacting the general to get my orders." These kids crack me up. Great photos of A playing dress up. It just keeps getting funner.
Me, I used to hold court in my princess dresses. My palace was a screen in porch.
Catherine
Tuesday 22nd of January 2013
One of the things we did this year was buy halloween costumes on clearance at the beginning of November for $3-5 each, instead of the insane $50. We have a sailor costume, knight, and police officer. Our boys LOVE running around the house with them, and even just wearing a part of one of those costumes starts a whole bunch of imaginative play!
Catherine
Tuesday 22nd of January 2013
One of the things we did this year was buy halloween costumes on clearance at the beginning of November for $3-5 each, instead of the insane $50. We have a sailor costume, knight, and police officer. Our boys LOVE running around the house with them, and even just wearing a part of one of those costumes starts a whole bunch of imaginative play!