Spurce up casual tea-party play with little girls' dress-up clothes.
Little girls love to play dress-up. Help them role-play by providing costumes for their adventures in their make-believe worlds. Buy new, pre-packaged costumes or gather used materials from consignment shops and Salvation Army stores. No matter where the costumes come from, you can bet your little girl will enjoy slipping into something creative.
Tea Party
Most every little girl wants to host a tea party, so give yours the attire to make it an elegant affair. Start with a dress. It doesn't have to fit her. Any dress that she can belt or walk in without tripping will work. Add dress-up shoes. These should have high heels, but not too high to be on the safe side. Top off the outfit with a large hat, such as a straw sun hat or a felt hat for church -- the bigger the better. Add the wow factor with baubles of all kinds, such as clip-on earrings, beads and bracelets. The final touch for the ultimate tea party panache is a feather boa.
Business Professional
Little girls sometimes enjoy emulating business professionals. Provide the trappings to play teacher, corporate executive or TV reporter with professional-looking jackets and skirts. They don't have to fit your little one -- she'll have fun with your hand-me-down suits. Give her professional accessories as well, such as fake glasses, a briefcase, a pretend cellphone and pretend money. She'll need a purse for all of the gear, so gather some old ones for her to choose from. For TV reporter play, toss in a toy microphone.
Princess
The ultimate dress-up costumes for girls put them in a fairy tale. Help your princess dress like royalty with fancy dresses. Buy new princess dresses or find them in kids' consignment shops. If you don't want to spend money, pass along elegant gowns from your closet or from the wardrobe of a friend or family member. A princess needs a crown, and you can find plastic tiaras at party stores. Make a crown by cutting a strip of poster board with one edge straight and the opposite edge with points like those on a crown. Spray paint it gold, glue the ends together and draw or glue on jewels. Speaking of jewels, load up your princess with a box full of treasures; any sparkly costume jewelry will do.
Adventure Clothes
Don't limit your girl's dress-up time to feminine costumes. Stock up on gear for the adventurous jobs that little children love: knight, police officer, firefighter, pilot, cowgirl and astronaut, to name a few. Party stores are great for inexpensive hats to go with these costumes. Your girl may not need the entire outfit for these dress-up ideas. Provide the basics: a vest, hat, holster and guns for a cowgirl; a sword, helmet and shield for a knight; a badge, walkie-talkie and hat for a police officer.
Tags: consignment shops, from your, little girl, police officer, your little, your princess
