Kids have strange imaginations. They can find adventure in the most mundane things. We, on the other hand, have been bound by social convention to not wear our underwear on the outside of our clothes in public. Playing dress-up with your child might be something parents feel apprehensive over. After all, what if someone sees you?
It can have more benefits than just getting your child to shut up, though. Here are the three main benefits of playing dress-up with your kids.
A Creative Mind
Dressing up as someone or something else takes you into a whole other world. For a few hours you can be Batman saving Gotham City from the various nasties hiding in parts of the city. It forces children to think in an entirely different way.
This creativity exhibited at such a young age transfers to everything they do in life later on. It encourages them to think outside the box and away from the restrictions cast upon us by modern society. A sterile and boring childhood without such pursuits leads to the same mind.
Help foster a more creative personality by dressing up.
Social Interaction
Humans are social creatures by nature. We crave the love and attention of others, no matter what we might think. Children, especially if they have no brothers or sisters, can feel lonely and isolated. It doesn’t mean they have no creativity or no imagination. But a lack of interaction in this way might cause them to struggle to form healthy relationships going forward.
Social interaction with a parent isn’t the same as social interaction with another child. It’s a good start, though. Doing it from a young age before they enter the main elementary school system prepares them for a life of dealing with other people.
It’s a fact children who spend most of their time alone are more likely to be alone as they grow older. There’s a good chance they’ll shun interaction with others. And this will make them miss out on a lot of experiences.
Collaboration
Children like to think they’re the center of the universe, some more so than others. Dressing up puts them in different scenarios and encourages them to take the role of a listener or subordinate. It does it without stamping down on them.
If you tell a screaming child to be quiet, they’ll scream more. They don’t want to be crossed or have their so-called authority challenged. Instead of attempting to change their behavior and mold them into a good human being by brute force, do it in a way which is fun.
It takes longer, but the change will occur naturally. Suddenly, they’ll enjoy playing the student whilst someone else plays the teacher. They’ll enjoy the feeling of being a patient in a doctor’s office or a waiter in an imaginary restaurant.
You can change their behavior in so many ways through these creative pursuits. And you can do it without all the screaming, fighting, and crying which comes with going to war over trivial little things.
About the Guest Author
Relene Mac is a child psychologist and an elementary school teacher from Tennessee. She understands the value of using baby costumes to bring up young children. She has taught hundreds of families to take advantage of the benefits of video game costumes to alleviate boredom, stress, anxiety, and loneliness in young people.
Image Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/epsos/3767729028/
