It’s the start of the Halloween season and we thought it would be the perfect time to talk about the many benefits of dress-up and role-play for little ones and the many wonderful choices that Adora offers to help them engage in this important activity – from fun Plush and 13” Dolls to our award-winning 20” Dolls and Accessories.
Dressing up in costumes is an important part of play for every child – it nurtures imaginations, lets them experience what it might be like to be someone else, and helps them explore new ideas and behaviors. As early childhood teachers recognize, play is the work of children, and they benefit physically, socially, and emotionally through dress-up play. Below are just a few of the important benefits we hope you’ll find interesting:
Improves Communication Skills
Dress-up play helps children experiment with new language skills. From anticipating what their favorite cartoon character might say, or how a pirate would act, or a doctor or nurse might behave, it gives them a chance to practice words and sayings they might not normally use. Give a child a favorite doll and some fun dress-up costumes, and see how their imaginations jump into action! Our wide variety of dolls from PlayTime Babies to ToddlerTime Dolls gives children the opportunity to practice words in a fun, imaginative way. Throw in different types of outfits and watch your little one pretend that baby is getting cozy in their Pink Layette Set or playing outside in the garden in their Playful Picnic Romper Outfit!
Creates Empathy
Another benefit of dress-up play is that it creates empathy and puts your little one in someone else’s shoes – be it a parent, a favorite teacher, or a beloved princess. By pretending to be someone else, they experiment with new ideas and behaviors while learning an important skill: the ability to understand other people’s feelings. It’s a skill that will help them deal with people and situations as they grow and develop into young adults. Little mommies-in-training will love to pretend play with our Adoption Babies which includes an ADORAble 16 inch cuddly baby doll with Certificate of Adoption, pacifier, hospital bracelet, disposable diaper, pink blanket, crib and a removable outfit (onesie and cap). This type of activity not only provides hours of fun, but also encourages important role-play.
Teaches Problem Solving Skills
By using their imaginations, children learn problem solving skills (what can I use to feed my baby?) and it’s a way to work out their feelings while making sense of their worlds. Trying to figure out how to make a doll feel better may not seem important to us, but to the child whose doll is ill? Well, it’s the most important thing to do at that moment. From our fun Feeding Set that comes with a magic baby bottle with a disappearing milk to our popular Accessories, we offer an array of imaginative products that can help little ones develop this important skill.
Builds Confidence
Dress-up and role play are important activities that allow children to use their imaginations, spark their creativity, act out important social expressions, and helps to build their vocabulary and confidence. Young children especially benefit from this type of play – there’s a reason most pre-school and kindergarten teachers have a dress-up area in their classrooms! Add in one of our best-selling dolls like our interactive dolls My Cuddle & Coo Babies or ToddlerTime Dolls and our premium quality play doll accessories for an enhanced role-playing experience.
Fun, Friends, and a Child's Imagination
Whether it’s Halloween, a play date, or just a rainy day at home, there are definite benefits beyond just having fun for young ones to engage in dress-up play, and Adora’s high-quality products – whether it’s a child’s first doll like our Playtime Frilly Fox, our dolls from our plush doll collection, or our vast selection of fun and imaginative Outfits – we’re here to help. So go ahead and let her wear that princess dress – again – and let him put on that pirate costume for the umpteenth time. After all, helping children to become creative, caring, and confident people is the best gift you can give them.