Preschool-age children love to play dress-up.
Dressing up and the pretend play that goes along with it can provide hours of entertainment for your kids, and it does wonders for fostering imagination in their young minds as they play out stories of princesses and castles, super heroes, teaching school, being mommies and daddies, and whatever else they can come up with.
Store-bought dress-up clothes can get quite expensive, but here are some ideas for expanding your child's dress-up wardrobe without breaking the bank.
* Hand-me-downs.
Old, out-grown clothes are a fantastic resource for dress-up clothes.
If you have older children, keep some of their favorite pieces of clothing as they outgrow them.
Long skirts, fancy shoes, boots, party dresses, and suit coats are lots of fun for younger siblings to wear and play in.
Wearing an older sister's dress, a preschooler can pretend to be going to a ball or a tea party, old boots can be part of a cow girl outfit.
Your child is sure to come up with some fun ideas.
If you don't have older children, let your friends know you'll happily accept any discarded clothing suitable for dress-up before they drop it off at the local Salvation Army.
* Adult clothes.
Even if you don't have any resources for outgrown children's clothing, you can look to your own closet for dress-up ideas for your kids.
If Grandma or an aunt are cleaning out closets, mention that you're looking to stock up your child's dress-up wardrobe,and you may wind up with some treasures.
Dress shirts, ties, purses, dresses and skirts are good choices.
Don't worry if it's too big, that's part of the fun.
Plus, belts and ribbon can be used to tighten up waistbands.
* Old baby clothes can be used for doll clothes, so your child's dolls can get in on the dress-up fun too.
* Re-sale shopping.
Garage sales and thrift shops are stocked with dress-up treasures.
It may take a little digging and lots of imagination, but the possibilities are endless, and often dirt cheap.
An old white men's dress shirt makes a perfect lab coat, a ladies nightgown can be the perfect dress to wear to the ball.
* Halloween costumes.
Don't ditch those Halloween costumes.
Keep them around and get lots more use out of them in the dress-up trunk.
Also, scour the stores for after-Halloween clearance sales; you could find some great dress-up outfits for up to 75% off.
* Old dance recital costumes and uniforms.
That dance costume you spent $75 on will find new life in the dress-up trunk, as will old karate outfits, Girl/Boy Scout uniforms, cheer leading outfits, or sports uniforms.
Adult uniform cast-offs will work too.
* Cheap accessories.
It's the little touches that really complete dress-up outfits, like costume jewelry, hats, decorative socks and tights, and tiaras.
Your local dollar store often has many options, as well as the Dollar Spot inside Target stores.
Before you head out shopping, keep in mind that you probably already have plenty of items around your house that your child can add to dress-up outfits.
Here are few things you probably won't need to buy.
* Ribbon.
It can used for belts, Miss America sashes, princess headbands, and tied around pony tails.
* Aprons, for dressing up like mom.
* Neck ties for dressing up like dad.
* Scarves can be used to accent all kinds of outfits, turned into a hood for Little Red Riding Hood, or a gypsy skirt.
* Artificial flowers.
They can be tucked in your daughter's hair, or tied with ribbon and used as a pretend bridal bouquet.
Let your child have a blast creating her very own fashion statements, and watch as her imagination soars.
Having friends over is a perfect time for getting out the dress-up trunk, so the more variety in it the better.