Why Dress Up Games are Important in Building Children's Life Skills?

Dress up games helps children in more ways than you might think.

Improving vocabulary
Children who play imaginary dress up games tend to have noticeably better vocabularies.

Taking control
Dress up games lets your children be anyone they want, practice things they've learned, and make situations turn out the way they want.

Learning social rules
Sometimes it's hard for children to know what to do in a social situation. When children test out different pretend scenarios during their dress up games, they're learning complex, real-world rules about social interaction.

Solving problems
Dreaming up imaginary situations for their dress up games teaches children to think creatively in real life. A study at Case Western Reserve University found that young children who are imaginative tend to remain so as they get older and to become better problem solvers.

Find out more about How to Raise an Imaginative Child from ParentCenter.

Don't Forget: Christmas is the perfect time to start building your child's imagination trunk and costume collection.

Give the Gift of Imagination: Kids Dress Up Costumes

Top 10 Dress Up Costumes for Children
1. 3in 1 Dress Up For Girls: Princess, Fairy & Zarina
2. 3 in 1 Dress Up For Boys: Cowboy, Indian, Peter Pan
3. Snow Queen Costume
4. Captain Jack Sparrow Dead Man's Chest Costume
5. Princess Cinderella Toddler Size Costume
6. Batman Begins Deluxe Costume
7. Princess Leia Costume
8. Radiant Fairy Costume
9. Superman Returns Deluxe Muscle Chest Costume
10. Deluxe Supergirl Costume

Monsters Come Out to Sing Christmas Comedy Songs

A Merry Monster Christmas CD has fun parodies of Christmas carols, making it a great Christmas CD for kids.

Frankenstein, Count Dracula and the Wolfman have come together to sing some Christmas comedy songs to celebrate the holidays. A Merry Monster Christmas CD has silly parodies of popular Christmas carols, fun holiday skits and several one liners that kids of all ages can appreciate.

“A Merry Monster Christmas CD is truly a unique Christmas CD for kids,” states Shari McConahay, Vice President of Marketing for leading holiday costume website Santa Suits.com, “It takes the best of Halloween and gives it a new holiday twist that kids can appreciate.”

A Merry Monster Christmas CD uses the amazing talents of American voice actor, Len Maxwell, who is best known for voicing the character of Nick Diamond on MTV's Celebrity Deathmatch from 1998 to 2002. Originally released in 1964, A Merry Monster Christmas CD has been entertaining families for decades. Recently, in 2005, Len Maxwell returned to the studio to put a modern update on this classic Christmas CD for kids.

The Christmas CD for kids that you don’t want to go without, A Merry Monster Christmas CD is available for $14.95 at Santa Suits.com.

All I want for Christmas is....

When I was a little girl I LOVED playing dress up. I'd be a princess, a cowgirl, a doctor and my favorite Princess Leia.

For many children, playing dress up is a favorite kind of pretending. By interacting with each other in "make believe" conversations, it helps them develop their language arts skills and helps them express their feelings in a positive way. To help encourage this kind of pretend play, dress-up costumes are the perfect holiday gift for all of the good little girls and boys on your list.

Most popular this year for girls and boys are anything pirates. Other options include the always popular princesses, from Snow White to Cinderella, for girls and super heros - Superman, Batman, Spiderman - for boys. Other cool costumes include fairies, Barbie, rock stars and monsters.

Check them all out at Annies Costumes.

Last Day for Halloween Costume Sale

Today, November 9th, is the last day for After Halloween Costume Sale at Annie's Costumes. All order over $50 will get 15% off, using coupon code "AFTER".

Remember, Halloween isn't the only time that kids like to dress up. There are plenty of fun costume ideas to do all year round. Dress up and put on a play from Fabulously Funny Fairy Tale Plays, invite the your daughter's friends over and have them be a Princess for the Day, or bring to life one of your child's favorite stories. All you need is a little imagination and a few kids costumes then you're good to go.

Halloween Hangover

"Parents need to watch the amount [of candy] their kids are eating" - School Nurse Beth Dittman at Pirrung Elementary School in Mesquite, TX

Halloween has come and passed, leaving in it's wake the victorous capture of goodies and treats in little kids' bags. But before you let your kid indulge in a gluttony of candy, remember, too much of a 'good' thing can be bad.

Nutritionists say that gorging on Halloween candy may cause blood sugar levels to spike and drop. Dr. Greene's article, "The Relationship Between Sugar and Behavior in Children" notes that highly refined sugars and carbohydrates, which are found in most Halloween candy, enter the bloodstream quickly, produce more rapid fluctuations in blood glucose levels. Now for most kids, this can create hyperactivity during that sudden burst of adrenaline. Once the Halloween candy has worked its way out of your child's system, tummy aches and crankiness are left behind.

Is there a way to beat the Halloween Hangover? You bet. Spread out your child's consumption of their Halloween candy, and don't give it to them on an empty stomach. Make sure your child has a breakfast which contains fiber (oatmeal, shredded wheat, berries, bananas, whole-grain pancakes, etc.), and add delicious fiber-containing treats (whole-grain breads, peaches, grapes, a myriad of other fresh fruits, etc.) to their lunch box. Fiber is nature's natural remedy to keeping a steady level of adrenaline.