Halloween gives kids one night to be anyone they can think of: a firefighter, a superhero, a princess, a dinosaur, or the hero of an adventure they invented on the walk to the first house.
Then November 1 shows up, and plenty of costumes end up in the back of a closet.
Choose kids' Halloween costumes that work for everyday dress-up and pretend play and they keep getting worn long after the candy runs out. They show up on rainy Saturdays, at playdates, and in the middle of living-room rescue missions all winter long.
Look Beyond the One-Night Halloween Costume
A costume made purely for Halloween is perfectly fine. If you're shopping for a younger child, though, it's worth a quick think about what happens on November 1. Ask yourself:
- Will they want to play in it again?
- Does it fit the stories they already love making up?
- Can it mix with their other dress-up clothes, toys and accessories?
Play costumes that get a yes on all three end up in the toy box with everything else, and they get used like any other toy. A firefighter costume can launch a living-room rescue mission. A doctor's outfit turns a row of stuffed animals into patients. A cape makes any afternoon a superhero adventure. The story is different every time they put it on.
The Great Pretenders firefighter set is a good example. It comes with a coat, helmet, badge, play axe and play fire extinguisher, so there's plenty to work with once trick-or-treating is over.
Dress-Up Play Lets Kids Create Their Own Stories
Pretend play doesn't come with rules. Kids decide who they are, where the adventure happens, what goes wrong and how it gets fixed.
Dress-up toys and costumes give those ideas something to hold. A hat, cape, mask, tool belt or crown is often all it takes to start a brand new story.
The stories change fast. Today's veterinarian is tomorrow's explorer. The princess turns out to be a dragon trainer. The construction worker has to save the moon. Let them switch as often as they like.
Role Play Toys Add Even More Possibilities
Costumes get even more play value when kids can pair them with their favourite role play toys and pretend play sets.
A chef costume and a play kitchen turn into a busy restaurant. A doctor's outfit and a medical kit make a stuffed-animal clinic. A construction outfit and some building tools can kick off a full renovation of the playroom.
Mixing dress-up clothes, accessories and role play toys lets kids build on their own ideas as they go. It also means you don't need a giant costume collection. A handful of favourite pieces can be mixed, matched and reinvented again and again.
Choosing Halloween Costumes for Younger Children
When you're shopping for toddler dress-up clothes or costumes for younger kids, think about how they'll play in the costume as well as how it looks. A few things worth checking:
Comfort: A scratchy or stiff costume comes off in ten minutes. Pick something they can run, crawl and climb in.
Easy on and off: Elastic, wide openings and simple fasteners let kids dress themselves, so they can start playing whenever inspiration hits.
Room for layers: In much of Canada, Halloween night is chilly. A costume with space for a sweater underneath saves you from hiding it under a winter coat.
A mask alternative: Masks can slip and block a child's view. A face painting kit, like the Clementoni Crazy Chic Face Painting Kit (ages 6+), gives kids the look without the mask.
Room to be different characters: Costumes and accessories that aren't tied to one character leave space for kids to decide who they want to be. Reversible capes, tutus and complete costume sets from Great Pretenders are a good place to start.
Most of all, go with whatever your child is excited about right now. The costume they run to the dress-up box for is the one most likely to become part of everyday play.
Halloween Can Be the Beginning of the Adventure
Halloween is a great excuse to add something new to the dress-up box, and October 31 doesn't need to be the last day it gets worn. A well-chosen costume can turn up at birthday parties, playdates, rainy afternoons, school breaks and every made-up adventure at home.
At Bright Bean Toys, our Costumes & Dress Up collection includes play costumes, dress-up clothes, accessories and other imaginative play options, all picked to help kids become whoever they want to be.
This Halloween, choose a costume that's ready for trick-or-treating and for everything that comes next.
