How to Build Toys for a Four Year Old

Four-year-olds like to play dress-up.

Four-year-old children have a captivating imagination and love to express it through play. Parents should try to provide toys that help their child's imagination grow and are educational. Children this age love to dress up and providing different costumes for them to express their imagination does not have to require going to a store and spending money. With a few guidelines, you can make your four-year-old boy or girl their favorite dress-up clothes, from princess dresses to superhero capes. You can even build your child's very own dress-up box. Design different masks and other accessories to really bring different characters out of your child's imagination.

Things You'll Need

• Chest, toy box, or suitcase
• Streamers, ribbon, or other decorations
• Glue
• Cape:
• Three-quarter yard of fabric
• Scissors
• Sewing Machine
• Thread
• Fabric hook-and-loop fastener

Instructions

Create a Dress-up Play Box for Your Child

1. Get an old chest or toy box. You will use this box to store all the various costumes and dress-up collection. If you do not have a chest or toy box, you can also use an old suitcase.

2. Stock the box. Check your closet for pieces that can be used for play or fabrics that can be transformed into other dress-up pieces. Also, look for accessories and props. Ask family members and friends if they have any old clothes, props, or accessories like hats, wigs, gloves, jewelry, shoes, or any other items that are safe and age-appropriate.

3. Decorate the box using the streamers, ribbons, glue, and any other decorating supplies you have. Choose your child's favorite colors and have them help with the decorating process.

4. Organize the box with your child. Create piles or sections based on color or based on costume pieces and accessories. Let your child contribute to the organizational process; after all, it is their dress-up box.

Make a Superhero Cape

1. Cut the fabric into the desired shape for the cape using the scissors. Generally, the cape is about 18 inches long at the top (the neck), depending on how big your child's neck is and how tight you want it. The cape should get wider toward the bottom.

2. Fold the edges of the cape a half-inch in so the edges are clean and straight, and sew together.

3. Sew on any accessories, logos, or symbols.

4. Sew a piece of fabric hook-and-loop fastener on one end of the neck line, and sew the attaching piece to the other side of the neckline. This will allow you to fasten the cape around your child's neck.

Tips & Warnings

• Use two identical shapes of different color fabric to make a reversible cape with different colors.

• Personalize the cape with different logos or symbols of their favorite superhero.

• Use caution when handling sewing equipment and scissors around your children; never leave them unsupervised with hazardous objects.

References

• Puking Pastilles: Super Hero Cape Tutorial

Resources

• Artists Helping Children: Make Games, Toys, and Crafts for Kids