Role play: costumes and props for more than one story
16/10/2026
A scarf, a hat, a box and a notebook can carry dozens of games. What to put in the dressing-up box, how to open a flower shop and what to say to start.
Role play is a game in which a child pretends, for a while, to be someone else — a shopkeeper, a doctor, a postie or a dragon. What keeps it going longest are props that don't belong to one character: a large scarf, a box, a hat, an apron and a notebook with a pencil. A ready-made princess costume carries one story; a scarf carries twenty, because the child decides what it is, not the packaging.
What your child is actually doing in role play
The technical name is symbolic or pretend play. Your child is doing three things at once: taking on someone else's role ("I'm the lady in the shop"), letting one thing stand for another (a peg is a carrot, a box is a car) and holding together a plot they made up themselves. That substitution is exactly why props matter so much. An object that already "knows" what it is leaves the child nothing to imagine.
You'll see the first signs around age two, when a toddler "drinks" from an empty cup or feeds a teddy. Between three and six this grows into whole scenes with several children, shared-out roles and rules ("you're the customer and you have to pay"). Paediatric research links this kind of free play with the development of language, self-control and the ability to see things from someone else's point of view — the child has to keep track of who is who and respond to other people's ideas.
Ready-made costume or dressing-up pieces
| Item | How many stories it carries | Good for | Weakness |
|---|---|---|---|
| Licensed single-character costume | 1–2 | Fancy dress, a birthday party | Your child acts out the film, not their own story; in a year it's too small and they're bored of it anyway |
| Large scarf or piece of fabric | dozens | Cape, skirt, den roof, river, baby's blanket, treasure sack | Without a grown-up's idea it just lies there at first — start the first game together |
| Hat or cap | many | Postie, magician, captain, farmer, detective | One hat gets boring fast; two or three different ones work better |
| Apron with a pocket | many | Chef, shopkeeper, florist, painter, doctor | It must go on without help, or it keeps interrupting the game |
| Waistcoat with pockets | many | Explorer, firefighter, mechanic, zookeeper | Better from about age four |
| Ready-made "doctor" or "hairdresser" set | 1–3 | A quick start for one particular game | Plastic tools have only one use and the pieces go missing |
A dressing-up basics kit that carries more than one story
- Two large scarves in different coloursIdeally about one metre by one and a half, in cotton or light viscose. Blue is the sea, a cape and the night; red is fire, a carpet for the king and a restaurant tablecloth.
- Two or three hatsAn old hat from the loft, a baseball cap and a paper crown. Headwear is the quickest way to say "now I'm someone else", and your child can put it on and take it off alone.
- An apronA grown-up one is fine, shortened or folded at the waist. The pocket is essential to the game — it hides money, recipes and the slip with the order.
- A cape with a Velcro fasteningMade from an old sheet, with a short strip of Velcro instead of a tie. If the cape catches on something, it simply comes apart.
- Glasses without lenses and a shoulder bagGlasses turn your child into a doctor, a professor or a granny. The bag is a doctor's case, a postbag or a shopping basket.
- A belt or sashA strip of fabric to tuck a kitchen-roll "sword", a magic wand or a wooden spoon into.
Props without a single role
Alongside costumes, the game needs things that can be used as anything. Look for them in the kitchen and the recycling rather than in a toy shop.
- A shoebox and one big appliance boxThe small one is a till, a postbox or a doll's cot. The big one is a counter, a car, a rocket or a house.
- Pegs, bottle tops, conkers, buttonsMoney, food, seeds, treasure. For under-threes, though, choose them big enough that they can't be swallowed. Older children just need a tin to tip them into — the rattle of the "money" is half the fun.
- A notebook and pencilThe most underrated prop of all: orders, recipes, parking tickets, train tickets, a treasure map. A child who can't write yet scribbles — and "reads" it out loud.
- Empty food packagingRinsed-out tea boxes, yoghurt pots, paper bags. They make a shop, a chemist's or a picnic.
- Kitchen scales and a measuring jugA real tool your child is allowed to use makes the game instantly serious — even if what's being weighed is pine cones.
- A torchNight watch, a cave, a look down someone's throat, a ship's lighthouse.
Playing flower shop, step by step
A flower shop is a good first game because it has clear roles (shopkeeper, customer), simple trade and it smells of outdoors. And it comes apart into pieces you can reuse elsewhere.
- 1Pick the stockGo outside together and gather what you're allowed to: dandelions, daisies, grass, twigs, leaves. In winter, paper flowers your child cuts out and sticks onto skewers will do.
- 2Build the counterA big box or a stool turned towards the customer. Flowers go into rinsed yoghurt pots, with a scarf underneath as a tablecloth.
- 3Dress the shopkeeperAn apron with a pocket for money, and a notebook for orders in the pocket. Nothing else is needed.
- 4Make money and pricesConkers, bottle tops or paper coins. Your child draws the prices on slips — so many dots, so many bottle tops.
- 5Come in as the first customerYou have a role, your child has the shop. Order a bunch of flowers with a little twist (see the lines below) and let your child work out how to deliver it.
- 6Swap rolesAfter a few purchases, you be the shopkeeper and your child the customer. You'll see what they picked up from your playing — and often how they see you.
- 7Turn the shop into another gameThe same counter, apron and notebook become a bakery, a post office or a chemist's the next day. You only change the goods in the pots; the costume stays.
Lines that start the game without taking it over
In role play a grown-up works best as a character with a problem, not as the director. Bring the problem in one sentence and leave the solution to your child.
How to keep the game going beyond ten minutes
The most common mistake is giving your child everything at once. A dressing-up box stuffed full looks tempting, but children tend to rummage through it rather than play. It works better to leave out just a few things and swap the rest now and then — the same scarf after a week in a box feels brand new. One low box or basket that your child can reach and tidy away alone works well.
The second mistake is entering the game with questions ("And what's this? And why?"). It looks like interest, but it pulls your child out of the role. Talk from inside the story: instead of "what are you cooking?" say "mmm, that smells like soup for giants".
The third thing is safety. Strings and cords round the neck don't belong on capes, and small parts don't belong with under-threes. There's more in the article on what to avoid when choosing a gift for a small child.
And if you want a toy that gets even a quiet child talking, have a look at our round-up of toys where the child has to do the talking. Role-play props belong there too — neither the shopkeeper nor the customer gets far without words.
Sources
- Yogman M. et al.: The Power of Play: A Pediatric Role in Enhancing Development in Young Children (Pediatrics, 2018) — Clinical report from the American Academy of Pediatrics on the importance of free play for children's development.
- Make believe (Wikipedia) — Overview of pretend play: role play, object substitution and development by age.