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So it is time for your cutie patootie to become the showstopper at that fancy dress competition at their preschool and you are struggling for ideas? You actually have a wide range to choose from; from dressing them up as their favorite cartoon character to a character from a nursery rhyme or their favorite fairytale, the list is endless. It will be a good idea, however, to use the fancy dress competition as a coachable moment to make the child aware of several age-appropriate aspects of life. Of course, the fun and the bonding as you conceptualize that fancy dress costume and actually get the child to wear it will be priceless.

Here are Some Fancy Dress Ideas to Mull Over:

• Save the earth – How about fancy dress ideas that teach children about environmental degradation being unleashed by mankind? A leafless tree or crying earth are great options to spread awareness in the child. Alternately, you can dress up a child in a dress created with old clothes, cardboard boxes, newspaper, polybag, cold drink cans and plastic bottles to spread the message of recycling and reuse. You can also show off your love for planet earth by dressing your children up in earth’s own materials. Using plants and other items from the outdoors, the child can dress up as any one of the four seasons or simply as a garden.
• Historical Characters- Think of fancy dress ideas and there is no way you cannot think of recreating the grandeur of historical characters and use the opportunity to tell your child their tales of valour. Think of Rani Laxmi Bai, the greatest warrior of her times or Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. It will give everyone goose bumps to hear the little one mouth Netaji’s famous lines- “Tum mujhe khoon do, main tumhe aazadi dunga.” Alternately you could also look at recreating mythological characters. How about dressing up the child as Bal Hanuman and extol his heroism? A saffron dhoti or duppata with a tail stitched on it and a gada will do the trick.
• Professionals and helpers- The answer to ‘ what can I dress up as, for fancy dress” can also lie in the various professions. It’s the ideal time to teach the child about services rendered by a fireman, a postman, traffic police and more. That these costumes aren’t hard to come by, is an added perk. If you are looking for something more unique, look for other professions such as astronauts, construction workers and more.
• Social issues- How about using fancy dress costumes to raise awareness on social issues? The importance of donating blood, for example, or the need to read more? How about dressing the child up as a book itself and talking about the many benefits of reading? A cardboard cut out of a book that the child can hang around his or her neck can do the trick. If the book is beautifully done with some recognizable characters, it will catch the attention of the audience, fir sure!
• World is a family- Spread the message of brotherhood and peace as the child takes to dressing up in an international costume and talks about how different it may be from our culture, yet so similar. The thrill of dressing up your little one in a Japanese kimono, for example, will be unparalleled. If you want to be even more creative, it will be a good idea to dress up the child like a soldier and get her to talk about the various issues that war brings in its wake. Imagine the response of the audience when the child says “choose love not hate.”

Making a costume for your child can be fun. Go ahead and show off your creativity, imagination, and craft skills while keeping the costumes eco-friendly as far as possible. If you are hard pressed for time there are a number of fancy dress shops as also websites who can offer you readymade costumes.

Pro tips For Fancy Dress Ideas

Besides creating a clever costume, do remember to check for the following:

Have the child practice the lines before a small audience at home prior to the event.

Check that the costume fits well. You don’t want it to come apart on stage or for it to be suffocating and making your child uncomfortable.

Above everything, keep the experience fun so that the child looks forward to his or her day out on stage and learns in the bargain, too!