On the subject of dress-up

[Josiegirl]

I have such a love/hate relationship with the dress-up area. The dcks have such fun and I think it's an important part of play to try on being someone else. I bought one of those cute dress-up stands with a mirror on one side but it seems like nobody will take the time to hang things on the hooks so it's just a jumbled mess in the bottom of it. I have a huge bucket filled with stuff but refuse to bring it all out because they make such a mess. So I only rotate out a few things at a time.
Any suggestions on how to keep it neater looking? It's the messiest area.

[Shell]

I think so much of it is age. When I taught pre-k/k, my classroom was immaculate, just the way I liked it, and I could "train" the kids to put things away so neatly.

My home daycare mostly consists of me cleaning things up properly. I have mostly part timers, so not all the kids remember exactly where things go.

I find the best way is to assign each child a job- like Sally puts the chefs coat on a hook, and Mary puts the hats on top.

I personally have a big bucket and the kids just put the dress up clothes in, and that's the best I can get all kids from mixed ages to do.

[Play Care]

Probably not much help, but I've removed *most* of my dress up

My kids are old enough to put it back and it's pulling teeth to see it done. I also find they tend to just pile clothing up to make "nests" rather than dress up
And of course, no one wants to put it back
So it's packed away and I'll rotate in and out.

[Blackcat31]

I have such a love/hate relationship with the dress-up area. The dcks have such fun and I think it's an important part of play to try on being someone else. I bought one of those cute dress-up stands with a mirror on one side but it seems like nobody will take the time to hang things on the hooks so it's just a jumbled mess in the bottom of it. I have a huge bucket filled with stuff but refuse to bring it all out because they make such a mess. So I only rotate out a few things at a time.
Any suggestions on how to keep it neater looking? It's the messiest area.

I wouldn't let them move onto another center or activity until the dress-up clothes are put back properly.


Of course, make sure they ARE capable of doing so and know what "properly" means. Have easy to hang items and big chunky hooks that little hands can manipulate easily. Boxes for accessories. So cleaning up requires hanging a few items and putting everything else in a box. 2 easy steps even toddlers can manage.

I would limit the amount of things you have until they are more experienced with putting them away the right way. Maybe at first only offer 2-4 different choices. Once they master putting those items away properly add in a few more.

I used think more was better.... I mean what kid doesn't want a million choices verses 2 or 3 right? Well, apparently kids. Kids don't want or need that many choices. They play deeper and longer when fully immersed in something and the one thing I've learned is to be immersed in something, it only requires interests and all it takes to spark interest in something is one thing. Of course, since most are group care, you need one thing per child.

My rule for centers is no more than 2-4 kids MAX (depending on the center itself) in one area, playing something at one time. So if you only allow 3 kids to play dress up at a time, you only need 3 different outfits.

Rotate them out weekly or monthly to keep their interests.

HTH

[Febby]

I would limit the amount of things you have until they are more experienced with putting them away the right way. Maybe at first only offer 2-4 different choices. Once they master putting those items away properly add in a few more.

This. I inherited a really rough group of 3-4 year olds at my last daycare center and this is what I ended up doing with every play center. I had 14 children, but very few toys. Once their ability to use the materials appropriately and put them away properly improved, I started adding things back in, based on their interests and based on how difficult to clean up the item(s) were.

[kendallina]

Yes, they probably are capable of hanging it up if you want to put the work in. You can go behind them every time and redirect them to properly clean it up. Don't let them move on until they've done it well. They can do it.

I don't have any hanging space right now for dress up, so it all gets jumbled in a nice large basket. It works for me, it's contained and even though it's not nicely displayed, they still know what's in the basket and are able to get what they need and put it back.

[spedmommy4]

I wouldn't let them move onto another center or activity until the dress-up clothes are put back properly.


Of course, make sure they ARE capable of doing so and know what "properly" means. Have easy to hang items and big chunky hooks that little hands can manipulate easily. Boxes for accessories. So cleaning up requires hanging a few items and putting everything else in a box. 2 easy steps even toddlers can manage.

I would limit the amount of things you have until they are more experienced with putting them away the right way. Maybe at first only offer 2-4 different choices. Once they master putting those items away properly add in a few more.

I used think more was better.... I mean what kid doesn't want a million choices verses 2 or 3 right? Well, apparently kids. Kids don't want or need that many choices. They play deeper and longer when fully immersed in something and the one thing I've learned is to be immersed in something, it only requires interests and all it takes to spark interest in something is one thing. Of course, since most are group care, you need one thing per child.

My rule for centers is no more than 2-4 kids MAX (depending on the center itself) in one area, playing something at one time. So if you only allow 3 kids to play dress up at a time, you only need 3 different outfits.

Rotate them out weekly or monthly to keep their interests.

HTH

I agree with this wholeheartedly. I have kiddos 20 months-4 years right now so I also added photos to my storage areas, and that has helped a lot. (e.g.: A photo of dress up shoes on the fabric shoe bin) Even the little ones can sort out where things go.

I have also noticed in my classroom that even small changes to a center keep kids interested. I have been changing one thing about the dress up center weekly and the kids have really engaged with the materials. (This week I added leis)

I noticed the same thing in the play dough area. The kids never used to play with it. Now they help me cook it and choose the scent every week and it gets played with every single day. It's amazing what a difference small changes make.

[Unregistered]

Yes, when I taught pre-K/K it was a breeze!

Now I adapted for younger kids and just have a laundry basket for dress up clothes. A basket makes it a breeze for toddlers and threes to pick up the dress up clothes. My two's and up are always in them! Always! It's one of my favorite things!