Guidecraft Dress-up Storage Solutions

Guidecraft Dress-up Storage Solutions

As a child, I enjoyed dressing up for pretend play. I inherited the costumes, and I treasured them as some of my most beloved possessions. I can remember being excited to come home from school where I would find my dolls waiting to have a tea party with me. For me, this type of play was pure magic.

When my daughter was born, I was incredibly excited to share this type of play with her. Whenever I found an interesting dress or costume, I picked it up and added it to her collection of dress-up clothes. Sometimes, I even picked up something for myself so I could join in on the fun. All of these items—her dresses, my dresses, jewelry, fairy wings, feather boas, and more—were stored in a storage container under her bed. The storage container did its job, but there was nothing special or whimsical about it. Plus, the clothes always came out wrinkled and the jewelry tangled.

When I first came across some of Guidecraft’s dress-up storage solutions for children, I was instantly taken back to my childhood, and wished I owned something like their dress-up centers when my daughter was little. Their storage solutions feel like something a movie star would own and easily make dress-up time for kids all the more magical.

The Guidecraft Dress-up Storage Center is just one of their products that helps you keep all of your children’s  pretend play costumes organized. It provides a bar to hang all of your child’s special clothes on and helps avoid wrinkling. The upper storage area is the perfect place for larger accessories while the fabric bins provide a space to organize the smaller items, including jewelry cases and shoes. It even comes with a child-safe mirror for your little one to admire him or herself in. The chocolate version is well suited to a more neutral décor and for those who want to continue to use the item even after their child outgrows the dress-up stage. The white dress-up storage center is perfect if you are trying to complement a princess theme.

The Guidecraft Dress-up Carousel is whimsical enough that it can get any little one excited about dramatic play. In fact, I kind of want one for myself right now. Perfect for smaller spaces, this wooden storage solution spins to allow maximum storage in minimal space. Despite its small footprint, it has everything your little one needs—from jewelry storage, to hanging storage to mirrors. The natural finish easily blends into any bedroom or playroom and is gender neutral, making it perfect for boys or girls. If your little one is a true princess, the pastel version will work well for her.

If you are looking for something that keeps everything clearly visible, yet still organized, the Gudecraft See and Store Dress-up Center is for you. Made from solid wood, this storage center offers open shelving as well as hanging storage to keep all pretend play items organized and accessible. The version in a natural finish is gender neutral and suitable for most décor. The pastel version works well for little girls who simply cannot resist the color pink.

To browse Guidecraft’s large selection of wooden furniture and dress-up storage solutions, visit us at AKidPlace.com. All Guidecraft products sold here are offered at the lowest prices authorized by Guidecraft, and most qualifies for free shipping.

Children's Vanity Tables – Make Your Little Diva’s Dreams Come True this Holiday Season

Whether your little one is a regal princess, a movie star, or a budding diva, you know how much she loves to dress up and pretend. Now, you can make all her dreams come true with children’s vanity tables, as well as stools, mirrors, and extra storage for all of her treasured “jewels,” makeup and accessories. Vanity tables for kids are available in a wide range of styles to suit the theme of her bedroom or create a focal point for her play space. Help bring her fantasies to life this holiday season with everything she needs to engage in hours of creative role play.

The Importance of Pretend Play

Young children love creative play. Dressing up in costumes and acting out their favorite characters (whether for an audience or with a friend or sibling) provides numerous developmental benefits for toddlers and preschoolers. When kids put on a costume – a princess dress, a glamorous “celebrity” ensemble, a firefighter outfit – they feel that they have become the character they are pretending to be. This can give them a sense of control and independence that they do not have when they are being “themselves,” helping them to develop confidence and problem-solving abilities. Role play is important for developing cognitive and social skills that will influence how they learn and relate to their peers later on.

As a parent, you can facilitate role play by providing plenty of props. These can be as simple as a closet-full of your old clothes; “fancy” outfits from a vintage clothing store or specially designed dress up clothes for kids are also perfect for fueling the imagination. Add to these a handful of accessories, like costume jewelry, tiaras, hats, scarves, shoes and even makeup designed for kids, and your kids will be set for hours of creativity and fun.

Children’s vanity tables with shatter-proof mirrors are a great addition to the playroom or kids’ room. Beautifully-crafted, affordable, heirloom quality tables and chairs provide a backdrop for her fantasies, as well as giving your little diva a place to store all of her special dress-up items. You can find matching kids furnishings, including vanity tables, stools, wardrobes, and plenty of other dress-up accessories to bring her imagination to life and – as an added bonus – make clean-up time fun and easy.

Where to Buy Vanity Tables and Other Pint-Size Furnishings

You can find children’s vanity tables, stools, mirrors, and everything else your little princess needs for pretend play at A Kid Place. Visit us today for our amazing selection of kids’ nursery and playroom furnishings, educational toys and games, ride-ons and other outdoor toys, and so much more. Free shipping is available on many items, with delivery in time for the holiday season.

Why Kids Play Dress-Up

When my daughter was three, she "inherited" a fleecy, hooded dragon costume from a cousin. For weeks, she was obsessed with it - she insisted on wearing it wherever she went and even slept in the thing (I gave up trying to get her out of it except at bath time, when I put my foot down). While the costume was on, she was not only dressed as a dragon - she was the dragon; she would stomp around the house, claws bared and growling, until the cat would run away at the sound of her footsteps. Fortunately, the obsession faded, but was quickly replaced with an equally fierce devotion to a princess costume.

As adults, a child's need to play dress-up can be as puzzling as it is amusing - what is your little one really thinking about when he or she spends days at a time dressed in a ballerina costume or police uniform? In fact, this type of dramatic play helps young children to learn some important life skills.

What kids get out of dramatic play and dress-up

When kids engage in imaginative play, they aren't just having fun - they are developing some vital social, intellectual, and manipulative skills. Dressing up in costumes, or in their parents' clothing, teaches them not only to zip, button, snap and tie, but to empathize with others; dressing up as a fireman, for example, helps a child to put himself in the fireman's shoes - so to speak. Research has shown that kids who engage in dress-up games tend to have a better understanding of other people's feelings and points of view later on.

Role play helps kids to create imaginary scenarios that put their problem-solving skills to the test (how does the fireman rescue the kitten?); kids who play dress-up together also learn to cooperate as they work out their imaginary scenario.

Another important aspect of dramatic play is learning to think symbolically; a child who pretends that her chair is a throne is actually developing the intellectual areas of the brain that will allow her to comprehend writing, reading, and mathematics.

How to encourage your child's creative side

If your child loves dressing up and pretending, you can encourage him by providing old clothes, costumes, plastic "jewelry," hats, last year's Halloween costumes, and anything else you can think of. Create a dress-up space in your child's bedroom or playroom; the Guidecraft Dress-Up Carousel - available at A Kid Place - is the perfect way to store all of your child's dress-up items for easy access and quick clean-up when it is time to move on to a new activity. The Guidecraft Dress-Up Carousel comes in Natural and Pastel.