“‘Pag babae ‘yung mga anak niyo, bye money, Mariel tells Pep.ph in a recent interview. Her two daughters Isabella and Gabriela love to dress up, and that might be an understatement.
“‘Yung mga anak ko, sa isang araw, siguro mga nakasampung beses magpalit iyan ng costume, with hair! Okay talagang full to the max talaga, she says
A quick review of her Instagram account will reveal the many costumes the two girls have donned, from flamenco girls during their recent vacation in Spain, to Paw Patrol, to Encanto, to less popular characters such as Miraculous Ladybug.
Of course, like most girls, Isabella and Gabriela also love Frozen–and they seem to have all the dresses of both Elsa and Anna, whether from Frozen 1 or 2! Mariel says that they even dressed up in their Frozen costumes on their flight to Spain. Now that’s one way to make sure your child doesn’t get lost in a busy airport!
"Feeling kasi nila lahat ng costume, lahat ng character na nakikita nila, mabibilhan ko sila ng costume na ganun. Kaya minsan mahirap talaga, she says to pep.ph.
So for costumes that are not easy to buy, Mariel has had to DIY pieces to make her girls happy.
“Gagawin ang lahat. Umabot na din sa time na kunwari kailangan ng arm sleeves kasi viking naman sila, vikings! Yung mga leggings, gugupitin ko iyon. Yung mga leggings na kinaliitan nila para magkaroon sila. Alam mo yung magiging creative ka talaga, says Mariel.
Although it would be easy to assume that Mariel would have all the means to buy any costume her daughters ask, she reveals that she doesn’t. She also says no sometimes.
"Sometimes, I explain, 'No no no, there’s no like that. It’s not available. We cannot buy it. We have to have it made. It’s too expensive,' minsan gumagano'n na ako.”
Isabella and Gabriela have had custom-made costumes for special occasions like Halloween, like when they dressed up as Mother Goose Club.
"Mukha talaga kaming mascot talaga. 'Tapos sinasabi pa, isa daw sa akin, isa daw kay Gabzy, isa daw kay Isabella. Nagpagawa pa sila sa tatay nila, sabi ko, 'Ah, hindi na yun kay tatay.
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She says dad Sen. Robin Padilla would readily wear the costumes if the girls asked, but the costs made her decide to dress up just their family’s ‘tres marias’.
“Kaya sabi ko, ‘Tayong tatlo nalang.
“Anlaki na po ng puhunan ko sa costume. Puwede na po ako maging production designer dito at mag-provide ng mga costume ng kung anu-anong play.
Mariel makes sure to be practical too, sharing on her Instagram that she sometimes buys costumes that are P1,000 or P500, but she sees the happiness they get from it is worth it.
Get creative, is one of her tips to keep up with your child’s imagination. “Hindi naman lagi na gastos, may mga pagkakataon na bobolahin mo din. DIY talaga, kailangan talagang mapiga ‘yung utak mo para mapagbigyan din sa mga costumes.”
Why playing dress up is important in child development
Why do kids play dress up? Mariel is probably not the only parent who has to contend with her kids’ insistence on dressing up every day.
Many parents know this reality all too well–kids dressing up in their favorite costumes just to do everyday things is entertaining because adults only think of costumes for parties or Halloween. But there are a number of benefits to dressing up.
RELATED: Your Kids Reap So Much Goodness When They Play Dress-Up!
“Dress up is an ideal way for young children to work on so many early childhood development skills: literacies, life skills, and creative play,” says Dr. Karen Aronian, schoolteacher, college professor, founder of Aronian Education Design to Healthline.
Here are the three benefits of dress up your child’s growth:
Benefits of playing dress up in early childhood development
1. Imaginative play
Kids are engaging in imaginative play when they play dress up. They imagine themselves as doctors, firefighters, or superheroes. “Imaginative play boosts problem-solving and self-regulation skills, says Healthline.
“Kids create situations and act out social events. They’re able to test out new ideas and behaviors in a comfortable environment, says Healthline.
'Children are stretching their imagination through different identities and occupation in dress up and practicing their gross and fine motor skills.
2. Gross and fine motor skills
Dr. Aronian says, “Children are stretching their imagination through different identities and occupation in dress up and practicing their gross and fine motor skills.
The actions of buttoning up their clothes, zipping, and tying help with their fine motor skills. Their movements when acting out as pirates or ninjas–even if it is while you’re walking in public, helps develop their gross motor skills.
3. Literacy skills
“There are many opportunities to expand literacies by talking about the dress-up scenarios that children fashion,” says Dr. Aronian.
Help kids grow in their conversational skills by asking them about the characters or scenes they’re trying to imagine through dress up. Dr. Aronian also encourages parents to write down new vocabulary words they are learning through their different characters.
Tipid tips for playing dress up
Parents don’t always need to buy new costumes in order to encourage dress up. As Mariel pointed out, it often just takes a bit of creativity from the parents to repurpose what’s already at home.
You also don’t have to do all the thinking. Allow your child to practice their own creativity with what’s at home when creating costumes.
Here are supplies you can gather when playing dress up:
- Blankets
- Towels
- Scarves
- Hats
- Mittens
- Gloves
- Old clothes
- Fancy or costume jewelry
- Purses, briefcases, and bags
- Glasses
- Aprons
- Scrubs
- Tutus or dance costumes
Next time your child wants to play dress up even if it’s tasking on the parent or even a bit odd–such as requesting to dress up just to go to the grocery–reconsider your ‘no’.
Allow your child to let their imagination run wild. It not only allows for development, it also creates a happy childhood.
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