Role Play Props for Kids

  • By: The DIG for Kids
  • Time to read: 3 min.
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Kids love to copy the world around them with props and role playing. It makes their character feel more real and it’s their chance to control and experience the world in lots of new ways.

The shops are full of props that children love using but it’s much better if they can make their own props and accessories. They will need to use lots more imagination and they’ll have fun with lots of different kids crafts.

Simple Ideas

Binoculars are an essential item for all top secret spies. These are easily made with some basic kids crafts. Tape together two cardboard rolls. Paint the rolls a realistic black or silver colour. Now you need to add lots of dials using a few brassy buttons or foil shapes.

Another top secret accessory is a camera. Start with the right sized, empty cardboard packet. Now paint the camera a dark colour. Add the lens to the front of the camera, using the lid of a glass jar. Don’t forget a small square of foil for the flash and a few buttons and dials.

A wristwatch or ‘morpher’ again calls for the staple of many kids crafts, the cardboard roll. Start by painting it just the right colour and get your child to draw in the face or lots of ‘morph’ buttons. Glue a small scrap of black net from empty food packaging to make a walkie talkie speaker effect. Slip it over the wrist when finished.

Alien Antennae

Children love aliens, so they will proudly wear alien antennae at any opportunity. Take a narrow plastic headband and twist some pipe cleaners in place. Make sure you cover the wire ends so they don’t scratch the wearer’s scalp. Now attach pom- poms to the other end and you have a fabulous pair of antennae.

This is easily adaptable if kids want to be animals too. Choose appropriate colours so they can become bees or butterflies.

Magic Wands

Wands are easy to make and finish off magical costumes perfectly. The best wands come from the garden and are transformed by the trickery of kids crafts. Go out and hunt for just the right stick together.

Cover the stick with a layer of silver foil. For an extra magical touch, tie some metallic florist’s ribbon at the end and suspend some silver stars or lightening flashes.

Bags

Bags are easily adapted by sticking ‘gems’, cut out shapes or a special logo to old bags from the back of the wardrobe. Sewing buttons onto old canvas bags is good practise for kids learning needlecraft. If your child is learning to knit, making a bag is a perfect project. It is a matter of knitting a large oblong and a longer thinner piece for the strap. You could even use some really fun, decorative yarns.

Mobile Phones

Mobile phones for little characters to use are really easy. Find a suitable, empty cardboard packet. Start by painting the phone black. Now children can transform their new gadget so it looks like the real thing. Using small white stickers, children can practise their numbers by marking the buttons and applying them appropriately. For the screen of the phone, get them to glue some old sweet wrappers in a rectangle above the buttons.

If they wish they can even add a little antenna, using a black pipe cleaner. They could also attach a handmade phone charm with a loop of string or ribbon and some little beads.

It’s all in the detail and kids will love using various kids crafts to make these lovely props for their dressing up wardrobe. Costumes and role playing will feel more realistic and kids will have a real sense of achievement from putting together an outfit which is perfect in every detail.

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