Here we are, we seem to have dismantled the Christmas tree just yesterday and we are already immersed in streamers, princess costumes, superhero disguises, as cute little animals … yes, Carnival has arrived: the second favorite holiday for children (obviously in the first place we find Christmas due to the amount of new games they receive). CARNIVAL: WHY DO CHILDREN LOVE DISGUISES?

Dressing up is certainly one of the favorite games for children, but the psychological component that underlies it should not be underestimated.

First of all, becoming a different character allows you to develop new aspects of your personality, knowing and experiencing other characteristics of your “I” and acting through them. Wearing a Spiderman or Zorro dress can therefore help a child who is usually shy and insecure to gain confidence in himself and in his abilities.

When the child is small, he often has no particular preferences regarding the character or animal that he can “interpret”, sometimes at this stage he may not even like the disguise and especially the make-up , since not recognizing his own face can give rise to fears and insecurities. In this case it is important not to force the child, we have many years ahead to be able to indulge ourselves in which he himself will not wait to wear colored masks and clothes!

It is around three years that the child will become more involved in the choice of costume, waiting for the Carnival with anxiety and trepidation.

The choice of costume, and also the creation, favors the development of fantasy and imagination in the child. Carnival, in fact, can become an excellent opportunity to spend time with our child by creating the costume of his or her dreams made to measure, from design to realization.

It is not necessary to be an expert seamstress, with some scraps of fabric, sequins, crepe paper or other recycled material, obviously accompanied by a lot of imagination and creativity, you can get fantastic results. Perhaps the finished product will not have perfect finishes and maybe after a few hours of wild racing it may begin to lose a few pieces, but our child’s pride in wearing a dress designed and made by him is priceless!

As we said, the act of disguise is very important for the emotional and cognitive growth of the child, so why limit it to a short period of time?

Creating a disguise corner at home is very easy, special spaces and specific objects are not necessary: ​​with simple tricks it is possible to make it in all homes.

First of all, let’s take a trunk, a chest or simply a cardboard box (to color together with the child) and “furnish it” by freeing our imagination: scarves, sweaters (even if a little crumpled our children won’t care), shoes, but also aprons, gloves or hats, will be the starting point to become always different characters.

Finally, let’s not forget the mirror, it is essential for the little one to admire his new, but momentary, identity!

Good disguise!