All Dolled Up

Brownie and Pearl Get Dolled Up is a story by Cynthia Rylant with pictures by Brian Biggs. This fun book is all about a little girl and her pup, who dress up, just for the fun of it. Most of us feel better when we dress up in our fancy clothes. It is a great way to spend a some time when you and the children are stuck indoors-of course it is fun to go outside and show your fancy clothes too.

While my first thought, was that this is a "girl" book, there is no reason boys couldn't relate and have fun dressing up too. In most cultures, there are special times when dressing up is the norm, but there may be some families one parent or the other may not dress up very much, so this is a great topic to discuss. Why do adults dress up and where do they go? What does dressing up look like? How do you feel when you dress up?

Pretending is such an important activity for children. I often bring up the topic of of "dressing up" when I discuss celebrations. I provide lots of different fancy outfits and encourage them to try them on. This helps them understand and act familiar situations. Pretending to leave the kids for the evening is a great social-emotional experience which helps children deal with separation. Extend it even more and help your children plan a tea party for another classroom. Encourage everyone to dress up and don't forget to discuss that people are sometimes a little nervous or excited when they have special dress up events. Another idea is to set up a photography studio in the pretend center and let children pretend they are going to have their picture taken. So many rich social-emotional and language learning opportunities. Use your own ideas, but don't forget to start with the book, Brownie and Pearl Get Dolled Up.