Role play: costumes and props for more than one story
16/10/2026
A scarf, a hat, a box and a notebook carry dozens of games. What to put in the dress-up box, how to set up a flower shop and which lines get play going.
Role play is play in which a child pretends for a while to be someone else — a shopkeeper, a doctor, a postie or a dragon. What keeps it going longest are props that don't belong to one character: a big scarf, a box, a hat, an apron and a notebook with a pencil. A ready-made princess costume carries one story; a scarf carries twenty, because the child decides what it is, not the packaging.
What a child is actually doing in role play
The technical term is symbolic or pretend play. In it a child does three things at once: takes on someone else's role ("I'm the lady in the shop"), lets one thing stand for another (a peg is a carrot, a box is a car) and keeps a storyline going that they made up themselves. That substitution is exactly why props matter so much. An object that already "knows" what it is leaves the child nothing to imagine.
You'll see the first signs around age two, when a toddler "drinks" from an empty cup or feeds a teddy. Between three and six this turns into whole scenes with several children, assigned roles and rules ("you're the customer and you have to pay"). The paediatric literature links this kind of free play with the development of language, self-control and the ability to see things from someone else's point of view — the child has to keep track of who's who and respond to other people's ideas.
A ready-made costume, or costume pieces
| Item | How many stories it carries | What it's good for | Weak spot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Licensed costume of one character | 1–2 | Dress-up days, birthday parties | The child acts out the film, not their own story; in a year it's too small and they're bored of it anyway |
| A big scarf or piece of fabric | dozens | Cape, skirt, hut roof, river, baby's blanket, treasure sack | Without a grown-up's idea it just lies there at first — it's worth starting the first game together |
| Hat or cap | many | Postie, magician, captain, farmer, detective | One hat soon gets boring; two or three different ones are better |
| Apron with a pocket | many | Chef, shopkeeper, florist, painter, doctor | Has to go on without help, or it interrupts the game |
| Vest with pockets | many | Explorer, firefighter, mechanic, zookeeper | Better suited from age four |
| Ready-made "doctor" or "hairdresser" set | 1–3 | A quick start to one particular game | Plastic tools have only one use and the pieces go missing |
A costume basics kit that carries more than one story
- Two big scarves in different coloursIdeally around one metre by one and a half, in cotton or light viscose. The blue one is the sea, a cape and the night; the red one is fire, a carpet for a king and a restaurant tablecloth.
- Two or three hatsAn old hat from the back of the wardrobe, a cap and a paper hat. Headwear is the quickest way to say "now I'm someone else", and a child can put it on and take it off on their own.
- An apronAn adult one is fine, shortened or folded over at the waist. The pocket is essential for play — it's where the money, recipes and order slips get tucked away.
- A Velcro capeMade from an old sheet, with a short strip of Velcro instead of a tie. If the cape gets caught, it comes undone by itself.
- Glasses without lenses and a shoulder bagThe glasses turn a child into a doctor, a professor or a grandma. The bag is a doctor's case, a postie's satchel and a shopping basket.
- A belt or sashA strip of fabric to tuck a "sword" made from a paper towel tube, a magic wand or a wooden spoon into.
Props with no single role
Alongside the costume, play needs things that can be used as anything. Look for them in the kitchen and the recycling bin rather than the toy shop.
- A shoebox and one big appliance boxThe small one is a till, a letterbox, a doll's bed. The big one is a counter, a car, a rocket or a house.
- Pegs, bottle tops, pine cones, buttonsMoney, food, seeds, treasure. For children under three, though, choose items big enough that they can't be swallowed. Older children just need a tin to tip them into — the rattle of the "money" is half the fun.
- A notebook and pencilThe most underrated prop of all: orders, recipes, fines, tickets, treasure maps. A child who can't write yet scribbles — and "reads" it out loud.
- Empty food packagingRinsed-out tea boxes, yoghurt pots, paper bags. They make a shop, a pharmacy or a picnic.
- Kitchen scales and a measuring jugA real tool the child is allowed to use makes the game instantly serious — even if what's being weighed is pine cones.
- A torchNight watch, a cave, a look down someone's throat, a lighthouse on a ship.
Playing florist, step by step
A flower shop is a good first game because it has clear roles (shopkeeper, customer), simple buying and selling, and it smells of the outdoors. And it breaks down into pieces you can use elsewhere later.
- 1Pick the stockGo outside with your child and gather what you're allowed to: dandelions, daisies, grass, twigs, leaves. In winter, paper flowers that the child cuts out and sticks onto skewers will do.
- 2Build the counterA big box or a stool turned towards the customer. Flowers go into rinsed-out yoghurt pots, with a scarf underneath as a tablecloth.
- 3Dress the shopkeeperAn apron with a pocket for money, and a notebook for orders in the pocket. Nothing else is needed.
- 4Make money and pricesPine cones, bottle tops or paper coins. The child draws the prices on a slip of paper — as many dots as bottle tops.
- 5Come in as the first customerYou have the role, the child has the shop. Order a bunch of flowers with a little twist (see the lines below) and let the child work out how to deliver it.
- 6Swap roles with your childAfter a few purchases, you be the shopkeeper and the child the customer. You'll see what they picked up from your playing — and often how they see you, too.
- 7Turn the shop into another gameThe next day the same counter, apron and notebook become a bakery, a post office or a pharmacy. You only swap the stock in the pots; the costume stays.
Lines that get the game going without taking it over
In role play, a grown-up works best as a character with a problem, not as the director. Bring the problem in one sentence and leave the solution to the child.
How to keep the game going for more than ten minutes
The most common mistake is giving a child everything at once. A full dress-up box looks tempting, but the child ends up rummaging through it rather than playing. It works better to leave just a few things out and swap the rest every so often — the same scarf after a week in a box feels brand new. One low box or basket that the child can reach and tidy up on their own works well.
The second mistake is stepping into the game with questions ("What's this? Why?"). It looks like interest, but it pulls the child out of the role. Talk from inside the story: instead of "what are you cooking?" say "mmm, that smells like soup for giants".
The third thing is safety. Strings and ties around the neck don't belong on capes, and small parts don't belong near children under three. There's more on this in the article on what to avoid in a gift for a young child.
And if you want a toy that gets even a quiet child talking, have a look at our round-up of toys that need the child to do the talking. Role play props belong on that list too — neither the shopkeeper nor the customer gets far without words.
Sources
- Yogman M. et al.: The Power of Play: A Pediatric Role in Enhancing Development in Young Children (Pediatrics, 2018) — Clinical report from the American Academy of Pediatrics on the importance of free play for child development.
- Make believe (Wikipedia) — An overview of pretend play: role play, object substitution and development by age.