One of the things I’ve struggled with as a parent is balancing the amount of technology in my son’s life. I am continually trying to come up with new and fun ways to play without electronics. That’s why I was excited to plan a day of imaginative play with Andrew, as part of a sponsored post about kids dress up for Costume Express and Collective Bias.
Earlier this week, The Nerd and I had the following conversation while Andrew sat in the floor, playing games on my phone:
- Him: So when do you think we should get Andrew an iPod Touch?
- Me: Are you serious?
- Him: Well, it’d be easier than fighting him for your phone.
That’s when it hit me — we were discussing the merits of buying our NOT-EVEN-TWO-YEAR-OLD CHILD his own iPod.
While I love technology, and think it’s a great tool for teaching children, there’s a lot to be said for getting out from behind the screen and developing your child’s imagination.
A great way to do that is through dress up. Andrew has just started playing with costumes, and Spiderman is one of his newest obsessions, so I thought it would be fun to have a Super Hero Day where we pretended to be Spiderman.
I went online to Costume Express and ordered the Spider-Man Muscle Chest Toddler Costume. When it arrived, I had to keep myself from showing it to Andrew — I just knew he was going to love it! But I wanted our fun day to be a surprise. So late one night, I set the scene for our day.
I laid out his Spiderman costume where he would find it. I used crepe paper and balloons to build a spiderweb in our living room and set out some silly string and a new Spiderman toy.
Andrew was so excited to see his costume. He had so much fun playing with the balloons in the web and with his new toy.
The best part, though, was shooting the silly string. He LOVED that. We used two cans of silly string in my living room in 10 minutes.
After our full morning of pretend, I made Spiderman Snacks for lunch. I used grapes and pretzel sticks to make mini spiders and then sprayed string cheese on crackers in the shape of spider webs.
We had such a fun day, and Andrew loved his costume so much that he refused to take it off! When we went for a walk in the afternoon around the neighborhood, I had my own personal Super Hero escort.
Click here to read about my experience shopping online at Costume Express. Right now, they have free shipping for orders over $75, and 15% off your order with email sign up!
How do you encourage your children to use their imagination in lieu of spending time in front of a screen?
Who would they dress up as if given the chance?
Disclosure: I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and their client.
such great photos! the blues and red really pop out!
What a cute little Superman! My kids love the Costume Express catalogue-it is highly coveted in our house.
Oh my. He is such a cutie and looks like he is having a blast!
He is a handsome spiderman! I’m so glad he had so much fun, and holy goodness on the snacks! YUMMY!