Who will you be today?

Children always love taking on role play, and the home corner offers a place to stretch the imagination playing at being grown up and learning about life. Dressing up in character is so much fun.

In many cases all you needed is a hat and the play would begin.

That certainly was the case with the little boy in my new book ‘David’s Bin Day’

David, my brother, loved his bobble hat, knitted by his big sister, it certainly inspired his play adventure for the Day.

Mr Benn

David's favourite television programme was ‘Mr Benn’.

In the programme Mr Benn comes across a small costume shop up a back lane. Once he steps through the door, ‘as if by magic the Shopkeeper appears’.

'Once his fancy dress outfit has been chosen, Mr Benn transforms into it in the changing room, only to then discover another door that leads him out to an unknown land. Without blinking an eye, he immerses himself in his new role of ‘adventurer’,

Once the inhabitants of each new world Mr Benn encounters have been helped/placated/ rescued etc., the Shopkeeper mysteriously appears again, to guide Mr Benn back to the changing room.'

It certainly was a programme that inspired my brother to create his own imaginative play.

Dressing up

The parents on the Playbus were very resourceful, and would love making costumes for the children to dress up in. We did buy outfits too but it was the handmade costumes that gave so much fun. The parents would sift through the jumble and select a few materials or clothes they thought looked interesting and that they could use.

Parents can be so helpful when asked to help out.

The outfits were often more durable than the beautiful princess dresses bought, especially as they often need to go over the clothes the children are already wearing.

We would dress up for carnival parades and fund-raising events as well as performances such as the Christmas Nativity.

Even the adults joined in too.