I have used costumes more than any other toys for homeschooling. They bring learning to life and are a sheer pleasure just for the fun of it. Sword fights, playing Davy Crocket, having Wild West shootouts, doing medieval feasts and Civil War re-enactments, costumes are open-ended and limitless in their potential.
Some time in the future, I will be giving workshops on how to use costumes in your homeschool. Truly, it is phenomenal what you can do with them. Your children will never see history the same. Put on a white lab coat, and suddenly chemistry is so much more fun. I’ve taught my children the deep truths of Scripture through costumes. Geography comes to life as well as history, as you dress up for different cultures.
Literature comes to life, too: my boys have run around like Robin Hood, shooting foam arrows at each other. Just look at my website, and you will see costumes everywhere. That is our life, and I can’t imagine homeschooling without them.
Tags: costumes, open-ended toy, toys
I completely agree! Costumes are definitely one of our favorite tools. Even on days that we’re not focusing a particular time period or people group, the boys enjoy coming to school as an alter-ego. There’s just something about arriving downstairs as George Washington that gives a boost of confidence to get through that “dreaded” section in math (or whatever the challenge may be).
History definitely comes to life with costumes. How fun to have “George Washington” eating breakfast at your house!
We don’t homeschool anymore, but my kids still love to play dress up. Costumes are a great investment!
Kids can learn so much through creative play!
Funny my kids love to dress up in costumes but they haven’t utilized that much for homeschooling. That may need to be remedied!
Play acting in different time periods or themes is educational in and of itself without the homeschooling aspect. They are being creative!
Costumes are so much fun! They give us the imagination to become the character and see the world from a different point of view!
I love that you use costumes for your schooling!
Writers are the same way. We have characters who see things from different points of view, and that’s what helps us to write deeply.