Make your child's next party costume

The thrill of parading around in costumes manifests in early childhood. Kids eagerly seek out every opportunity to wear a disguise, and their excitement usually culminates with the ever popular annual Halloween party. The fun part? You don't have to wait for a holiday to dress up.

Playing dress up is just par for the course for most kids, but it also happens to be a valuable developmental passage on the quest for identity. Creativity, motor skills, imagination, initiative and resourcefulness flourish when kids are encouraged to experiment with costumes.

Halloween, naturally, but also Christmas, birthdays and kids’ parties make up some of the most common occasions to get dressed up. Be thorough when putting together a costume — the key is planning something unique that, while adhering to the theme, reflects the child’s preferences and pays special attention to comfort and safety.

Make sure the costume you choose can be coordinated with the weather forecast, and be sure the child’s vision is unhindered so they can get around safely, especially during Halloween. For this reason, makeup is a better alternative to masks.

Several retailers offer a wide selection of costumes and disguises. Specialty boutiques, party supply shops and toy stores with exclusive costume departments are your most promising locations.

Prices are influenced by the time of year and vary significantly depending on the choice of costume. A standard pre-packaged costume will set you back as little as $20, but the quality will leave a lot to be desired and you may need to make minor adjustments for comfort. More elaborate and wearable costumes are usually in the vicinity of $50 to $100. Some people go all out in the name of fun, and those with larger disposable budgets can spend up to $300 on a heavily embellished and detailed costume.

Forget the typical ghosts and ghouls! A recent trend in costumes is a nostalgic throwback to some of the most popular iconic action figures. The biggest takeaway from today’s costumes combine novelty with classic appeal. Costumes emulating superheroes along with pirates, robots, ninjas, police and clowns are some of the most popular costumes for boys right now. These days, girls seem to migrate more towards dressing up like celebrities. Never to be outdone, princess ensembles, queens and witches of all kinds continue to appear on the Halloween scene. Keep your eyes peeled and glean inspiration from the latest and most popular films of the year.

Most importantly, be sure to have fun with it and take time to peruse and visit lots of different websites and toy stores for ideas.