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When I was in second grade, I had a wonderful tea party. All of my friends came. We wore our mothers and grandmothers hats and costume jewelry and put makeup on. We had tea and crumpets - yes, we really had crumpets - and the whole experience was a lot of fun. We enjoy speaking with our little "British" accents and sitting back to enjoy ourselves.

I am not certain many children pretend and dress up like this today. I hope that there is the opportunity for my son to wear some dress-up clothes when he is older. It is not that I want him to have a party where the little boys wear tuxes and hold pipes in their mouths. But what is wrong with being a pirate? Or a knight?

Allowing your son (or daughter) to wear these outfits can help tremendously with learning how to imagine and make up stories. Many children today have too much television in their lives and find that they struggle to use their imagination. A good chest full of dress-up clothing can be just the cure!

There are a number of ways to start your collection of dress-up clothes. You just missed this year's Halloween clearance sales, but don't let that stop you in the future. Many stores discount their items 50-75% in the days after Halloween. Stock up! I found Fantastic 4 costumes on sale for 25 cents about a week after Halloween. I picked up a few. After all, my son can dress up in them for years to come for that price!

You also can keep your eye on garage sales or party discount stores. Many of these places will have good costumes available for pretty cheap, and you can pick up some for your little ones.

Also, think about making the costumes yourself. You don't have to get store-bought clothing to have a good selection. You can still make a sword from paper towel rolls or use extra pieces of cloth to make a pirate's bandana. Think creatively and allow your children to help, of course.

Ask them what they want to be and what that costume would look like. Then work to help your child use your clothing or items you have lying around the house to come up with good ideas for a child's costume.

Don't forget the accessories either! Your child will want the right glasses, necklaces, and other add-ons for the costumes. Here you really can use your imagination. Your children can use plenty of household items for their accessories and props. For instance, your toddler can use a pot and wooden spoon for a drum when she is wearing a good tribal costume.

Just keep an open mind. Wearing new clothing lets your child transport her or himself to another place and pretend to be something different than what she or he is today. Clothing often tells the world how we feel as adults, and doing so in costume can provide the same outlet for children.

By Julia Mercer