Have you had a last minute letter from the school telling you that your child or children need costumes like yesterday? Or maybe your child just likes dressing up? I love Christmas but there’s so much expense, especially with four boys. So when it comes to Christmas dressing up ideas for children I like to keep it cheap – I mean it is a whole year until they’ve worn them again, plus they may have grown out of them.
Of course if you don’t want to go too complicated you can make a simple Christmas hat or if you need a particular character/animal for the school play (or because your child requests it) you can simply make a headband out of cardboard and decorate it (or even better get your child to decorate it) accordingly. You could use an old dressing gown belt to make a tail too.
Cardboard is great – why not cut out a great big star, paint it and attach it around you (with plain black clothing underneath).
Or you could make a mask like this Snowman paper plate mask – simply then dress in all white and add a scarf! This could also be used to make a sheep/donkey/cow/horse/wiseman face – anything you like!
Of course you may need a traditional role like a shepherd, here’s a guide to make a shepherds costume from a pillow case, and a shepherds head dress, again you could use cardboard to make a crook, and a sheep soft toy.
Mary and Joseph again can use the pillow cases (as per above) teamed with blue trousers for Mary and Brown for Joseph; a teatowel on their heads secured with a dressing gown belt, a leather brown belt around their middle. Failing that some pyjamas may just do the trick!
Wise Men/3 Kings just need to be bright, with a cardboard crown and a gift (maybe make a treasure chest from cardboard), and a cape – this is a Red Riding Hood cape but I think it would make a fantastic cape for our Wise Men/Kings.
Make an angel by sewing on tinsel to a white shirt and add a No Sew tutu (RedTedArt). Or how about something a little less traditional – RedTedArt shows us how to make your own Fairy Wings add to the No Sew tutu and become a fairy,or maybe they just want to be Batman this Christmas.
For more ideas of how to make your own visit my Christmas Photo Shoot board on Pinterest
Alternatively, if your school has left it to the last minute to tell you, or you never received the letter, or forgot, or any other reason why not popped down to Asda who have some lovely Christmas dressing up clothes really cheaply. We got our Sheep and Donkey from there for £5 each and they can be used all year round.
This year we opted for Rudolph (a very popular choice in our house), a Wise man and a Shepherd. The children absolutely loved them and I think role play is really important for development – especially my youngest.
Or if you only have 10 minutes how about this No Sew Nativity Costume
I was sent a gift card from Asda in order to review some Christmas dressing up outfits. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I have received no other compensation for this post.
Blimey that’s an excellent outfit out of a pillow case. And such a very cute sheperd. We’re not quite at that stage yet but I fear it won’t be long before I’m panicking about how to make these outfits 🙂
some super ideas there! thankfully for me Joshua is not at this stage but it wont last!! (love the pillowcase idea!)
thanks for linking up with #MagicMoments x
So many great ideas. My daughter’s been told by her preschool that she needs to supply a Santa costume for her play – oh, right, thanks! Luckily, they are pretty easy to come by and cheap! I know that this is just the beginning of many years of this, though….!
Great ideas. My son is a King this year so I’m going to try and make something. It’s a shame that most of the Mums I have spoken to are just going to buy an outfit. Ethan may not look as great as the rest but we will have fun putting it together and that is the main thing!
Lovely ideas, I’ll definitely be stealing some 🙂 #MagicMoments
I have just had a letter from nursery to say my daughter is a cow?? Not Mary, a Shepherd, an Angel or even a star!! A Cow!!
I need to go to Asda …..
The dish towel on your head for the Christmas Nativity Play always works!!
Wonderful photos! Really reflect the joy!
Awww so cute! Keep meaning to “do more” on Christmas dress up ideas! But our school is easy on us and just asks for plain tops and trousers…..
Love these!!! I am so spending Christmas day in a onesie. My mum has said she wants us all to dress up. Not sure that is what she has in mind though. 🙂
Great ideas….
This year marks the first year that neither of my two are doing a Christmas play/nativity!….They only do them up until YR1 in my girls school….We just have a carol service now :/
Such cute ideas! One of my sons received a home made batman costume from his grandma for Christmas many, many years ago! I just discovered it and gave it to his own son recently!
i think the outfits your boys are wearing look fab and it is great to share idead on how to make some costumes. I must confess that I bought B his Star costume for his up coming Christmas play but i figured it would get used again by J at some point.
I remember wearing a tea towell on mmy head in my 1st nativity at school x x
I love these simple but effective ideas. I’m determined to blog less and craft more with the girls this Christmas.
Love to you all
H x
as if we would be dressing up in the HPMcQ house? you bet we are!!!
You’ve done well with those costumes – so creative!