Kids Can Get Medieval with Imaginative Play

I have two daughters, ages 4 and 6, and they love to play together! They create many different storylines and it is adorable. Sometimes I will just sit and watch them play for hours and laugh to myself at the things they say and do. One of our favorite brands to help them with their imaginative play is Melissa and Doug. We have heaps of their play clothes and costumes, a play kitchen filled with their play food, and so much more. So naturally, we were thrilled when they sent us a ton of Medieval themed clothes, food, and toys to plan the ultimate Medieval Imaginative Play Day! Here is how you can do it too:

Look The Part

What better to help get kids in the mindset of the character they are portraying than to look like them. Melissa and Doug has many different kids costumes – and our current favorite is the knight costume. This comes with a shirt, “chain mail” helmet, sword, and shield. Of course, the sword and shield are extremely soft and would not be able to cause an injury to little ones – so don’t worry. My daughters have so much fun putting on these costumes so that they can battle a dragon, save a village, and, if I am being honest, settle arguments among themselves sometimes.

As a mom, I really like Melissa and Doug costumes because they are extremely well made. We have a dress up bin that is constantly being dug through to throw away torn or broken items. But honestly, I have never thrown out one of our Melissa and Doug items – ever. They hold up during the hardest and roughest of play times – talk about a great investment! The only time any Melissa and Doug costumes have left our house is if they were outgrown. And in that case, they have been passed on to friends and family – against my daughters’ wishes.

Set The Scene

When my daughters create a scenario for some imaginative play, they like to have toys that look like the world they are creating. I am sure they are not alone in this. Thanks to Melissa and Doug, we have several different castle play sets now – and all of them are pretty amazing. In fact, my girls have created huge lands with several kingdoms that go to war, have parties together, and even visit each other for play dates.

Castle Play Sets 

I mentioned we have a few castle play sets, and there is no way that I could choose a favorite. It would be nearly impossible because they are all different and awesome in their own way. I have not even noticed that one stands out more to my daughters – they are all being played with every single day, equally. They are all very well made and I am sure they will last a long time in our home. Seems to be a common theme with Melissa and Doug items, doesn’t it?

Here are the few we have (and love!):

• Medieval Castle 3-D Puzzle Play Set – This one was so much fun to build together as a family. It not only is fun to play with, but helped create some family bonding time!
• Fold & Go Castle – We love this castle set because it is great to take on the go with us! It has been on picnics, to the beach, and even to friends and family’s houses!
• Wooden Castle & Play Set – With this play set, my daughters have a blast mixing and matching the pieces to create new castles!

Finishing Touches

Looking the part and setting the scene are great ways to spark a child’s imagination. But it is easy enough to put the icing on the cake with some finishing touches! Pull out those play food sets so that knights can enjoy a nice turkey leg to get their energy back up after a battle! And don’t forget the giant dragon plush to keep them on their toes! Little knights can fight the dragon to protect their kingdom – or even work with it and ride it from castle to castle. If you have a rocking horse they can ride in on to save the day, even better!

Spend a full day away from the screens and encourage imaginative play – you and your children will not regret it!