Make a dress-up doll game

This easy-to-make game will be a favourite with kids who love playing with fabric scraps or dressing up dolls. Made with a couple of pieces of cardboard, it’s an inexpensive and compact toy that’s also portable.

What you need:

• 2 pieces of corrugated or pressed cardboard, cut to approx 15cm x 30cm
• cutting mat
• pencil
• scissors
• craft blades (careful, these are sharp)
• packing or masking tape
• paper for template
• paint to decorate
• fabric scraps and trims
• glue (optional)

Number of players:
1+

Activity:

Step 1. Gather all the materials and tools you need to make your dress-up doll game.

Step 2. Sketch out your dress-up doll’s body shape on a piece of scrap paper. Fold the paper in half to make sure it’s symmetrical and then cut it out. Ideally it should fit in the middle of the cardboard with plenty of space all around.

Step 3. Transfer the body shape onto the card – feel free to use your creative flair to draw a head, face etc. Draw a girl or a boy – it’s up to you. Then carefully cut out the body shape, with a craft knife – this is where the ‘clothing’ will appear. Don’t cut out the hands, head and feet. If the cardboard on the pointy bits between the legs and under the arms is lifting, add a dab of glue.

Step 4. Paint the face, hair, hands and feet (with shoes!) of the dress-up doll however you want, right on the cardboard or on a piece of white paper.

Step 5. Tape around the edges of the dress-up doll game to neaten. We’ve used some pretty packing tape from Japan, but plain masking tape is fine. Paper tape can be painted over if you like.

Step 6. Use the tape to make a hinge at the top.

Step 7. Open it up and and reinforce the hinge on the inside with more tape.

Step 8. Your dress-up game is done, but your doll is nude!

Step 9. Ask your kids to choose some fabric they like – this will be the doll’s ‘clothes’.  Cut the fabric in a size that fits under the card.

Step 10. Let your child get creative with trims, gift wrapping paper or any other colourful bits and pieces laying about the craft room. Then check out the pretty outfit they make!

Step 11.  Your child can marvel at dolly’s pretty finished outfit – and then try a new combo. There are endless combinations!

NOTE:

You’ve probably got every thing you need to make this dress-up doll game lying about the house.

This craft was created by Cintia, who blogs at my poppet.