I don’t know what we’d do without our play silks. They have been the consistently most-used “toy” in our house over the past several years. While they don’t often play the leading role in pretend play scenarios, they are well-loved as supporting props and accessories.
Since we are such big fans of play silks in this house, we always have a basket of them handy for all kinds of pretend play—everything from making a fort and dressing up as a ghost (or princess or pirate or mother…) to creating a bed for a stuffed animal friend.
As Sarah, from Sarah’s Silks, says, “there is no end to what a play silk can be.”
My kids have used play silks for ::
- capes, wings, and scarves
- skirts and dresses
- turbans
- slings for broken arms
- forts of all kinds
- belts and sashes
- dog leashes and blindfolds (for pretend play)
- nature tables
- rivers and lakes for pretend play scenes or dioramas
- roofs and floors for block building
- living room dance party streamers
- blankets, beds, and baby slings for dolls
- gift wrap
- and more!
You can buy silk scarves or make your own. I’ll share ideas for both…
Where to Buy Play Silks
- Sarah’s Silks, one of my past blog sponsors, is a small shop and website devoted to selling play silks and other silk products for imaginative play and a magical childhood. Some of my favorites in her shop, besides the playsilks themselves (I really love the starry night playsilk!) are the fairy skirts and the rainbow baby blanket.
- You can also buy silk scarves through Amazon (or a set of less expensive polyester play scarves)
- Oakmoss & Ivy is a new mom-owned Etsy shop that sells handmade playsilks and fairy/butterfly wings made from upcycled silk saris. (They recently sent me a pair of their wings to try out and they are beautiful and really well made.)
- Check out your local independent toy store; they may sell play silks.
- You can also simply upcycle silky scarves as play silks as we do (they sell for 50 cents each at my local Goodwill)
How Make Your Own Play Silks
- DIY Playsilks :: Dyeing with Kool-Aid
- How to Tie Dye Playsilks
- Dye Your Own Playsilks with Food Coloring (on the Sarah’s Silks blog)
- Buy silk (or silky fabric) by the yard at your local fabric store and hem the edges
- Use a Kids’ Kit to Dye Your Own Silk Scarf
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