Play Silks Rock for Kids Pretend Play

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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