Confident Preschoolers Take Over the Playground - Great Pretenders Review and Giveaway

My son is three and has been into make believe, role-playing, training dragons, for some time now. When he went through his dragon phase, he got so into character, I had to remind him to let kids know he was a dragon before he "breathed fire" at them. He was getting a lot of puzzled looks. So when we were asked to review a product from Great Pretenders a leader in creating costumes, capes, and accessories for pretend play, I knew I had the right kid for the job.

Not only does my son have a vivid imagination, but he is also very confident and decisive. When I showed him the Great Pretenders website, without hesitation, he chose the Pirate Adventure Cape with EVA Sword to try out. He jumped around the room when "the one he was hoping for" arrived!

Check out our video if you want  a better look at the Pirate Cape, sword, and shield:

Great Pretenders has everything from beautiful fairy and princess costumes, to pirate and knight capes, including accessories like shields, swords, crowds, tiaras, and tutus. Everything is easy to care for and made to fit a wide range of sizes. Great Pretenders is a Canadian company owned and founded by Joyce Keelan. Their high quality costumes are designed and manufactured in Canada out of beautiful materials and trims while still staying competitive in the world marketplace

Their fairy costumes are just to die for and get me even that much more excited that we are expecting our own little girl any day now! They also have a line of capes, crowns, and other costume pieces that children can color in and customize on their own with a set of markers.

Why is Pretend Play Good for Pre-Schoolers?

Little kids benefit tremendously from pretend play. It helps with social and emotional skills, language skills, self-control, problem-solving, and self-esteem. Childern can learn what sometimes seems to be the some of the most difficult of all lessons; taking turns, empathy, and impulse control. It involves story telling, creativity, and teamwork.

I was really happy with the quality of the cape, sword and shield. The cape is made out of shiny striped satin with an extra layer of velvety fabric on the interior of the neck and a hook and loop closure making it very comfortable for the little guy to wear. The foam sword and shield are also well-made and have held up to constant, all day play for days, now. 

 Before I go into details, I need to say that as soon as we received these items from Great Pretenders, my son had to put the cape on, wore it, and toted his sword and shield all. day. long. There have been very few toys that have lasted more than an hour of play in our house so I knew this was something special.

Here's how our day went:

My son insisted on bringing his new costume to a park playdate. I was a smart momma and brought a spare soft sword and shield from last year's Halloween costume for his friends. Good move, on my part, because the other kids wanted his gear, right away. I was a little worried that it would be a battle, but they shared the swords and shields among the group of 3 year olds, they banded together, and they were running and playing together for hours. 

I really had no idea what a big deal and engaging game this would be for them. These are kids that more often fight over who gets the pink ball and haven't ever been on the same team. I couldn't believe my eyes. They were sharing, working together, taking over the playground as a unit of 3 foot tall shield wielding preschoolers who had invented a world of their own, crafted super-identities, and were engaging in intense discussions in their imaginary universe.

After the playground, that day, we did lunch, grocery shopping, and our pirate "helped" Dad in the garden wearing his cape and holding his sword and shield the entire time. To say this costume, any costume, is a good toy is an understatement. A piece of clothing or accessory that allows a child to transform into a character becomes a remarkable confidence building experience, and it is adorable.

If you are looking for beautiful, excellent quality imaginative play costumes and accessories, I highly recommend checking out Great Pretenders.

If you are going to a playdate with costumes and accessories, take my advice and bring a little extra for the other kids to watch a fantasy world unfold. I cannot wait to plan our next playdate around pretend play and us parents can sit back and watch in pride and admiration when the preschoolers take over the playground again.

You can out all Great Pretenders social media accounts:

Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Instagram

If you would like to WIN a $50 Gift Credit to buy whatever you, or your child likes at Great Pretenders, then enter our Giveaway!!!

Giveaway Rules:

Use the Rafflecopter form, below to enter.

Giveaway is open to US residents who are 18+ years or older.

Giveaway ends on 3/17

a Rafflecopter giveaway

MommyOnTheMoney.com is not responsible for providing the prize. Prize will be provided by sponsor, Great Pretenders. Winner will be randomly chosen by Rafflecopter. Winning entry will be verified. Winner will be sent an email, and must respond within 48 hours or risk forfeiting the prize.

* We received the product in exchange for our honest review. All thoughts and opinions are our own.