When I Dress Up I'm Still Me - Activity Instructions

Activity description

Children use their imagination to explore identity. They explore how our outward appearances can be very different and might change to match how we feel or match new situations, but we’re still people. This activity helps children develop their self-identities and respond to diversity with respect. This is a ‘Find Out’ activity following on from reading Embrace Your Body, by Taryn Brumfitt.

Tune In

After reading ‘Embrace Your Body’, look back through the pictures. Direct children's attention to the different appearances of each of the people in the book.

You might ask them

Which person in the book caught your eye?
Who do you remember?
What do you think made that person stand out to you?

You may find that children identify characters that are similar to themselves or friends/family members, or conversely, they may identify characters that are different from what they experience in their everyday lives.

Find Out

Discuss with children whether the way we look impacts the things we can do.

“Even though everyone in the book looks different, what were some things that they were doing that were similar to each other?”

Children may suggest

smiling
playing
eating watermelon
having fun
playing at the beach/water.

Highlight the final page and discuss the differences in the people’s appearances. Ask the children, “How do you think all of these people are feeling? What makes you say that?”

Everyone here is so different from each other, but they are all having fun and feeling happy together!

Take Action

Invite children to immerse themselves in a variety of dress-ups. This might include:

wigs
hats
jewellery
jackets
sporting attire
props from different occupations (helmets, aprons, etc.)
clothes from around the world
aid equipment (glasses, slings, walking sticks, etc.).

The options are endless! As children adorn themselves with a variety of different clothes and accessories, continue to refer to them by their names. Although they may now look different, they are still them, with the same set of skills, abilities and feelings as they did before they ‘looked different’. Encourage children to explore the room in their dress ups, completing everyday tasks they generally would, calling attention to what their body can do rather than what they look like. Extend this exploration, and spend the day dressed up! Discuss how friendship circles, interests, routines and other classroom dynamics did or didn’t change despite the way everyone looked may have been different.

When I Dress Up, I’m Still Me!

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