Let's Play Pretend - Star Power
Take a trip into space with these pretend play ideas.
1 \ Become an Astronaut. Astronaut suits are fun for everyone! Let your kids suit up and they are sure to feel like an official member of NASA. Put pillows on the floor and have the kids bounce from step to step like walking on the moon. For extra fun place aluminum foil covered rocks or ‘moon rocks’, and alien figures around for them to find! You can make your own creative astronaut helmets out of paper bags. Cut a hole for their face shield and decorate the rest of the bag with buttons and features. You can also order full space suits online, below is one of our favorites from a small shop
2 \ Astronauts and Aliens Tag. This fun version of tag similar to cops and robbers will be sure to get your littles moving. Choose two astronauts for every three aliens and let the astronauts capture the aliens. When an alien is tagged by an astronaut they freeze, if another alien tags then they are unfrozen, if all the aliens get frozen the astronaut wins!
3 \ Build and decorate your rocket! Having their own rocket will really get your kids imaginations going! You can create one from cardboard boxes. Let your kids help decorate and create their very own ride to the moon, then play in it all day long.
4 \ Aluminum Foil Space Suits For Toys. For this activity you will need aluminum foil and a piece of clear plastic for a face shield. Clear plastic ornaments work great but you can also use a piece of a plastic water bottle or soda bottle. With these two supplies you can create a space suit for any of your kids dolls or action figures. Let them pick their chosen toys, then wrap their bodies in the foil. Lastly, put the plastic piece over the toys face and wrap the head in foil securing the plastic. Your kids can now place with a space crew made up of their favorite toys!
5 \ Set Up an Astronaut Training Course. This can be done with chalk in a hopscotch path. Or you can create an obstacle course in your backyard with supplies in your home. Things like reach for the stars, moon walk, or jump over the crater are great ideas to start. This activity can be followed up by restring your kids with space suits when they ‘pass’ the training course.