A pink pixie skirt and wing set. The outfit also has a beaded wand and tiara crown and pink heart sparkle sandals. The outfit is from My Princess Academy.

Have the kids had enough fun in the sun yet? It’s OK to give them a day off from sand, sprinklers and splashing, and allow them to discover another pleasure of childhood that can last all year long: the dress-up trunk.

Little princesses, karate kids and firefighters can spend hours getting ready and then hours more stretching their imaginations building an imaginary world that happens to fit in your living room.

Since her daughter is an only child, Cindy Chapman, of Big Lake, Minn., says they rely on dress-up as a primary outlet for play. The outfits usually lead to homemade forts and tents, or she’ll end up raiding the kitchen cabinets looking for clear bowls for space helmets or pots and pans for her band, says Chapman, a frequent contributor to Momslikeme.com.

“I never would have thought about the bowls that cost a dime at a garage sale — they’re pure entertainment — but a child can,” she says.

It takes little more than a mask or an old prom dress to get a child’s mind churning, adds Pilar Guzman, editor of Cookie magazine. Sometimes the most inspiring bits of a costume come really cheap — like the six-pack of vampire teeth in a dollar store, she says.

And, really, you probably don’t even have to leave the house to turn up treasures since old hats and gloves, belts and purses, and leftover Halloween gear all take on a life of their own in the hands of a child. “You don’t have to buy all new stuff, you can find great things cleaning the closet,” she says.

Dress-up can entertain a group, even a party, adds Jeanne Benedict, a Los Angeles-area party expert for Celebrations.com. She sees girls, in particular, moving away from dress-up and into makeovers or pretend photo shoots around 8.

Stylish stock

Other dress-up bin ideas:

• An oversized T-shirt with a rope belt turns a toddler into Yoda, and a motorcycle helmet doubles as astronaut gear, Guzman says.

• Dad’s belt is the perfect holster for plastic or cardboard swords and sabers.

• Adhesive nails and earrings, as well as makeup, are big hits with girls of all ages, Benedict says.

• Stiff plastic foam boards, often used as packing material, can be cut out into a mean guitar, suggests Chapman.

• Pick up postseason paraphernalia on the clearance racks, such as headbands with ears just after Easter or gardening gloves at the end of summer.