How to play
Tap the top to change hats, the middle for shirts and the bottom for fur colour.
About Dress Up Bear
Dress Up Bear is a gentle dress-up game starring one round, friendly teddy bear. You choose a hat, the colour of the shirt and the colour of the fur, and you can change your mind as often as you like. There are no points, no timer and no wrong answers. It is a toy more than a game, and a very soothing one.
How to play
The bear stands in the middle of the screen. Tap near the top to change the hat. Tap around the middle to change the shirt. Tap near the bottom to change the fur. Every tap moves to the next option, and after the last one the list starts again from the beginning. A short reminder at the top of the game shows which part of the screen does what.
There is no save button and no finish line. When you have a bear you like, that is the bear. When you want a different one, keep tapping.
What is in the wardrobe
Six hats: a smart black top hat, a golden crown, a ribbon bow, a baseball cap, a pink blossom and a graduation cap with a tassel.
Five shirts: pink, blue, yellow, turquoise and purple.
Five fur colours: golden brown, pale honey, dark chocolate, caramel and snowy white, which turns the teddy into a small polar bear.
Six hats times five shirts times five furs makes a hundred and fifty different bears. You will not see them all in one sitting.
Games to play with it
A dress-up toy gets better when you bring a story to it. A few suggestions:
Occasions. Dress the bear for a birthday party, then for the first day of school, then for a royal wedding. The crown and the graduation cap both get a lot of use.
Characters. Make a grumpy bear, a sporty bear, a very fancy bear. Ask a child what each one is called and what it had for breakfast, and you will get a full biography.
Copy me. One person describes a bear, "white fur, purple shirt, top hat", and the other has to make it. Small children enjoy being the one who gives the orders.
Colour hunt. Find the bear whose shirt matches something in the room, or the one that looks most like a real teddy from the toy box.
Favourites. Everyone in the family designs their best bear and explains why. There are no winners, which is rather the point.
Why it suits young children
All the game asks for is a tap anywhere on the screen, so it works for children who cannot read yet and are still getting used to touchscreens. Nothing can be lost or broken, and there are no sudden noises or flashing surprises. Along the way they practise naming colours, making choices and describing what they see.
Older children and adults tend to treat it as a short, calm break. A minute of choosing hats for a bear is a pleasant thing to do between louder games.
Play it on any device
Dress Up Bear runs in your browser on phones, tablets and computers. It is free, there is nothing to download and no account is needed. If you like this one, try Cupcake Decorator, which works the same way with toppings, frosting and wrappers.