Use several refrigerator boxes to build a play castle for hours of pretend fun. Stand the boxes on end for towers and turrets or turn them on their sides connecting to towers at either end for walls. Rig a drawbridge on one side for entry and exit. Spray paint a base color and decorate the box as simply or elaborately as your imagination takes you. Now that you have a castle, you need knights to defend your fortress. Outfit your champions with cardboard swords and shields. Cut the basic shapes out of heavy cardboard. Cover swords with aluminum foil. Do likewise with a shield or decorate the front with a coat of arms. Attach loops of string or cardboard strips to the shield's back for a grip. Cut a length of shoulder-width felt to twice the length of the child's shoulder to knee measurement. Fold it double and cut a neck space in the folded edge. Use fabric paints to decorate the tunic with knightly emblems and coat of arms.
Every princess (or prince) needs a crown. Cut a crown shape long enough to go around the child's head out of cardboard or poster board. Color or paint the background color and add glitter for sparkles. Decorate with stick-on jewels. Accent an old pair of shoes with sparkles and faux jewels to provide your child in royal slippers. A large paper cone with streamers or ribbons flowing from the top makes an easy princess hat. Slit a large brown paper bag up one side and cut arm and neck space in the sides and top. Draw princely trimmings on the jacket to outfit your junior Prince Charming in style.
Decorate a piece of colored paper with glitter, and tape long curly ribbons in one corner. Tightly roll the paper and secure it with tape for a simple magic wand. Roll black construction paper or butcher paper into a large cone and tape the seam for an easy witch hat. Use blue or purple paper and decorate it with yellow stars for a wizard's hat. Bend wire hangers into wing shapes and bind the wings together with heavy tape or twine. Cover them with tissue paper or a gauzy material. Attach elastic straps to the wings to set your junior fairy afloat. Cut out several colored tissue ovals, fold the ends over a string that fits around the child's waist and staple them for a pretty fairy skirt.
Decorate paper bag puppets as bears, wolves, little pigs or foxes. Cut a dragon shape out of a large piece of cardboard and paint or color in the physical details to create a dragon worthy to guard your castle. Use the same technique to create cardboard horse heads you mount on broomsticks to provide a steed for loyal knights to ride.