Why do Children Play with Dolls?

Even in an age where digital play is increasingly becoming the norm, children still enjoy playing with physical dolls. An ever-present mainstay in child’s play, dolls allow for the opportunity to create their own imaginary worlds and explore important social skills through role play.

They also represent companionship to many children. It gives them a friend who is constantly by their side, providing security for them.

What do children learn from playing with dolls?

Although a seemingly simple activity, the act of playing with dolls can assist children in developing a greater understanding of the world around them, with many advantages to imaginative play.

Fine motor skills

Dolls and their accessories can help little fingers with finding their way. Whether it be dressing up their favourite fashion dolls in different outfits, or arranging dolls houses for that perfect dream house look. This can help with hand eye coordination that’s vital for everyday tasks like tying shoelaces and writing with a pen.

Develop empathy and build emotional awareness

Caring for baby dolls offers a stage from which children can explore compassion for others. Understanding the needs of someone or something beyond themselves can bring a positive approach to how children relate to those around them. This can also help them explore empathy, understanding how parents care for them and the importance of being nurturing.

Explore language skills

Roleplaying with dolls, and talking to them and through them, gives children the chance to practice dialogues and storytelling structure. This has the benefit of opening up their vocabulary and gives them the chance to try out new words they’ve heard or read without fear of judgement or getting things wrong.

It also gives them the opportunity to vocalise emotions and describe activities with their dolls to build confidence in verbal communication.

Encourages Creativity

Whether creating storylines with their favourite r-friends or keeping be my baby calm, the creative aspect of imaginative play, where children create and enact their own scenarios for their dolls to play out, really sparks the imagination. This helps stimulate the thought process and with developing problem-solving skills.

Tackle Problem Solving

Dolls are an excellent way of getting involved with your child’s play. If parents can play along, they can introduce incidental learning, by asking questions about what happens next in a certain scenario. For example, if two Boulevard Boutique dolls want to wear the same outfit, you can ask “what do you think they should do?”

With gentle prompting you can help children start to identify positive decisions in difficult scenarios. Children can use dolls to mirror positive behaviours that parents have demonstrated – meaning that they start to form their own ethical templates.

Dolls provide hours of endless entertainment for imaginative children who can create scenarios with their favourite friends, and roleplay situations they might not otherwise experience in day-to-day life. They also have the added benefits of supporting a child’s development in many areas. Discover our full range of dolls and order them a new best friend today.

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