THE ULTIMATE DOLLHOUSE BUYING GUIDE

But fond memories (from which we have conveniently scrubbed any sign of rampaging, play-busting younger siblings) are only the beginning of our love affair with the land of miniatures.  From a developmental perspective, the dollhouse is an absolute bedrock toy.

The beauty of the dollhouse comes from its storytelling possibilities.  Its basic structure suggests a broad framework for play, but the child takes it from there, drawing on his or her own imagination to construct narratives. 

This opens up a tremendous opportunity for pretend play (if you’re a parent, you know this when you see it; if you’re looking for a more official definition, you can check out this entry from the Encyclopedia on Early Childhood Development.

To psychologists, this type of play is a developmental bonanza.  It helps children develop cognitively, emotionally, and socially; as described by Penn State University professor James E. Johnson in a book chapter, this type of play allows children to take on other’s perspectives, collaborate with friends and siblings, and develop their storytelling abilities.

A dollhouse also provides an avenue for children to explore thoughts and feelings that they may not yet be able (or willing) to articulate.  The dollhouse can become a smaller, more manageable theater on which to work through themes and issues in the child’s actual life—a “parallel universe,” as Dr. Susan Scheftel, an Assistant Clinical Professor of Medical Psychology at Columbia University and practicing child psychologist, put it. 

“Given a dollhouse, many children will create scenarios that are wished for, despised and/or accurate representations of his or her life,” Dr. Scheftel wrote on her Psychology Today blog, Evolving Minds.  “The dollhouse material obviously should never be interpreted literally or even biographically; but there is little question that a child who is acting out small dramas in a doll house is working through internal issues about self and family in a productive and symbolic way.”

In other words, like real life, but not too close to real life.  And, unlike the real world, the dollhouse universe is actually under the child’s control.  As one journalist put it, “doll houses can make the universe seem obedient.”  (And who wouldn’t go for that every now and then?).

It’s hard to beat a dollhouse when it comes to repeat play value, too.  Unlike toys that are exciting to open but then quickly cast aside, a dollhouse is the kind of toy that kids tend to come back to again and again. 

Not only that, kids can enjoy playing with a dollhouse for years.  While they may play with the dollhouse differently at 2 years old than they do at 4 or 6 years old, academics (and plenty of parents) have observed “the endurance of dollhouse play.”  For some, a love for dollhouses and miniatures can even continue into adulthood. 

That’s pretty awesome staying power.   

Dollhouses are also a great pick because they work well for solo play and for play with siblings or friends.  Your child may be completely engrossed in putting the dolls to bed, taking them to work, or acting out other narratives all on his or her own.  Then, when playing with the dollhouse with a sibling or friend, your kiddo may explore totally different storylines, negotiate with the other child over how the play should proceed, or take the dolls off to explore previously uncharted waters.  Either way, they’re (hopefully!) totally engrossed.  All with no screens involved.  

To learn about our top dollhouse picks, read The Best Dollhouses review.