Dollhouses are one of the most endearing and timeless toys for kids. They have been sought after for several centuries.
It’s not just kids who are attracted to dollhouses; they are just as popular with adults who collect them.
Hobbyists, collectors and designers collect dollhouses as they see creative things they can do with them and include them as part of the decor in their home spaces.
If you are wondering if the dollhouse is worth it, keep reading to find out all about it.
By Renuka.
Popularity of Dollhouses
A brief history of dollhouses
Dollhouses are not always elaborate. They can even be a simple one-storey structure with just a few rooms. The more elaborate ones have a dozen rooms with multi-floor structures, along with windows, movable doors and lighting.
The dollhouses crafted by skilled dollhouse makers ages back were simply stunning. They were actually miniature models of stately homes in the country.
A lot of intrinsic details and skills go into making a dollhouse. Some of the most modern dollhouses can be traced back to the 16th century in Europe.
People of wealth and fashion paid skilled artisans to make dollhouses in the image of their family homes. They were also built so people inclined towards fashion and decor could study these concepts through them. Before they were toys, “doll horses or cabinet houses” and other miniature homes were used to show off wealth.
It was around the 18th century that people started making dollhouses for play.
Reasons for the popularity of Dollhouses
Dollhouses being miniature replicas of homes, offices and other settings, keep children hooked for hours on end.
Despite the rapid changes in family structures, lifestyles and modes of play, children still find it engaging to indulge in dollhouse play that may include all facets of home life like kitchen cabinets, dining table, bedroom suite, living room sofa etc.
Dollhouses offer children plenty of opportunities to discover and indulge in imaginary play.
Now, these could be experiences from real life.
They could be acting out scenarios that happen every day at home, like arranging an evening tea or immersing themselves in chit-chat while playing games or watching television.
Dollhouses give children the means to understand real-life situations, and the world they live in and act them out through play. Dollhouses or playhouses are wonderful toys for children to engage in group play, pick up social cues, hone their social and emotional skills and enhance their creativity and imagination.
There are several reasons why dollhouses are still popular:
- It gives children a chance to better understand the world around them.
- It provides adults with a creative outlet as they design, assemble, and decorate various aspects of a dollhouse.
- Humans are known to love tiny, adorable things. It is in-built into our system to do so.
- Dollhouses can be ready-made or custom-built to the customer’s preference.
- They can be collected, used as decorations, and make for fantastic artifacts.
- Gives kids the opportunity to learn how to decorate the furniture in the right rooms.
- Various scenarios can be played out each time.
The simple enduring vibes dollhouses evoke make them a must-have in every home with a young child. Here are some benefits of dollhouses which make having one absolutely worth it.
The benefits of Dollhouse play
There are so many benefits of playing with dollhouses. These include:
According to research, playing imaginary games with dolls could help children develop social skills, theory of mind and empathy.
A dollhouse is one of the toys children would love to play with together.
Several kids can sit by each other, play alongside and decorate the house together. They can collaborate, cooperate, exchange ideas etc., about how the dollhouse should be arranged.
It offers a fantastic way to put their ideas across, develop stories and scenarios and even act them out. It builds cooperative play, story-building skills and social and emotional intelligence. It is also a chance for them to express their feelings and complex emotions.
Excellent Learning Toys
Dollhouses are educational. Dollhouse play aids in improving spatial awareness and orientation.
Dollhouse play also helps develop kids’ perception of spatial relationships or the way things fit with one another in a certain space
Putting the furniture in the appropriate place and figuring out where each of the furniture goes can help children understand spatial orientation and the object’s relationship with other objects in space.
They also gain an understanding of volume, scale and proportion.
When children are involved in role-play, there is intellectual and social development that is taking place. Role play helps kids be more confident in expressing themselves and develop a sense of identity. All these are critical elements of learning.
These Encourage Open-ended Play
Open-ended play materials allow children to make choices, express their creativity and support their independence.
A dollhouse provides children with numerous possibilities for open-ended play.
They can explore the environment around them and the world in miniature!
Children can add their own personal touches, concort scenarios, roleplay various scenes and events from their life and interact with their friends during the play.
Dollhouses Help With Developing Child’s Mental, Emotional and Motor Skills
When children roleplay the scenes, events, and stories they encounter in their lives, they begin to understand how families work, adults function and their part in the world.
The thoughts and feelings they exhibit as part of their character during the play can be an outlet and a safe space for them to express themselves comfortably.
Children also act out mental models in their heads of how they would react to a particular situation, experience, event or person.
It is a great way to enhance their mental abilities and gain a deeper understanding of how things work.
Dollhouses require placing small objects in various confined spaces; this helps develop fine motor skills. It also requires hand-eye coordination to take and place the right object in the perfect place without disrupting the other objects.
If the house has parts that can move like kitchen cabinets, front door, garden gates etc., gross motor skills come into play.
There’s so much potential for vocabulary and life skills to be learned from this addition to our playtime.
Older children can concort complex problems and events, and develop complex scenarios and results. It develops the following skills:
- Creativity and imagination
- Story-telling capability
- Fine motor skills
- Gross motor skills
- Hand-eye coordination
Conclusion
There are so many things you can do with a dollhouse.
You can get lovely furniture and dolls and decorate them.
You can move stuff around when things get boring or add something new.
Children can play games like arranging birthday parties, cooking food, going on a picnic, putting kids to bed, cleaning, and so much more.
No wonder they are so popular!
Doll houses are a great creative outlet and a way to express one’s creativity and imagination. They provide endless hours of fun for kids of all ages as they become engrossed and engaged.
It also develops language, social, emotional and manual skills.
With all the advantages and benefits that the beautiful and timeless dollhouses offer, they are definitely worth it!
Photo by Ron Lach.
