We live in a society that has accustomed us to sexualizing human behavior. When boys are born, they buy clothes in blue, girls in pink. Boys play soccer and girls play dolls. Boys are gross and girls are sweet… enough! Not all boys play soccer, and not all girls play dolls… they will play whatever they decide to play, without pointing out what is better or worse.
Children also play dolls
Unfortunately there are many people who nowadays still think that playing with dolls is not suitable for children and that the most physical or even gross games should be encouraged ... but these same people are also usually the ones who think that men should not cry , when the reality is that they must express their feelings just like women.
That retrograde thought that boys only play with cars and girls only with dolls must go away because boys also play with dolls and girls also play with cars. It is important that parents respect the tastes and interests of their children and daughters and in this way, they can really know what they are like, without society staining their personality by stereotypes.
If you are not very clear about whether it is appropriate for children to also play with dolls - as long as they are the ones who decide to do so - do not miss the following benefits that children may have from playing with dolls. Do not lose detail.
Why it is good to play with dolls ALSO for children
Baby dolls are full of potential to teach children about themselves and also the world around them, something very important for their intellectual and emotional development.
Improve cognitive skills and self-help skills
Baby dolls offer children plenty of opportunities to develop their cognitive abilities, to improve fine motor skills and also, to improve self-help skills. Children often find it easier to practice skills together with others - someone or something - rather than apply them to themselves. Because boys develop some motor skills - like dressing - later than girls, it is important for them to be exposed to more opportunities for practice, and dolls are ideal for this. For example:
- Symbolic play with the doll. From the age of two or three, children can play with the dolls as if interacting with them. They can play to feed her, bathe her, put her to bed, etc. These simulation games are very important for your cognitive development.
- Take off your clothes. Children benefit from dressing and undressing the dolls before doing it themselves.
- Put on clothes. It can be easier to practice with a doll than with themselves, so they can see how the socks are put on, how they are taken off, how pants are put on or taken off, how to fasten and unbutton buttons, etc.
Improve communication and language skills
The doll is a toy that can really help open and expand a child's symbolic play. Children learn a lot about language through play, and play provides opportunities to use and practice language and speech skills. Playing with a doll can help a child to:
- Learn new vocabulary. The parts of the body, the name of the clothes, practicing new words, etc.
- Learn the basics. Children will learn and expand their words with the use of other toys for the dolls and expand the structures of the sentences, for example: the baby is in bed.
- They learn new verbs and feelings. Other toys can be used to teach verbs and feelings such as eating, drinking, sleeping, sitting, being hungry, sleepy, sad or angry, etc.
- Improve understanding. You can ask your children questions to work their understanding of the words while they play. For example: 'Where is the baby?', 'Why is the baby crying?'
- Improve social and pragmatic skills. Dolls are a great tool to help children work on social skills and pragmatic skills. Children can take turns playing with different dolls, they can practice using language to ask questions about the dolls and what they are doing.
Improves socio-emotional skills
Children use play to understand the world and dolls help them to do so. Children who play with dolls will become better parents in their adult life and become better people. The dolls will help children with social-emotional skills in the following ways:
- Parenting and social-emotional care practices
- Interactions to be able to represent with others - doctors, family and friends
- Prepare to be brothers
Regardless of the gender of the child, these skills are valuable lessons for a lifetime. Children practice how to behave with others, they may be modeling the way they are adults in their world of caring for babies -the dolls-. Just as children copy their parents when they talk on the phone, cook, clean ... playing with a doll is no different, it is the way for children to understand and begin to build their own world by practicing these daily events.
Some children prefer to combine doll play with other toys and everything will be fine. Children need play in order to get away from the real world and find their inner peace. Both boys and girls should have the opportunity to be able to play with dolls and learn to practice the skills so necessary for their development. Dolls are undoubtedly a great toy for all boys and girls.
Do your children play with dolls? Do you allow them to play with the dolls and dolls that they want without restrictions? What do you think of all this?
Thanks for this article. My son plays hide-and-seek with his cousin's baby doll and it seemed strange to me that he did it secretly because I have never scolded him for not doing it. I think it's okay for him to do it if he wants to. Above all respect.