Playtime Ideas with Doll Furniture

The importance of imitative and imaginative play in child development has been recognized for thousands of years. In the 4th century B.C. the Greek philosopher Plato said, "If a boy is to be a good farmer, or again, a good builder, he should play, in the one case at building toy houses, in the other at farming, and both should be provided by their tutors with miniature tools on the pattern of real ones."

While vocational training in childhood might be an extreme piece of Platonic idealism, contemporary child development experts confirm that imitative play, or reality play, is crucial for a child's social development. Toys such as dolls and baby doll furniture allow toddlers to imitate the people and actions they see in day-to-day life, and develop language and social skills that will be applied outside the playroom or classroom. "Simple props encourage imitative and beginning pretend play," wrote Carol Gestwicki in Developmentally Appropriate Practice, a textbook used by early childhood professionals. Among her examples of developmental toys, she cites realistic-looking baby dolls, and toy or doll furniture pieces such as stoves and beds.

Apart from providing children with these types of toys and doll accessories, it's important to create play and home environments that foster learning, Gestwicki writes. That can mean the simplest observations of real people, such as parents cooking or gardening—for toddlers, the entire world is a living classroom.

But to create developmentally appropriate physical environments with doll furniture, there are three things a parent or teacher should consider:

Variety
While a child may have a favorite baby doll or toy, Gestwicki recommends a "changing variety of open-ended materials" that will allow children to explore. An open-ended toy is one that can be used to play in virtually any way the child desires, rather than, say, a board game with strict rules. Dolls, building toys, and costumes are great toys for open-ended play.

Realistic Toys
As mentioned, imitative play begins with realistic toys and props such as dolls and baby doll furniture. Baby doll accessories such as doll strollers and doll cribs can help extend that realism into imitations of parenting.

Learning Areas
Gestwicki recommends a more simplified environment than typical preschools, with spaces divided into active learning areas. One way of doing this might be setting up an art easel, doll furniture, and building blocks in different parts of the room.