Despite our efforts to raise open-minded children, we still hear the outdated question: "Isn’t that a girl’s toy?" when a boy picks up a doll. But here’s the truth—dolls offer powerful developmental benefits for all children, regardless of gender.
When your baby chooses to play with a doll, they’re modeling the behavior they see. They watch you nurture and care for them, and they want to mimic that love and responsibility. Dolls become tools for practicing empathy, creativity, problem-solving, and social skills.
Here are seven key developmental benefits of doll play:
1. Imagination & Creativity
According to the Child Mind Institute, pretending to feed, dress, or bathe a doll fosters imagination and encourages independent play. Children also build divergent thinking skills—finding multiple solutions to one problem.
2. Language Development
When you play with your child and their doll, you create natural opportunities for conversation. Ask what the doll sees, hears, or feels. This kind of interactive play boosts vocabulary and narrative skills.
3. Empathy & Emotional
Intelligence Dolls help children understand and practice caring for others. They learn what it means to nurture, comfort, and support—all vital skills in real life.
4. Comfort & Security
Dolls often become trusted sidekicks, helping children navigate new or stressful situations with more confidence
5. Motor Skill Development
Feeding, dressing, or carrying a doll promotes fine and gross motor skills and improves hand-eye coordination.
6. Responsibility & Nurturing Behavior
Even at a young age, kids wrap dolls in blankets or pretend to feed them—small actions that reveal a growing sense of responsibility.
7. Freedom of Choice
Toys have no gender. Whether it's a plush cat or a monster truck, your child deserves the freedom to play with what sparks joy.
The Science Backs
It Up A 2020 Cardiff University study found that children playing with dolls activated brain regions tied to empathy and social information processing—more so than kids playing tablet games.
Diversity Matters
Introduce dolls of various races, backgrounds, and professions. Persona dolls foster cultural awareness, inclusion, and identity building. When children see themselves in their toys, it reinforces self-worth. When they see others, it builds respect.
Let your child explore. Let them lead. Because whether it's a doll or dino, what they're really developing is empathy, confidence, and emotional intelligence.
That’s okay. If your son prefers a puppet or stuffed dinosaur, he can still reap the same emotional and cognitive rewards. What matters is that he has something to love, nurture, and imagine with.
Neuroscientists agree: pretend play builds problem-solving skills, memory, logical thinking, and even internal state language (ISL)—the self-talk that helps children understand their thoughts and feelings.
Playing with dolls also promotes cooperation. Children learn to take turns, resolve conflicts, and practice leadership by assigning roles like "parent" or "teacher."
Let your child explore. Let them lead. Because whether it's a doll or dino, what they're really developing is empathy, confidence, and emotional intelligence.
Start the development journey with MonkiBox. Our Montessori-inspired toys are designed to give your child the best start.
