Playing with dolls in early childhood is SO beneficial for children, regardless of gender.
It's a great way to:

1. Develop Empathy 

When children care for dolls, they learn empathy by imagining what the doll might feel.

This helps them understand the feelings of others.

2. Develop Language Skills

When playing with and caring for a doll, children will naturally begin to add more language into their play as they grow. They might talk to the doll, or talk to you about the doll, sing songs or tell them stories.

3. Develop Imagination

Playing with dolls encourages children to create stories and scenarios, exploring "what if" situations.

They might invent adventures or act out family routines. This kind of imaginative play builds creativity, problem-solving and the ability to think flexibly.

4. Learn Self-Care Skills 

Dolls provide a safe way for children to practice daily routines and self-care. Dressing, feeding, brushing hair, or putting a doll to bed helps children develop fine motor skills and learn about personal care and responsibility in a hands-on, playful way.

Learning self-care in play is super helpful because they’re learning at their own pace, at a stress-free time, versus learning how to get dressed when you have to be out the door in 10 minutes.

5. Can be Helpful for Children Expecting a New Sibling

Dolls can help children understand what it might be like to have a new baby in the family.

They can practice gentle handling, feeding and soothing, which can reduce anxiety and build confidence before a new sibling arrives.

Baby Washing Activity

A popular activity in some preschool classrooms, although not technically a Montessori activity, is baby washing.

To do this at home:

1. Offer your child a small toy bathtub or basin with a water pitcher to fill it.
2. Provide a waterproof doll, bar of soap, and a wash cloth.
3. Show your child how to bathe the doll, introducing the names of various body parts and demonstrating how to wash each area - for example: "When we wash the doll's face, we are careful to avoid its eyes and we’re very gentle with the cloth."

You can also ask questions like, "How do you wash your hair?" or "How do you make sure you get all the soap off?"

This can help children make real-life connections between caring for the doll and caring for themselves or younger siblings.

It also encourages conversations about routines, hygiene and gentle handling, reinforcing practical life skills and empathy in a meaningful context.

Our Doll Collection

We have a new collection of Corolle dolls that we’re really excited because they look very realistic and are made of a light vinyl. One of the dolls in the collection is water-safe and can be used in the bath.

We also carry the Baby Stella brand, as well as Joeydolls, which are a favourite and suitable for children starting in infancy. They’re plush, making them great for young children.

Playing with dolls doesn’t have to stop after early childhood either! As children grow, the dolls just get smaller and the play becomes more elaborate, i.e. setting up different areas of a doll house with doll furniture.

Click here to check out our entire collection of Dolls and Accessories.