Explore Play Wales
A six-week research study by Cardiff University has found that playing with dolls helps children to develop social skills and the understanding of others, and can help reach key milestones in developing empathy. Playing with dolls was found to be beneficial for both boys and girls, and is particularly valuable for those experiencing problems with their peers.
The researchers asked parents of children aged between four to eight to keep play diaries, after being assigned either a doll or a tablet (with pre-loaded games) to play with. The parents recorded how often and how long their child played with dolls and tablets.
The researchers found that children were more likely to play socially and use language expressing emotions when playing with dolls compared with tablets. Parents also reported that children were more likely to play with their siblings, parents or friends with dolls.
Dr Sarah Gerson, from Cardiff University’s School of Psychology, said:
‘When playing with dolls, children have the opportunity to role-play characters, create narratives, and act out scenarios – doing so relies on and fosters the ability to imagine others’ thoughts, feelings, and intentions. These pretend play scenarios, allow children to practice social skills, emotion processing, and emotion regulation within a safe environment.’
The research, Doll play improves false belief reasoning: Evidence from a randomized-control trial, has been published in PLOS One.