Monday, October 28, 2013

The Benefits of Playing with Barbie Dolls

Dolls, in general, have been part of a long history of entertaining toys for children, as well as a collector’s item for some adults. Barbies have become some of the most popular toys of recent years, but how good are they for our children?

The Barbie doll has received much criticism from adults, past and present. Why? Parents are focused solely upon the dolls shape. They don’t want their young daughters to be influenced by a false sense of body image. This is a very fair criticism, and it’s right to question the influence a toy can have on a child’s image. However, most children do not pay attention to this and receive positive benefits of playing with Barbie dolls. Here are some examples.

Creative influence


When a child is playing with a Barbie doll, the encouragement of creative playtime emerges. There are so many outfits, shoes, accessories, and play sets encouraging endless creative play. This is a great benefit in the development of children as they learn there is no limit in this world, and they are only limited by their own minds.

Playing with Barbie dolls has the ability to influence your child. She can create many different looks for Barbie and different scenarios to encourage creativity and activate that part of your child’s brain.

Introduction to careers


Who would have thought that the Barbie doll could provide your child with successful career choices? Barbie comes with a variety of options to encourage your daughter that she is not limited in her future career choices.

There are many Barbie clothes that are designed to resemble actual careers. This immediately exposes your child to endless possibilities, not only with the clothing, but also with the large variety of play sets for Barbie. Barbie encourages your daughter that she can be anything she sets her mind to.

Encourage role-playing


The varieties of Barbie play sets are also a great option to encourage role-playing. Role-playing benefits your child in understanding certain aspects about the real world outside of his or her controlled environment.

The different scenarios and complementing roles that the Barbie doll offers, is a critical areas of child development. This is where your child learns about responsibility and independence. Her imagination is highly activated, and your child sees a different part of life, other than just playing “mommy” with baby dolls.