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Dolls, Figurines And The Value Of Role Play

By: Victor Epand

What is it that girls' dolls and boys' figurines have in common? Admittedly, they both have heads, arms and legs and look vaguely, but not entirely, human. Girls' dolls tend to be about a foot in height at least, whereas most boys' figurines are around six inches tall. There doesn't appear to be any particular reason for this height discrepancy apart from the physical needs that girls' dolls have,as sometimes the have capability of crying, weeing, etc, whereas boys' toys tend to carry guns, which can be made in miniature and sometimes they tend not to work, requiring the boy to produce the necessary sound effects and create explosive consequences.

The answer is that they both help children to develop their role playing experiences and opportunities, and thereby, they are extremely valuable for developing children's awareness of themselves as individuals and for making up the world around them. Children need to practice role play, and they are doing so almost all the time, whether you are aware of it or not. Their imitation of you as an adult is a form of role play, their use of dolls or figurines to act out situations, conflicts, opportunities or groups is also a valuable role play exercise.

It is often in opportunities such as these that children have the freedom to try out new ways of approaching situations, see things from the other person's perspective and understand that the other person also has a perspective. Children and adults usually learn better by doing, rather than by only observing. Moreover, children are excellent observers. Once they watch a situation, whether in real life, on television or in a book, children take on board the ideas, the characters and the conflicts, and mull them over in their heads. They will quite happily dress up as their favourite characters and prance about with a colander on their head, a pair of shorts draped over their shoulders and a wooden spoon in their hand, bravely taking on the might of the linen bin monster who is lurking at the top of the stairs.

But these games should not be dismissed as purely childish. Everything is even more real to a child than we, adults, can appreciate, and children often learn valuable ideas in such situations. Especially when they are playing in a group. Sets of figurines lend themselves to play in a group, in particular, and if they are based on a particular television show or book, it is even better.

It is when children play roles in a group that people's roles are discussed and defined, and the rules are laid down. Whether they play themselves as the characters, or with their dolls or figurines, they will have a firm understanding of their roles and the rules, before the game starts. Teams are formed, strategies are devised, conquests are achieved and lessons are learnt.

About the author

Victor Epand is an expert consultant in kids toys, dolls, and video games. You will find the best marketplace for kids toys, dolls, and used video games at these sites for kids toys, dolls, figurines, dolls, and used video games.

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