When children play, it looks and sounds incredibly random. They seem to shift from one imaginary game to another with each game having no relation whatsoever to the previous. One minute they are quite happy creating mud pies with a delightful concoction of grass, worms and dirt while leaving horrifying holes in the grass, and the next minute they are hiding from dangerous jungle creatures in their exciting safari shelter / garden bush. No matter where they are, who they are with or what they’re supposed to be doing, children will find extraordinary ways to create some fun imaginary
playtime.

With Christmas on its way, mummies and daddies all over the land are trying to find the perfect gifts for their little ones, and with the latest flashy gadgets arising from the tech-toys market, it’s easy to become distracted by their bright lights and impressive noises, and we forget why traditional imaginative play is so important. With technological advances in children’s toys, playtime appears to become more and more complex with lots of working buzzers, buttons and mechanical devices;
however the very nature of these modern toys actually encourages play to become simpler. The
more complex the toy, quite often the play becomes less thoughtful and the style of play is already
decided by the gadget itself.

Whilst the recurring holes in the grass and injured garden foliage may become increasingly annoying,
it’s this sort of play that can be the most beneficial for our youngsters’ development. Don’t despair,
though, these benefits don’t just apply to garden antics; it’s the imaginative factor that’s so crucial.
Imaginative play is encouraged the most if children’s toys leave some things to the imagination.
Wooden dolls houses, for example, are one of the best sources of imaginative play; a wooden dolls
house creates a whole world of possibilities. Playing with dolls and furniture inside a dolls house
gives children chance to create any type of story they wish; the dolls can become lots of different
characters that talk and play with each other, and these conversations help to develop important
communication and language skills.

Although dolls house dolls and furniture have a gorgeous amount of detail and special features
these days, the style of play is still left to the imagination. Children’s dolls houses are designed to
encourage imaginative play, and it is this freedom that helps children to learn so many valuable
skills. The very nature of a children’s dolls house encourages children to share with each other and
enjoy making plans together; whether that’s making the dolls pop to the local shop for some milk,
or having fun making lunch in the kitchen. When children take part in role play with the characters,
they are involving their own feelings about the world around them, and making decisions about
how the characters behave and talk is a lovely opportunity for them to explore behaviours and conversations that they’ve seen and heard in the real world. This involves important decision making and helps to develop logical thought processes in preparation for real social experiences.

While wooden toys are perfect for imaginary play, they are also wonderfully eco-friendly and
economical; they don’t include any chemicals or harsh substances which makes them perfectly safe – particularly when little ones have a habit of putting anything they can find in their mouth! The durability of high quality wood means that the toys have a very long life and are perfect gifts to pass down to future generations, making them timeless and extra special for those loved ones.

Written by Hannah Davey, a consultant for The Play Experts at the Big Game Hunters Dolls Houses
team.