Dollhouses have been around for centuries and they’re still extremely popular with children (and many adults!). TV shows like Moon And Me and Gabby’s Dollhouse, as well as long running toy franchises like Barbie and Sylvanian Families (Calico Critters in the USA), ensure that dollhouses are always on top of many children’s wish-lists.
If your child has asked for a dollhouse but you’re not sure if they’re the best age for one, you’ll find all the information you need to know on this page.
In general, the best age to buy a child a dollhouse is two to four years old. From approximately two years old children learn to develop more complex imaginative play which is ideal for dollhouse play. Children over four certainly play with dollhouses, but buying a dollhouse before they are four will ensure you get the most value for money from what is often an expensive toy, and ensure your child has many happy years playing with it.
The best dollhouse to buy a child between two and four years of age is the Melissa and Doug Fold and Go Dollhouse, it’s reasonably priced and comes with furniture and dolls, and is easy to transport. It’s listed as suitable for 3+ so younger children may need extra supervision.
I polled and interviewed a bunch of my mum friends and looked on mum-forums to find out which was the best age for a child to play with a dollhouse. The results below are based on 53 results.
Survey results for the best age for a dollhouse
Most parents in the survey noticed that their child was most interested in playing with dollhouses when they were three. But the vast majority of people included in the poll said that between the ages of two to four were the best age for children to play with a dollhouse, and most parents agreed that this was the best age to buy a child a dollhouse.
On average, children under three enjoyed playing with dollhouses but were a bit too young to engage in imaginative play, and some parents were worried about the choking hazard if the dollhouses came with smaller parts.
Fewer parents noted that their child played with dollhouses at five, but this could be a combination of children starting school, so therefore have less time to play in general, or that parents had already bought their child a dollhouse at an earlier age.
After age six, children played with dollhouses less than the three to four age bracket, although many do still enjoy them up to age ten and even in their early teens. Beyond age six, dollhouses are less popular with children and many mums agreeing that they’d want to buy their children a dollhouse earlier so they could get the most value out of the toy.
The best age for a dollhouse: a professional’s opinion
Claire Bradshaw is a professional Nanny with over 20 years of childcare experience and a five year old son. She says that the best age for dollhouse play is between three and five, with most children aged six to eight having grown out of it, based on her experience as a Nanny.
“I would say the most popular age for a dollhouse is three to five. Often once children start school they’re generally less interested in dollhouses. The most popular type of dollhouse are ones which have lots of furniture and features such as windows and doors that open. Large dollhouses are great as it means children can play with the dollhouse with their friends or siblings which can keep them entertained for longer.”
Claire Bradshaw, Nanny
The best age for dollhouses: government and safety perspective
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the USA equivalent of the UK’s Office for Product Safety and Standards, dollhouses are suitable for children aged three and the amount and features of the accessories will depend on their age.
The quotes included in this section are taken from the document ‘AGE DETERMINATION GUIDELINES: Relating Children’s Ages To Toy Characteristics and Play Behavior’.
Age 3
Children this age enjoy “simple dollhouses & miniature play sets of familiar themes. They enjoy dollhouses and other familiar play scenes that have easy access to a few large areas with about a dozen loose parts that are easily positioned and repositioned.”
In the survey results, a couple of parents expressed concern that younger children (mainly those under two) would choke on the small parts that often come with dollhouses. The solution is to buy a dollhouse that doesn’t come with many accessories, or that comes with larger accessories such as chunky pieces of furniture. Anything too small at this age will not only be a choking hazard, but maybe hard for younger children to manipulate.
Ages 4-5
Children this age prefer “more detailed dollhouses and miniature play sets of familiar themes. Their moderate degree of dexterity and fine-motor control allow these children to enjoy dollhouses and play scenes that have 10 to 20 loose parts of most sizes.”
As the mum of a nearly four and six year old, this was definitely the age where my children became more engaged with multiple, smaller accessories as they were able to play-out a wider range of storylines with them during their imaginative play.
Ages 6-8
Children this age, “enjoy elaborate dollhouses with miniature figures and animals so they can incorporate familiar themes (for example, home or outer space) into their more structured, goal- oriented dramatic play. This age group develops a keen awareness of licensed characters and collectibles. They exhibit a moderate to high level of dexterity and fine-motor skills as they manipulate a wide variety of accessories of mostly smaller sizes.”
My experience is that children are younger than six to eight when they become interested in licensed characters and collectables. Many of the other mums I spoke to agrees that children as young as three were aware of the different toy ranges available.
It’s worth bearing in mind that whether a child is interested in characters and collectables will depend on a range of factors, such as what they watch on TV, what they’ve played with at their friends houses or at a childcare setting, or whether they have older siblings.
Below are some popular toy character ranges that come with houses and accessories – clockwise from top left Lol dolls, Barbie dolls, Playmobil and Lego Friends.
Ages 9-12
“Interest in play scenes wanes during this period, however some children are still interested and are attracted to dollhouses and other scenes that have authentic and detailed furnishings or accessories.”
10% of parents I surveyed agreed that their nine and ten year olds were very interested in dollhouses at this age.
Children with siblings tend to play with dollhouses more
One thing that came up a few times in the data was that siblings where both children were girls tended to play more with the dollhouse when they were together, rather than on their own.
One mum commented: “I got a dollhouse for my two girls when the eldest was four and the youngest was one. Had it not been for my eldest daughter playing with the dollhouse, my youngest would have been too young, but the youngest wanted to do everything my older daughter does so she loved playing with it and they still play together with it now, two years after I bought it.”
Another mum of two girls said, “I got my youngest daughter a Barbie house at three and it’s been in constant use from about four to ten years old, with my youngest and my oldest girl playing with it together. It definitely makes a difference having two girls to play together.”
Other mums noticed that the dollhouses were played with more when their children’s friends played with them.
However, according to recent research, playing with a dollhouse alone is still a very good thing. The research showed that the areas of the brain responsible for empathy and social information processing are engaged when children are playing with dolls, whether they’re playing alone or with others.
We found evidence that even when playing with dolls alone, children’s brains are active in similar ways to when they interact with other people
Dr Sarah Gerson, of Cardiff University’s Centre for Human Developmental Science
What features make a dollhouse popular?
One thing that came up a few times with the mums I spoke to was that the more realistic the dollhouse and furniture were, the more their children were interested in the dollhouse.
One mum bought her daughter a wooden dollhouse from ELC but her daughter wasn’t interested in it, she much preferred the realistic dollhouses from Playmobil and Lego Friends, especially if they had lots of accessories as this was easier for them to role play with.
I know this from my own experience that the more fiddly little things there are to play with in a dollhouse, the more popular it will be! We have a Sylvanian Families house with detailed furniture and a box of accessories, including furniture, food and tiny ornaments, and my nearly four and six year olds play with this much more than our Barbie house which just has basic wooden furniture.
Dollhouses with features like opening and closing doors, lights, stairs and moveable furniture are really popular as they allow children to fully immerse themselves in the tiny world.
Some dollhouses can be quite dark if they don’t have side or rear windows, so any kind of lighting can make it easier and more fun for children to play.
Which type of dollhouse is best for which age?
One thing to consider in the results is the type of dollhouse the children were playing with. Barbie houses tend to be played with by older children, whereas Sylvanian Families (Calico Critters in the USA), Hape, Plan or toddler dollhouses like the Fisher Price Loving Family dollhouses are more popular with younger children.
However, I have a five year old who has a Sylvanian Families dollhouse and a Barbie dollhouse at our house, a wooden dollhouse at one of her grandparent’s houses and a plastic non-branded one at her other grandparent’s house! She’s probably a bit too old for the basic wooden house and prefers the detail of the Sylvanian Families and the non-branded plastic house but she loves the Barbie house too. I think she just loves tiny houses!
Below, I breakdown the best dollhouses for each age, obviously there’s a lot of crossover between the ages, but the below should give you a good idea of what type of house if best for which age.
Dollhouses for toddlers
Features to look for in dollhouses for toddlers include:
- no small parts
- wipeable surfaces
- large, chunky accessories
Toddlers will love the accessibility of this Melissa and Doug portable dollhouses as it opens up from the centre so they can easily access and play with the whole house. It comes with 11 pieces of chunky furniture and two bendable dolls. As it’s compact and portable, it’s a great choice for keeping kids entertained on train journeys or in restaurants.
Dollhouses for 4-5 year olds
Features to look for in dollhouses for 4-5 year olds include:
- lots of accessories
- interactive features such as opening doors and windows
- large enough so multiple children can play with it at the same time
I noticed that my children were better at playing and sharing with other children when they reached just under four as they were more able to engage with imaginative play. So a larger dollhouse with more pieces to share and play with is ideal for this age group.
This KidKraft Majestic Mansion has 34 pieces of furniture and accessories so children can work together to design their perfect home and play out their storylines in it together.
Dollhouses for 6-8 year olds
Features to look for in dollhouses for 6-8 year olds include:
- licensed characters with familiar settings
- the ability to collect and expand their dollhouse and accessories
Ages 6-8 is when children are more aware of licensed characters and collectables so they may be interested in anything from Paw Patrol and LOL Dolls to Barbie and Playmobil. Sylvanian Families combine the love of familiar characters and the love of collectables, as there are hundreds of different houses, play sets, families and accessories to collect. I loved playing with Sylvanian Families when I was this age and my daughter loves them now too.
As there are so many different sets available, you can buy one of the houses and then customise it with the families and accessories your children love. The Red Roof Cosy Cottage is a great choice as it’s just over £20 and comes with a character, furniture and accessories. It can also be added onto the Red Roof Country Home for more play options.
Dollhouses for children aged 9 and above
Features to look for in dollhouses for children aged 9 and above include:
- the ability to customise the dollhouse and its contents
- familiar toy ranges which incorporate dollhouses in them, such as Lego
At this age children will want more than just the option of imaginative play with a dollhouse. This is why a great option for children nine and above is a dollhouse that can be customised so they can be creative with the design and building, as well as playing. Lego is an obvious choice for letting children’s imagination run free when building a dollhouse and sets such as Lego Friends Andrea Family House play set, or Lego Creator House sets.
But, if your child is a little older and wants to get really involved in actually building a dollhouse and designing the interior, then a dollhouse kit is a great project to work on together. Greenleaf sell dollhouse kits that come with the pieces of wood needed to build the house and furniture and the rest is up to your imagination! Dollhouse kits can be fiddly so are best built in stages, and are most suited for children ten and above.
The Greenleaf Orchard Dollhouse Kit below is compact and you can customise it any way you like so your child can have the dollhouse of their dreams.
So in conclusion, the best age for a dollhouse is between two and four, but bear in mind that all children play differently and as the survey proved, some children younger than two and much older than four can happily play with dollhouses.