Children love playing with dolls. Dolls are their first playmates, and thus this friendship tends to go on for a while, especially for girls. Want to give your little one a playmate that will keep them busy during their childhood?
Whereas we all know the importance of dolls in a child’s development, it is understandable to get alarmed when your child’s interaction with dolls exceeds a certain age. Statistics today show that many British children abandon traditional playthings at around age 7 in favor of electronic gadgets and computers. By the time they reach nine years old or ten, most children would have completely abandoned the traditional toy and doll.
Therefore, a 12-year-old child playing with a doll seems like a highly unusual occurrence. At age 12, a child is just a year away from becoming a teenager. As a pre-teenager, you expect your child to start showing a bit of teenage behavior, most common of which is dissociating with things considered childish.
They should start showing concern about their looks, clothes, and body image. They should show more interest in and sometimes get influenced by a peer group. If their children did not stop playing with dolls at age 7-9, most parents would expect their children to have stopped by now. For the average parent, this is the age that you start worrying about things like social media and their internet security in general.
But what happens when they don’t? What happens when your child is still happily playing with dolls at 12? Should they still be playing with dolls at this age? Well, children can still play with their favorite doll, even at 12. You can even find stories on the internet of 14-year-old kids who love dolls. Why shouldn’t they? Because they are too old for that? As experts would tell you, there is no age limit for dolls.
It may seem unusual in this day and age, but several 12-year-olds still play with dolls. And in a world where the internet is widespread, this may be a good thing. We know how dangerous the internet may be for children that young due to the many predators behind certain links and pages.
When your child is more focused on traditional playtime with dolls and toys than they are with the internet, most people will agree that that’s a good thing. They are safer and way less likely to interact with internet child predators and inappropriate content on the web. This will take away some of the stress on your child’s online presence. It doesn’t mean you no longer have to care about their security over the web; it means you won’t’ worry as much. And that’s a good thing for a 12-year-old.
Therefore, having a pre-teen child who still loves their dolls is not a bad thing. As long they don’t derive fun from destroying and disfiguring the dolls but are involved in good old imaginative play, then you have nothing to worry about. And if your child is already into electronic gadgets at 12, do not impose dolls on them; different children develop differently. Just make sure that they are safe during their interaction with the internet.
