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The Best Dollhouses to Spark Your Kids’ Imagination
The Best Dollhouses to Spark Your Kids’ Imagination

The Best Dollhouses to Spark Your Kids’ Imagination

Watch your toddler create new worlds of make believe with this classic toy.

author-Briana Engelbrecht
By Briana Engelbrecht and Rosie Colosi
Published Jan 3, 2025|Updated On Jan 14, 2025
Published Jan 3, 2025Updated On Jan 14, 2025
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Dollhouses are a classic toy that can instantly take you back to childhood. They also make the perfect holiday gift that can be passed from sibling to sibling, or even generation to generation. And they come in all shapes and sizes—simple, elaborate, specific to certain characters or open to all sorts of toys and dolls.

Pretend play not only encourages the development of valuable social skills like sharing, cooperation and language development but also builds imagination and creativity. Acting out various scenarios while engaging in imaginary play helps toddlers and young children process emotions, navigate big feelings and explore the world. And perhaps less obvious, dollhouses also offer an opportunity to practice fine motor skills when manipulating the dolls and accessories and also gross motor skills like balance and coordination (especially with the larger houses where they have to stand up to play).

When selecting a dollhouse, here are a few things to keep in mind to make sure you’re choosing the right one for your child:

  • Your little one's age. All of those adorable pieces of furniture, decor and doll accessories can potentially pose a choking hazard, so make sure you're always supervising your toddler. Most dollhouses have an age recommendation of three years and up (but we found a few suitable for younger toddlers too!).

  • The size of the dolls and furniture. Dollhouses typically come in two scales—a 1:6 ratio or a 1:12 ratio. (Barbies are a 1:6 scale and the popular Maileg Mice are 1:12). Since most dollhouses don’t come with dolls or furniture, or if your toddler already has a few favorite dolls, you’ll want to make sure you’re picking a house they’ll fit in.

  • The amount of assembly required and space needed to store the dollhouse.

There are a lot of different options out there, no matter what your little one is into. Are you a crafty parent? You’ll love delving into the world of custom dollhouses. Or maybe you want to pass on your childhood love for Barbie (hello dream house!).

Here are our favorite dollhouses to last into early childhood and beyond.

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