Little did I know that playing with a dollhouse was actually building essential life skills, including the highly esteemed STEM skills! How do you choose a dollhouse for your miniature-loving child? Tips on dollhouse choices for different ages and interests, accessories, and miniatures for older kids that specifically encourage building more STEM skills.
For more detailed information on how dollhouses encourage a variety of skills, see the article Why Dollhouses?
Selecting a house can be very subjective, but for me, the key is simpler, with options for personalization. For example, with a plain wood shell, you can paint, add shingles, lay carpet in, and add lights. We prefer to be as close to nature as possible here at theplayfulmind, so the wood style is the preference.
Also to consider are age, capability, interest, and choking hazards. My first dollhouse was a cardboard box, then a few planks nailed together, then a complicated Victorian Style do-it-yourself (I loved this one, and it grew with me).
1 to 10-year-olds
Much depends on age, capability, and budget. There are a lot of options – a little overwhelming, I must admit. We sorted through a lot of options, focusing on wood (just not a fan of plastic).
Most require some assembly but are easy, and never underestimate the impact of your child seeing YOU assemble and learning STEM!
Cardboard or Shoe Boxes: Just cut some windows out of a box, stack shoeboxes, or choose from the plethora of Amazon delivery boxes. Just stack and glue them. Decorate with paint or glue construction paper. If you google “cardboard dollhouse,” you will see so many ideas.
But honestly, if you go this route, give the materials to your kid and let them use their imagination. Using other people’s ideas just isn’t the same.
12 months + SPACESHIP DOLLHOUSE (Yes, that’s right, a spaceship!!)
- Wooden spaceship by Hape, a Canadian Company
- Products meet safety and quality standards EN71 (European norm of toys) and ASTM (American Society of Testing Materials) of the countries they are destined; lab tested.
- Medium-Large at 35.99 x 18.01 x 57 centimeters
- An elevator can move between four levels
- Multiple accessories, including an astronaut, radar, space rover, solar panel, bio experiment plant, and more
- Award-winning: gold and consumer choice of best baby and toddler gear awards in 2017 and 2018
24 months + Next X Kids Dollhouse
- Very budget friendly
- Smaller Size at 12.4 x 6.69 x 12.99 inches
- Wood
- Simple to assemble
- Comes with dollhouse furniture
- Compatible with LOL surprise dolls, Melissa and Doug, Calico Critters, and Barbie Dream House.
- Paint passed and has ASTM certificates and has passed safety inspections
- Great reviews from parents & kids seem to love it.
36 months – 6 years Melissa & Doug Hi-Rise Wooden Dollhouse
- Well-established company partnered with the American Academy of Pediatrics for early brain development
- Medium Sized at 76 cm × 60 × 33 centimeters
- It includes 15 pieces of furniture, an elevator, and garage
- Open-sided
- A little pricer than the two others above for the same age group
- Vibrant, gender-neutral colors
- 1:12 inch scale (like 4″ dolls)
36 months + Hape Kids Wooden Doll Family Mansion with Accessories
Similar to Melissa and Doug, but with a few interesting additions:
- Features an all-inclusive doll family with grandparents – Asian, African American, Caucasian, Modern bendable family
- Includes a family and furniture
- Larger size at 80.19 x 28.98 x 72.49 centimeters
- It has lights for each room, an actual ringing doorbell, a swimming pool
- Sturdy and compact wood design with classic and customizable features
- Well known Canadian company
- Products meet safety and quality standards EN71 (European norm of toys) and ASTM (American Society of Testing Materials) of the countries they are destined; lab tested.
- Large at 80.19 x 28.98 x 72.49 cm
- Wood accessories like pets with houses, car, etc
- 1:12 inch scale (like 4″ dolls)
3 – 8 years: KidKraft Charlotte Dollhouse
- 5-star reviews
- Larger Size at 32.5 x 11.8 x 49 inches
- Includes 14 pieces of furniture and accessories
- Easy to assemble (download the free Bilt app from the Apple app store or Google Play if needed)
- For 12″/30cm dolls (like Barbie size)
5 years + Melissa & Doug Multi-Level Wooden Dollhouse
- Well-established company partnered with the American Academy of Pediatrics for early brain development
- Med-Larger at 62 x 71 x 39 centimeters
- It comes with 19 pieces of furniture, two moveable staircases, and five working doors
- Sturdy wood construction
- Easy to assemble with just an Allen key (included)
- A little on the pricier end of the spectrum
- 4″ (1:12) scale doll (not Barbie size)
6+ years Melissa & Doug Victorian Dollhouse
- Well-established company partnered with the American Academy of Pediatrics for early brain development
- Medium-Large at 29.5″ H x 28″ W x 18″ L inches
- Sturdy wood construction
- Really good reviews
- Easy to assemble (online tutorials available), you need one Phillips screwdriver
- 4″ scale (so not Barbie size)
- Little pricier and furniture is not included (examples like Upholstered Dollhouse Living Room Furniture, Upholstered Dollhouse Bedroom Furniture, and bathroom set, not Melissa and Doug but 1:12 scale, or assemble and paint yourself are 1:20 inch scale, so a little smaller but a cheaper option)
PORTABLE
Just an interesting option if you want your dollhouse-loving kid to be able to take this with them.
- Melissa & Doug Fold and Go Wooden Dollhouse With 4 Dolls and Wooden Furniture, budget-friendly
- Melissa & Doug Fold & Go Wooden Dollhouse with 2 Play Figures and 11 Pieces of Furniture, still pretty reasonably priced. I also like that it’s plain, which means you could paint it any color your kids desire and decorate it.
DOLLS
There are so many potential families out there! Mix and match. Just keep in mind the scale:
1:6 inch scale: Barbies at 12″ or Lottie Dolls could work at 7″
Note: Lotti dolls are more ‘naturally proportionate‘ to real bodies, have age-appropriate clothing, and have cool jobs like photographers (with a cochlear implant), astronauts and astronomers, and fossil hunters. The boy’s and girls’ clothing is interchangeable.
1:12 inch scale, around 4″ tall. For Example:
Melissa and Doug wooden family
Calico Critters Pickleweeds Hedgehog Family, Kangaroo, Koala, Elephant, Cat (these are a little smaller than 1:12 inch scale)
Hape offers a variety of families: Asian, African American, bendable
ROOMINATE: STEM for 5-10 year old
Kickstarter.com is a company developed by three young women, all engineering and neuroscience majors, who noticed that throughout their educational experience, they were always outnumbered by men.
Thinking about how to draw more women to science and technology, they thought about why they ended up in the field, despite the odds for women, and said: “We realized that our own experiences in childhood were integral in attracting us to math and science as adults.” – Kickstarter.com
These kits have wooden parts for floors, walls, and furniture. There is wallpaper and other accessories for decorating a room once it is built, and a battery pack and wires for a simple circuit that controls light, a fan, or a buzzer. Seriously cool.
Here is the Kickstarter Page: Roominate
Just as a side note, you can purchase wiring kits for dollhouses (see the accessories detail in the Targeting Stem or For Older Kids below)
targeting STEM For older kids
There are so many on the market. Here are just a few options after doing some research. As mentioned in the introduction, the best way to encourage STEM and creativity is by selecting a ‘shell’ of a dollhouse with endless possibilities for customization (some suggestions discussed in the ‘Accessories’ section below)
Introductory: Wood Dollhouse Kit
- Inexpensive
- Four rooms with stairs
- It’s actually a 3D puzzle and ‘only’ 40 pieces
- The scale is 1:24 (not your typical dollhouse, which is usually 1:12 – some reviews say you can still use 1:12 scale dollhouse accessories.
- If you want to add furniture, try this inexpensive DIY furniture kit close at 1:20 scale.
- Cons: you do get what you pay for, so the instructions and quality aren’t exactly superb!
- Glue needed (this is a great glue, it’s paintable, non-toxic, water cleanup, and dries clear)
- Paint it, add shingles, decorate with wallpaper, wire lights, anything is possible (see “Accessories” below)
Mid-Introductory: Puzzle Dollhouse
- Fantasy Villa (scale is 1:24)
- Gothic (scale is 1:24)
- Comes with furniture
- 3-D puzzle, more pieces
- Cons: instructions are sketchy, and construction is not top of the line
- Glue needed (this is a great glue, it’s paintable, non-toxic, water cleanup, and dries clear)
- Paint it, add shingles, decorate with wallpaper, wire lights, anything is possible (see “Accessories” below)
- Little more complicated, not for the very young, or you can work on it together
- 19x15x14 inches
- Lots of blank canvas to be creative: paint it, decorate with wallpaper, wire lights, anything is possible (see “Accessories” below)
- Includes furniture (reviews indicate there are lots of nice little details)
- It has LED lights and a music box
- Batteries are not included
- Glue needed (this is a great glue, it’s paintable, non-toxic, water cleanup, and dries clear)
- Suggestion: if you want to buy “real” shingles instead of using the included red ‘paper’ shingles, see “Accessories”
- Good price for what you get
Greenleaf Fairfield Dollhouse Kit
- Unassembled 3-story Victorian house
- 1:24″ scale
- Six total rooms with two large hallways
- Wrap-around porch and two fireplaces
- Shingles included with purchase
- Solid plywood construction
- Very bare and plain, so it will allow plenty of customization
- Glue needed (this is a great glue, it’s paintable, non-toxic, water cleanup, and dries clear)
- Paint it, add shingles, decorate with wallpaper, wire lights, anything is possible (see “Accessories” below)
There are some REALLY nice dollhouse kits out there, but of course, with quality comes a hefty price tag. Good old Google will show you what some dedicated dollhouse companies offer.
Architecture Style Complete Small Kits
These are more about the building process than just making a simple dollhouse, like those above, and then being creative with decorating. These are more like model buildings. More patience and expertise are required, but for the price, it’s a pretty good deal to learn how to build and wire. But once done, there isn’t much to be creative with or play with.
Architecture Model: Queenstown Holiday
- Comes with furniture
- Assembled Size: (L) 13.0″ x (W) 12.6 x (H) 9.1″
- More for older youths, not young children
- Music Box
- Lights you wire yourself
- It comes with two dogs and a car
- If anything is missing, reviews indicate the seller is quick to send items
- You will need glue (Wood Glue or Gorilla fast setting), scissors, tweezers, small needle nose pliers, and maybe sandpaper. You could get an inexpensive model building tool kit, just be aware it comes with some sharp objects
Architecture Model: Sea Getaway or Romantic Cafe
- Comes with furniture
- For older youths, not young children
- Music Box
- Lights you wire yourself
- If anything is missing, reviews indicate the seller is quick to send items
- You will need glue (Wood Glue or Gorilla fast setting), scissors, tweezers, small needle nose pliers, and maybe sandpaper. You could get an inexpensive model-building tool kit. Just be aware it comes with some sharp objects
Architecture Model: Mini Green House
- 7.68 x 6.89 x 6.89 inches
- It comes with everything you see
- LED Lights
- You will need glue (Wood Glue or Gorilla fast setting), scissors, tweezers, small needle nose pliers, and maybe sandpaper. You could get an inexpensive model building tool kit, just be aware it comes with some sharp objects
- A great option for a budding gardener!
Accessories & Supplies
This is the FUN part. See my pink bathroom and bedspreads and carpets? All from leftover fabrics and even old clothes!
- Fabric: go to your local fabric store and get fabric scraps or pre-cut quilters fabric for endless possibilities for curtains, bedspreads, and clothes! Ribbon, buttons… just wander the isles.
Floor tile, wood flooring, wallpaper (they typically come in sheets). I used some leftover stuff from home, like carpet, paint, and wallpaper. Or you can print patterns from your computer onto paper to use as wallpaper/tile/flooring; color and glue it up!
Siding (or use popsicle sticks, dollar store, or Amazon)
Cedar shingles (1:12 scale), or you can use cut-up popsicle sticks or paint. There are other varieties available
PAINT: I remember using leftover latex paint or white primer in the house. Then I made my own ‘wallpaper’ by using vibrant acrylic paint on top of the primer (or metallic for some fun)
Wiring kit: NOT for children under 14. You can learn to wire your dollhouse kit, or NON-WIRED LED lights are also an option if you prefer not to have your youth work with low-voltage electricity. There are many choices – for example, check Melody Jane for wired and non-wired options. There is mostly a 1:12 inch scale which is typical for dollhouses.
Dollhouse Tool Kit: great little starter kit with knives, mini saw, clamps, and so forth
NEED IDEAS?
Well, yes, there is always Google. Or, paper magazines are still out there! You may be surprised to learn the miniature world is still hugely popular among a variety of age groups, which warms my heart. It’s all tactile!
The Spruce Crafts has some free plans or just some ideas
The fun about dollhouses is allowing room for creativity and growth with age. Making clothing, furniture, and wallpaper using your imagination gives the best satisfaction. Growing up, there was no internet searching, and rarely any books or other people’s ideas – just my own imagination!
We encourage allowing your kids to not rely on other people’s ideas but be inspired by their own thoughts.
The Big Sis