The Role of Toys as Imagination Boosters for Kids

She may be a mighty queen today and a fearless firefighter tomorrow. He may be a doctor, a painter, and a zookeeper all in the span of one afternoon. Children love to create and play inside their own fantasy worlds, a process that contributes greatly to the development of their creativity.

As parents, it is part of your delightful job to provide your little ones with toys and educational materials which will stimulate their imagination actively and safely. For example, toys such as wooden blocks let them build things, while stuffed animals have long been part of story time casts.

Toy Teachers: Eco-Friendly Toys Teach Kids to Care

Toys are your child’s constant companions, and they can also prove to be their greatest educators. For instance, My Sibling Dolls owner Loretta Boronat makes dolls that not only teach kids to look after the environment but also care for other people, particularly their brothers and sisters with disabilities. These dolls come with their own story booklets that revolve around certain themes and enable children to see the world from the perspective of their siblings with disabilities.

To help inspire kids to be more sensitive to Mother Nature, these dolls can be dressed in compatible 18-inch doll clothes recycled from real garments made in the United States. By choosing toys made from repurposed materials, parents can do their part in minimizing pollution.

Caring for 18 Inch Dolls and Their Clothes

The decision is final: You’re going to splurge on an 18 inch doll for your dear daughter. After all, how can you resist all that pleading and begging going on for like forever? Consider yourself warned though, that 18 inch doll is just the beginning. Once she sees all the fabulous outfits and accessories available, you’ll be hearing more of that pleading and begging very soon.

Dolls and the Disabled Child: Best Friends

Children with disabilities don’t always find themselves with a plethora of friends. As a matter of fact, studies show that the disabilities they are suffering could even hamper their interaction with their brothers or sisters, much less their friends. This, in turn, leads to problems in socialization even as the child grows up.

Simple Ways to Take Care of Your Doll

Dolls never seem to go out of style. They come in all shapes and sizes, and you can choose different clothes for them too. However, keep in mind that the bigger the doll is, the more care they require.

Dolls for Understanding a Disabled Sibling

It is unfortunate that not all children are born normal; some have certain disabilities. What makes their situation worse is that their disabilities tend to deprive them of a healthy social life. Studies show that parents of children with disability want their child to be socially well-adjusted. The problem is they don’t know how to make it happen.

Coping with Autism via Dolls

Autism spectrum disorder, known as simply "autism," is the fastest-growing developmental disability in the U.S. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate the number of children with the disorder at 1 in 68 as of 2010. At 1 in 42, autism is more common among boys.

Repairing Doll Clothes 101

So you just bought a special 18 inch doll for your child. Along with customized accessories and clothes, your little one is sure to have tons of fun with his or her new pal. Hours of outdoor play, however, can take its toll on the doll’s clothes, resulting in torn seams or loose buttons. Before long, your child would come up to you, doll in hand, and request you to fix his or her buddy’s garb. Here are a few tips for repairing doll clothes you ought to remember:

Popped Seams

Taking care of doll clothes entails almost the same methods and principles as your actual clothes. Take popped seams, for instance; analyze the seam for the original holes and knot the loose threads at both ends. Sew in a thread of the same color as the original thread, with the starting and closing points a few millimeters off the edge of the open seam.

No Buttons?

The doll clothes you buy may include a full suit and tie get-up, or a buttoned dress. Regular dress-up games could eventually lead to loose or lost buttons. Considering how missing or loose buttons can make a doll look shabby, you’d want to sew these buttons back on as soon as possible. Simply grab a needle and thread, position the button on the fabric, push the threaded needle up through the fabric and through one hole in the button, and repeat the process until the button is securely in place.

Grooming 18-inch Dolls

Dolls will always be part of a girl’s early years. Childhood is often the time when creativity starts to show, and your little princess will want to deck her dolls in various getups. It may even remind you of the scene in Remember the Titans when Coach Boone’s daughter responds to a quip, with “I’m not playing, I’m accessorizing.” As a parent, you can turn things into the right direction by acquiring new clothes for her dolls, but consider these points first:

Interests

Buying the right doll clothes warrants scrutiny on your daughter’s own preferences for clothes. For instance, if she has an affinity for the outdoors and sees to it to bring at least one doll with her every time she goes out, you may help her go for pants and shirts. On the other hand, dresses and feminine accessories work if your daughter enjoys girly stuff like Disney princesses and fairies.

Same Same?

Some young girls have a knack for dressing up their dolls in clothes that match their attire in creative ways. Observing your daughter and watching how she mixes and matches her own clothes will give you ideas on which doll clothes to buy. A veritable array of doll clothes that suit your child’s interests will work wonders for their sense of style. Don’t settle for just one set of clothes. Having a slew of doll’s clothes on hand will allow your daughter’s creativity to fly.