A study says that Barbie dolls beat the pills to make your child grow
Giving your child a tablet might keep them busy, but it won’t really help them see what other people are thinking or feeling. New research suggests that playing with dolls builds that skill more effectively than time spent on tablet games.
In a randomized study, 4- to 8-year-old children who played with dolls for several weeks improved significantly on a task that measured how well they could follow someone else’s mistaken belief. That ability supports how children form relationships and navigate social situations.
Families were asked to encourage playing at home every six weeks. Some children received dolls, while others used tablets full of open-ended games. After the intervention, the researchers tested how well the children could distinguish their own information from what another person believed to be true.
Children in the doll group made the strongest gains, pointing to a real difference in how these types of play shape developing minds.
A controlled trial with clear results
This was not a casual observation or a casual comparison between works. Children are randomly assigned to each group, which helps to distinguish the effect of the toy itself. Parents kept track of playtimes, and many children spent hours with their work during the school term.
When tested afterward, the doll group showed significant improvement in the belief task. The effect holds even after accounting for age and other factors, strengthening the case that the type of play drove the change.
The takeaway here is straightforward and practical for parents. What children play with can affect how they think about other people.
Why dolls change the way children think
The difference starts with how children interact during play. Children are more likely to bring other people into playing with dolls, while tablet use is more time-dependent.
Playing with dolls also changed the way children spoke during those times. They often referred to what the characters wanted, heard, or believed, which gave them repeated practice to follow the other person’s point of view.
That kind of mental practice builds over time and becomes natural. It helps children develop the habit of stepping outside of their own perspective in everyday situations.
The tablet games in the study were creative and open, but they didn’t consistently push that pattern of thinking.
What should parents take from this?
This is not to say that pills are dangerous, but they did not bring the same kind of social practice in this setting. Even with open games, the benefits of understanding others lag behind.
One group benefited most from this study. Children with peer-related difficulties showed the greatest improvement when playing with puppets, suggesting that this type of play provides a low-stress way to practice social situations.
The takeaway is always effective and easy to use at home. If you want to support the way your child learns from other people, make room for pretend play. Toys that encourage storytelling and role-playing can do more for social development than just screen time.
