Wooden dolls. Dollhouse - which one to buy or how to make it yourself? Little tree puppeteer

A play dollhouse is a toy that every girl dreams of. If previously children built them from whatever they could get their hands on, now you can find a huge selection in stores. How not to make a mistake when choosing such a toy for your princess will be discussed in this article.

Advantages

In preschool age, the leading activity is play. At primary school age, play activities are replaced by educational ones, but play still plays an important role in a child’s life. Among all the games a child plays, family play occupies a large place. An important attribute of playing family with dolls is a play dollhouse.

When playing family, girls perceive the game as reality. The dolls live in a house, go to work, visit, on birthdays, holidays, they communicate with each other. This develops the child’s communication skills, speech, promotes the child’s intellectual development and the development of logic. During the game, the dolls put things in order, do cooking, and repairs. Thus, girls learn how to manage a household through play activities.

By playing with dolls, girls learn to follow a daily routine. They put the dolls to sleep at night, wake them up in the morning, take them to work, kindergarten and school, and feed them. The dolls take baths, take care of their wardrobe and change their outfits, which helps the girl become accustomed to cleanliness, neatness, and teaches personal hygiene.

The presence of a large number of small parts in a dollhouse provides invaluable assistance in the development of fine motor skills, which is so important for the development of a child. The development of fine motor skills contributes to the overall development of the child, his intellectual abilities, speech development, his physical and mental development.

Such games for girls belong to the category of calm ones, they help you relax, and if you and your whole family help your child in the game, then your family will not only unite, having a great time together, but will also help direct the girl’s thoughts and development in the right direction.

At what age should you start playing?

There are play doll houses on sale that are suitable for games for girls of completely different age categories.

• For girls under 3 years old, you need to choose the safest toy possible. It should not contain tiny parts that could get into the child's respiratory tract. At this age, the girl will not yet appreciate the high cost of the purchase, so do not try to buy the most expensive one. The most important criteria should be quality and safety. Large houses are not at all suitable for such babies. It is better to choose a compact model of medium or small size.
• For girls from 3 to 7 years old The brightness of the play dollhouse and its functionality will be important. It should have many different interesting little things, light and sound effects are welcome. At the age of 3-7 years, girls will be interested in ready-made play sets with furniture and accessories, and houses for animals. It must be taken into account that at this age girls are still small, and the toy will most likely face many different tests. They will repeatedly try to assemble and disassemble it, and it will fall, so give preference to a strong, stable house.
• Girls aged 5 to 12 years I am attracted to games with Barbie dolls, modern Monster High, Steffi, Winx, Bratz. Therefore, the toy should not be intended only for mini-dolls. The play model for this age period should be suitable for playing with dolls 30 cm high.
• For teenage girls and adults There are collectible doll houses on sale that will become an original design element and a bright decoration of the interior of the room.

Dimensions

The range of such toys is very large. You can find small, medium-sized, and large houses.

Little ones

Most often, small dollhouses are made of wood, but they are also made of plastic. Along with it, it is better to immediately purchase mini-dolls that are suitable in size, so that in the future you will not have to look for dolls of the appropriate size on sale. Accessories needed for the game are also purchased separately. Plastic houses are sold in ready-made kits and have light and sound effects.

Average

Medium-sized models are most often designed for playing with Barbie dolls. They are made entirely of plastic or plastic with cardboard ceilings; there are also houses made of wood. They differ from small ones in that they have at least two floors.

They have excellent functionality, detailing, exterior and interior finishes, and a large selection of accessories that are often included. The average size of the house allows several girls to play at once.

Large, taller than a child

Large doll houses can be made of wood and plastic. They can be installed not only indoors, but also outdoors. They can be of various forms: two-story, in the form of a multi-story cottage, castle, fortress. They are most often intended for playing with Barbie dolls, but there are also three-story houses for dolls whose height is 40-46 cm. It’s worth thinking about such a purchase, which your girl will be delighted with for many years, if you have a spacious children’s room, where it goes can be delivered.

In addition to the fact that these houses are a wonderful, albeit expensive, toy, they will also serve as a storage place for all the girl’s dolls. Furniture for such a house is sold as a set. Large doll houses are very strong and durable. During the game, such a house will be able to accommodate not only all the dolls that the owner has, but also herself. You can often find large-sized play models that are equipped with a slide, swing or gymnastics equipment.

Open and closed models

Play dollhouses can be:

• open;
• closed.

When choosing, be sure to take this factor into account.

If the room where the house will be located is not too large, then a closed option will do. The façade can always be closed, which will save space in the nursery. They have one play area at the front of the house. Also suitable for small rooms are open playhouses on a platform with wheels.

Open houses differ from closed ones in the number of play areas. In open models, the playing areas are arranged in a circular pattern. This will allow several girls to play at once, which is very convenient.

The house on the platform can easily be placed against the wall and the play areas can be turned towards you using wheels. However, if the open model is installed permanently, then it is more suitable for spacious rooms, where access to it will be provided from all sides.

Equipment

Playhouses for dolls can be equipped in different ways. It could just be an empty house. Furniture may be included in the package. It could also be a whole game set.

The empty model is good for girls who already have a lot of dolls and accessories for them. There she herself can arrange everything to her liking, and simply buy the missing elements.

Play dollhouses, which include furniture, almost always have everything necessary for play. They will only need to be populated with their residents.

Furniture

Furniture for a dollhouse will depend on its type.

There are 3 groups of furniture in total:

1. Furniture designed for mini-dolls. Such furniture is usually made of wood, is suitable for dolls up to 15 cm in size and is designed for players up to 5 years old.
2. Furniture for Barbie. Can be made of plastic or wood. Suitable for dolls whose size is 25-30 cm. There is much less of it on sale than furniture for mini-dolls, because Barbie houses most often have everything they need.
3. Collectible furniture. These are truly unique specimens made of wood. Intended for collectible dollhouses and has a very high cost. This type of furniture is very elegant and realistic in its design.

The most common items on sale are furniture sets for mini-dolls. These sets are affordable and have many different options that you can choose based on your daughter's interests.

• The doll living room contains all the necessary pieces of furniture for relaxing, playing, reading books and watching TV. It may include sofas, armchairs, coffee tables, cabinets, lamps, fireplace, vases, cabinets.
• The kitchen for dolls includes all the necessary cabinets, countertops, table, sink.
• The doll's bedroom can contain beds, wardrobes, dressing tables, bedside tables, and chests of drawers.
• Sets of doll children's rooms include cradles, cribs for babies, tables and high chairs for feeding, rocking toys, chests of drawers.

Technique

Play dollhouses can be equipped with various equipment that is found in real life. These can be refrigerators, stoves, washing machines, televisions, computers and laptops, microwave ovens, electric kettles and irons. You can find a wide variety of such equipment on sale.

Plumbing

A doll's bathroom is one of the most important accessories. It includes all the necessary plumbing fixtures: sink, bathtub, shower, toilet, as well as tables for storing hygiene supplies and plumbing care items.

Wallpaper

Dollhouses can have different interior walls. It can simply be a plain covering of the material from which the toy is made. There may also be wallpaper that is already pasted without the possibility of replacement, and houses that come with several types of wallpaper. Such kits even offer different options for photo wallpaper.

Curtains

Curtains may or may not be included in the package. If necessary, you can easily make them yourself.

Illuminated models

Play dollhouses equipped with lighting are more realistic. They can even turn on the light separately in each room. Table lamps and night lights can be switched on separately. A fireplace, creating the appearance of a blazing flame, an oven, or a refrigerator can be equipped with lighting effects.

Cartoon Character Houses

Dollhouses can be made in the style of a specific cartoon character.

For Barbie

Dollhouses for Barbie are usually presented in pink colors. They may contain bright accents. They have all the accessories fit for a princess.

For Winx

For the Winx fairies you can find a house in the shape of Alfea. This is a two-story house in which each fairy has her own room. It also has a library, a bathroom, a kitchen and some other rooms.

For Monster High

Such models often have an asymmetrical shape and are distinguished by their contrasting colors. The rooms are designed in dark colors. Dollhouses for Monster High have clearly detailed elements and a bright interior.

Almost all houses whose names indicate that they are for Barbie are suitable for playing with all modern dolls whose height is 25-30 cm.

For Peppa Pig

Play dollhouses for Peppa Pig include the house itself, which can be two-story, or a forest model in the shape of a mushroom, as well as the game characters - mom, dad, Pippi and George, and the necessary set of furniture.

Various accessories can be purchased for these models. There are boats, a tree house, a Ferris wheel, a yacht and many other accessories on sale, with which you can create your own Peppa Pig life stories.

For Hello Kitty

The choice of houses for Hello Kitty is great. Most often these are small-sized models. The set includes a house, figures for the game, and many different accessories.

They are so numerous in their company, how diverse and multifaceted was the life of the ancient Slavs, because each of them reveals to us only one part of the existence of our ancestors. At the moment, we have talked on our website about sixty different folk Slavic dolls, while some researchers claim that there are more than a hundred of them in total. This makes me happy, because I like to spend a long time in a topic I like, and, besides this, there is so much interesting and useful information around these dolls that each of them can bring me new knowledge that would hardly have reached me otherwise ever got there.

For people at all times there were, are and will be several concepts or objects, the attitude towards which has always been especially respectful and revered, at least for most people - these are the fatherland, family and faith. Defending their homeland, their loved ones and their gods, people, without hesitation, gave their lives throughout the millennia of human existence with full awareness of the importance of preserving the integrity of their land, the lives of their loved ones and religious traditions for the successful continuation of their family.

Our topic today is family, or rather, the rag doll amulet World Tree, which is its amulet.

What is the connection between a family and a tree? - asks Veselina, - And what do dolls have to do with it?

In general, if you look at it, there is a lot in common between people and trees,” I began to tell, inspired by such shown interest, “for example, if on paper you draw a schematic line of any kind from ancestors to descendants, including at least 3-4 generation, then we get nothing more than a tree structure.

No, no, no, you already talked about the family tree, my memory doesn’t let me down,” Veselina interrupted my flight, “let’s talk closer to the dolls today, otherwise we’ll get into such a jungle again that we’ll forget where we started.”

Well, there’s nothing to do, let’s get back to the essence of today’s topic.

World Tree Doll - history and meaning

The World Tree doll (World Tree, Grove) is a paired rag doll containing three images - female, male and the image of the family, as an integral structural element of the clan. We have already met with paired dolls - each of them has its own characteristics and its own purpose.

This doll symbolizes the creation of a new family, as if new branches have grown on the world tree, on which flowers will soon bloom, then fruits and new seeds will appear. This is the essence of everything - the continuation of life. Previously, family unions were always accompanied by cheerful and crowded holidays - weddings, at which several dozen wedding rituals were performed in turn, aimed at the family happiness of the newlyweds, the strength of their union, happiness and health.

As usual, rag dolls were important elements in most wedding ceremonies of the ancient Slavs. We are already familiar with some, for example, the Lovebirds doll. The World Tree doll appeared on stage already in the midst of the wedding, when a large wedding cake was brought to the table, in the center of which this doll was installed. Having treated themselves to a piece of pie, the guests seemed to be witnessing the formation of a new family union, and the middle with a doll was given to the bride and groom. The pie was eaten, and the World Tree doll was kept in the family along with other dolls throughout its (family's) existence.

The very name of the doll “World Tree” testifies to the symbolic representation of one huge tree as a link between three worlds - Reveal, Navi and Svarga, that is, the underground world of spirits, the world of living people and the world of light gods. Our ancestors clearly understood that everything around is interconnected, without day there is no night, without good there is no evil, and so on. The place of an individual person in this structure is a branch on a tree trunk; two branches nearby can create their own family and continue the growth and power of the world tree. It is precisely this meaning - the creation of a new happy family union - that is signified by the presence of the World Tree doll at the wedding feast.

Despite the fact that participation in the wedding ritual presupposes the ritual purpose of the doll, its entire subsequent life consists of protecting family happiness and health as long as this family exists. Therefore, it would be fair to classify the World Tree doll as a Slavic amulets, which is what we did.

And now we can move on to the practical part, in which I will tell you how our rag doll World Tree is made.

World Tree doll - how to make

The basis for this doll is a twig with a fork, like the one that boys choose for a slingshot. A female doll is made on one branch, and a male doll on the other. The manufacturing technology of the head, torso and arms in both cases depends on the preference of the author. I chose the knotted option, in which the center of the square flap is placed on a bunch of linen fringe wound around the end of a branch and secured with red thread at neck level. The two lateral ends of the flap turn into arms, the front and back fill the volume of the torso.

World Tree doll, and together - a family.

Women's clothing can vary significantly, because the choice of the doll's author is determined by the folk traditions existing in the region of his residence. In my case, this is a sundress, an apron, a belt, a warrior and a scarf. The doll's chest is formed by a small soft twist of fabric, which is placed under the front end of the flap from the head.

World Tree doll, with one leg the groom stands on the fork of the base branch.

The guy is wearing pants, a shirt with a belt and a hat. Please note that one leg is a stick on which the doll rests. The color scheme of the clothes can be any that matches your ideas of beauty and durability, since the doll should live for decades. I’m already on edge about diversity, so the remnants of linen scraps in bright but calm colors came in handy.

I wonder how they will go to work? - Veselina asks, chuckling, slowly pushing the doll towards the exit, - Separately or together?

Don’t worry, maybe they will have a family contract,” I answered, “you, most importantly, make sure that they always look at each other and don’t turn away, so they will take care of each other and preserve family happiness.”

Okay, okay, I'll follow. - it came to me already from the gate.

Veselina, out of her habit, immediately began asking the dolls about something, and a minute later they were all giggling happily, probably discussing what useful things could be grown for the farm on the world tree and what the planned yield was this year.

That's all for me today, thank you for your attention, I wish you all happiness, mutual understanding and love, bye.

Wood always evokes warm feelings. You want to touch it, it has a pleasant smell, it is safe. Therefore, it is often used to produce children's educational toys. In our case, we are talking about wooden dolls. Typically, manufacturers use a minimum of paint and artificial materials for them, and a maximum of naturalness. This is also evident in the fact that the dolls’ hair is made of woolen threads. Brightness is added to wooden dolls with the help of colored clothes and accessories. There are also fully painted game figures; non-toxic water-based paints are used for painting.

Wooden doll sets Plan Toys

There are also Plan City themed sets - little craftsmen, little rescuers, etc. These are fully painted dolls with painted uniforms. They will be especially interesting for boys. These are firefighters, police officers, rescuers, builders. They have a universal size. The figures easily fit into cars, trains, and helicopters. So you can come up with countless games with them))

Designer wooden dolls with clothes Le Toy Van

Miniatures are a separate caste of wooden dolls. They simply charmed us)) A whole fabulous family of Budkins dolls settled in “Once upon a time.” They represent historical characters and heroes of famous fairy tales - Little Red Riding Hood, the wizard Merlin, Alice in Wonderland, fairies, the Dark Knight, the Phantom Pirate, etc. Their costumes are simply a sight to behold! All dolls are hinged, so the arms and legs bend perfectly.

Budkins dolls small size - 10 cm, so they are convenient to take with you. After all, sometimes you want to squeeze something familiar in your hands for confidence, especially if it’s a trip to the doctor or a long-distance flight. Some children put a doll under their pillow to fall asleep)) In addition, dolls easily fit into doll houses, castles, and pirate forts. These can be “relatives” or houses from other companies.

Playing with wooden dolls will be interesting for any child if you teach him to use his imagination, dream and get used to the roles. You can act out your favorite fairy tale, everyday life situation, or whatever you want)) Many psychologists use games with wooden mini-dolls at their appointments. And so, adult men and women come to the doctor and... play with dolls. Dolls are themselves and the people who surround them. This is how problems appear in the game that prevent a person from sleeping peacefully and continuing to live happily. The method is very effective, although unexpected for adults.

Why are we doing this?)) If you watch your child in a role-playing game, it is quite possible that you will discover something new that you simply did not notice before.

Today on the children's goods market there are a large number of ready-made toy houses, and the variety of types, sizes and materials used for their manufacture can amaze both adults and children. At the same time, you can choose both large and small doll houses.

Large doll houses

The most popular doll houses (playhouses) are those made made of wood or plastic. As a rule, they are installed in the garden, country house or in the courtyard of your own home. This way, the child can spend more time outdoors playing with his toys and dolls.

As for design, we can say such houses for dolls are made in the form of a castle or fortress. Also on the children's toy market you can find two-story house models with a variety of horizontal bars and slides. They have a strong base and are very durable. The roof will cover the child not only from the rain, but also from the scorching sun. The dimensions of such structures are quite large, which in turn allows them to accommodate not only all the toys, but also a large number of friends! However, before purchasing, you should take into account that such play houses should be purchased for children aged one year and older.

If you want to give a gift to your daughter, you can buy for her house for dolls. This is the so-called compact version, which provides for indoor play. They can be installed in any room - children's, living room or playroom. Usually they are made in the form of a palace for a princess, a gingerbread house or a beautiful mansion. In such doll houses, the child will put all his toys and put things in order on his own. These houses do not have sharp corners, thereby being absolutely safe.

Buy a similar wooden house available on the Imaginarium toy network - Amanda's wooden dollhouse, issue price 16,900 rubles.

Little doll houses

They are also made in various materials. More often there are models made made of wood. They are ideal for playing with dolls. As a rule, it is better to purchase wooden doll houses with toys in order to eliminate the need to subsequently look for dolls that fit the size of the house. A variety of accessories (household appliances, furniture, dishes) can also be purchased additionally.

Popular dollhouses are sets made of plastic, since the kit already contains all the necessary accessories and furniture. They are made with all kinds of sound and light effects. As a rule, manufacturers use very bright colors to design them. Externally, such structures are made in the form of a palace (castle), country house or farm. In addition to a number of models, manufacturers also produce various interesting extensions, swimming pools, guest houses, gazebos, balconies or terraces, so while playing, the child can show his imagination and create comfort on his own.

Inexpensive doll house

It’s not a bad idea to spend money on simple doll houses from IKEA, considering that they are made from safe materials.

For example, the SPECA house is made from 100% recycled solid cardboard, paper, and polypropylene.

Or FLISAT - a hanging shelf house made of solid pine. It is convenient to buy additional furniture for these houses here.

This soft and rather large LANDET farmhouse was previously sold in Ikea, very convenient because it folds up into a chest.

But we would advise staying away from plastic. Children quickly become bored with bright colors and the impossibility of alteration. The exception is Lego DUPLO - a dollhouse that represents a constructor. It can be easily disassembled and reassembled, and you can choose construction options. Even the smallest children can play in such a house, since there are no small parts.

Original ideas for creating a dollhouse with your own hands

By the way, you can make doll houses yourself, you just need to be patient and use your imagination. On the Internet you can find a lot of different master classes, as well as drawings for making doll houses with your own hands. This process is very entertaining! Try to involve your child in the process of creating it, then the doll house will fully correspond to all his interests and wishes. Such work will not only bring joy to your child, but will also develop his creative potential.

We offer for your consideration several interesting ideas on how to create a dollhouse with your own hands.

Doll house from an old cabinet

If you still have an old cabinet, don’t rush to throw it away, all you need is to paint the outside with paint (choose paint that is highly environmentally friendly) and cover the inside with wallpaper. So, you have the frame of your future house ready! Don't forget to divide it into rooms and, of course, decorate the windows. All that remains is to fill it with furniture (you can buy ready-made ones, or make it yourself) and seat the dolls in their places.

House made from an old bookcase

To decorate it, you will need cardboard and beautiful paper. We place the bookcase near the wall, using electrical tape on the wall to “complete” the pipe and roof (of course, you can draw this with a marker, but the electrical tape can be easily removed if necessary).

House made of cardboard boxes

To make it you will need: cardboard boxes of various sizes, pieces of wallpaper, wrapping paper, pencils or felt-tip pens. We glue the cardboard boxes together, giving them the shape of a house. Using wrapping paper and pieces of wallpaper we create the interior, and with pencils (markers) we draw windows and various accessories. Of course, such a house will not be very strong, but it will allow your child to show all his creativity and imagination.

Doll house made of MDF (plywood)

In order to make and assemble such a house, male strength is needed. You will need the following materials: plywood (MDF), PVA glue (for gluing the parts of the house), a jigsaw (manual or electric), ready-made drawings (they can be found in large quantities on the Internet), leftover wallpaper, linoleum, bright rags and, of course , patience. And to make the finished house mobile, you can attach wheels to its base, this will allow you to subsequently move it to any room.

House for dolls made of textiles

Perhaps this option is the most convenient and safe, and it is no worse than the previous ones. All you need to make it is bright textiles, filling and ready-made patterns (they can also be found on the Internet). The main principle of its creation is that individual cardboard parts are covered with fabric and then assembled into a single structure. The advantage of such a house is that you can easily wash it and take it with you on the road. Often it is designed in the form of a handbag.

When buying or making a house for dolls with your own hands, you should remember that this is not just a whim, but also a very educational and educational toy for your child, which allows you to develop fine motor skills, master communication skills and the everyday environment, and has a positive effect on the nervous system.

House for dolls - photo