Nurturing Compassion with Doll Play
Welcome to the We Nurture Podcast. Today, I will be talking about the importance of doll play in your young child’s development. Doll play can nurture compassion in your child, and give them the ability to care for someone or something else. Waldorf education states that dolls are the archetype of the human being and I have seen this to be true in my experiences with preschool children. I will show you how doll play can lead to you, as a parent, being more mindful, what to avoid when you are handling a doll in front of your child, how a doll as a toy can be your child’s best friend, and how a simple doll will allow your child to fully express their feelings. I’ll take you on a journey through the experiences I had when introducing my children to their Christmas dolls, and how my kids (and others) built relationships with their cuddle companions. Doll play can help your child work through their thoughts, feelings, and experiences, so you, as a parent, should always be mindful when showing nurturing care to your child. Tune in to find out why doll play is one of the most important types of play that a young child can have.
Key Points From This Episode:
- Exploring how you can nurture your child’s ability to be compassionate through doll play.
- Doll play is valuable to all children, boys and girls.
- How dolls are the archetype of the human being in Waldorf education.
- The way a child will imitate how you, as an adult, handle a doll.
- How doll play can lead to a parent becoming more mindful.
- What to avoid as a parent when handling a doll.
- Why a toy can be a young child’s best friend.
- My experience of seeing a Waldorf doll for the first time.
- How a simple doll allows a child to fully express their feelings.
- The perfect Christmas gift: a make-your-own doll kit.
- How kids build relationships with their dolls.
- How children are able to work through their thoughts, feelings, and experiences through doll play.
- The importance of being mindful when showing nurturing care to our children.
