- A dollhouse is a classic childhood toy for boys and girls alike to play, imagine, and learn.
- Before choosing a dollhouse, think about what is important to you and your child. We spoke to toy expert and senior editor at Toys, Tots, Pets & More to find out what makes a dollhouse great.
- Our pick for the best dollhouse overall is the KidKraft Majestic Mansion, a sprawling four-story dollhouse complete with 34 accessories and an elevator. The play opportunities with this one are truly endless.
A dollhouse is one of those quintessential toys of childhood that almost everyone has fond memories playing with. I can still picture my childhood dollhouse and remember it as one of my favorite toys. Not only are dollhouses fun to play with, but they're excellent tools for parents to model positive behavior, teach conflict resolution, help children express their emotions, and connect with their kids through play.
As an open-ended toy, the play scenarios with dollhouses are endless as children invent realistic and imaginary scenes. Dollhouses are even popular tools child psychologists use during play therapy.
What to look for in a dollhouse
Before choosing a dollhouse, think about what is important to you and your child: size, number of accessories, portability, and theme, for example. We spoke to toy expert and senior editor at Toys, Tots, Pets & More (TTPM), Laurie Leahey, about what makes a dollhouse great.
"Kids want something with lots of space for them to play with their dolls and something that comes with a lot of accessories so that the dollhouse feels furnished, and kids have everything they need to start playing," Leahey said.
She also talked about the aspirational aspect of a dollhouse. Things like elevators, winding staircases, or sprawling mansions are fun for kids because they're different from what we see every day. At the same time, she said, "It's always nice to have something realistic in the dollhouse, whether that's a toilet accessory that makes a flushing sound, working lights, etc. These are things that kids are familiar with, and they want their dollhouse to have functionality just like their real house."
Of course, assembly is almost always required with dollhouses, so that's something parents need to take into consideration when choosing a dollhouse.
A word about our picks
You'll notice that several of our picks are KidKraft dollhouses because time and time again, they won over the competition. KidKraft houses consistently check all the boxes of a great dollhouse: They're large enough to give kids room to play, they include aspirational aspects while still remaining functional, they come with fun accessories, and they're built to last.
From huge dollhouse mansions to starter dollhouses for toddlers, we combed through the options and relied on expert advice to compile this guide to the best dollhouses.
Here are the best dollhouses you can buy:
- Best dollhouse overall: KidKraft Majestic Mansion
- Best budget-friendly dollhouse: Melissa & Doug Fold & Go Mini Dollhouse
- Best gender-neutral dollhouse: Hape All Season House
- Best toddler dollhouse: Fisher-Price Little People Big Helpers Home
- Best Disney dollhouse: KidKraft Disney Princess Cinderella Royal Dreams Dollhouse
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