Dollhouse Kits: How to Choose For a Special Child

Our daughter or grandchild or other significant child in your life wants a dollhouse. You have decided to use dollhouse kits to create a masterpiece of a dollhouse for her. So where do you start? What are the criteria for choosing the best dollhouse kit? Here is a simple guide to dollhouse scales and types of dollhouses that are available for your purchase. The one you choose should be based on the age of your child, the types of dolls that your child will be using in the dollhouse, the size of the room it is going into and aesthetics.

Playscale dollhouses
Dollhouses come in a variety of sizes and scales. If your child likes to play with Barbie
 and fashion model size dolls then you are going to want to buy a kit for what is called a playscale size dollhouse. These dollhouses accommodate dolls up to 12” and are usually sturdy enough for active play. Playscale houses can be made of metal or plastic or wood based. Sturdy wood playscale dollhouses are slightly more expensive than metal or plastic but they are likely to last longer. Most playscale dollhouses are quite reasonably priced. Most fashion dollhouses will also come with furniture. Most of these dollhouses are quite simple to put together requiring only minor assembly.

Dollhouses for young children
If your child is quite young then you are going to want a very sturdy dollhouse with fairly large pieces of furniture and accessories that will be easy to handle. Most dollhouses are not appropriate for children under the age of six. There are miniature buildings for both
boys and girls that are more appropriate for 3-6 age range including firehouses and log cabins. The Crockett’s Log Cabin Kit is an example of an inexpensive simple first dollhouse or cabin in the 1:12 scale.

For an older child
Any of the dollhouses in the 1:12 scale is appropriate for an older child. For an older child a dollhouse is really about style and the look of the house. Some dollhouses are quite large so you will need to think about where the dollhouse is going to go. If you are a grandparent or relative who will be giving the dollhouse realize that the parents of the child may not be enthusiastic about a dollhouse that is going to take up a large part of a bedroom. If the child shares a room or has a small bedroom you might want to think about a dollhouse that is more vertical than horizontal or that is relatively small in size. It helps to know the preferences of the child in question. Does she like historical buildings such as a Southern mansion or does she live in a townhouse and is going to want a dollhouse that looks like her own home. Ask yourself does she like everything in bright colors or is she all about pink. These kinds of questions will help you decide which dollhouse kit is the right one for your special child.