According to psychologists, our children’s toys help in shaping their worldview. Parents often find that their black, brown, or children of other ethnicities are rather underrepresented and find themselves navigating the task of teaching their child how to survive in a society that sometimes gives unintentional messages which may contribute to their self-esteem.
Here’s why ethnic dolls are important to have:
Representation matters
It’s important for young children of different ethnicities to see characters, dolls, and toys that resemble, depict, and represent them. You might find your ethnic child playing solely with light-skinned dolls or choosing characters with lighter shades compared to the darker ones available.
As a parent, you don’t want your baby to believe that skin tones other than theirs are better or prettier. With the current social injustices and racial discrimination against people of color, it’s important to give positive messages to your child about their curls and melanin.
Expanding worldview
Sharing cultural experiences with children outside of the playroom can strengthen their positive feelings towards their own ethnicity. It’s also essential to introduce them to popular cultural role models who are confident in their skin color. Dolls don’t only have to be tools of self-love though! You can use them as an excellent way to foster understanding and respect for people from different backgrounds. Kids should have a wide variety of dolls that reflect the world they live in to truly value what’s there.
Productive playtime
Buying ethnic dolls for your child from birth is a great way of surrounding them with a positive image of different people from the very beginning. You won’t have to prepare a big speech about their ethnicities when introducing new dolls later on. Children often use dolls to visualize social interactions and play out scenarios from real life, so it’s a great way of understanding what your child thinks of different ethnicities and delivering subtle self-empowering messages.
Excluded from history
Black dolls didn’t even exist around the 1940s—children had no other choice but to paint their toys and dolls brown and black. While black dolls are finally commercially available 80 years later, their imagery reflects mainstream standards of beauty in America and doesn’t display ethnic facial features.
Toys and dolls can be more than just playmates—they provide children with dreams, ideas, and confidence that they carry well into their adult lives. It’s important to strive to foster a positive identity for your child so that they can be proud of everything that makes them, them.
Buy ethnic African American dolls today!
Do you want to encourage these positive traits in your child? Brains and Beauty Dolls has got you covered! We’re a high-quality online black-owned toy shop that provides doll lovers and children with beautiful black dolls with natural hair that can be styled and taken care of just like real hair! Our dolls serve as a companion to young children as they grow, encouraging them with motivational phrases every step of the way.
Check out our collection and pretty black dolls for kids today! Got any questions? Contact us at [email protected] for more information.