28 Photos of Boys Playing With Dolls That Will Make You Go “Awww”
Have you heard of the Strong Is the New Pretty† campaign? A photographer made it her mission to counteract the stereotype that being a girl means being weak—and the photos are amazing.
But what about boys?
Because when we see pictures of young boys in the media, they’re typically shown climbing, playing with cars, and getting dirty. You know, boy stuff.
Very rarely do you see photos of boys pretending to bake cookies, playing dress-up, or shushing a baby doll to sleep.
And yet, many of our sons will grow up to be husbands and fathers. Men who make healthy meals to nourish their families, men who let their daughters dress them up in plastic jewelry and floppy hats, men who perfect the art of shushing a real baby to sleep.
What Happens When a Boy Plays With Dolls
I know from talking to my friends with boys that their sons love playing with their baby dolls and play kitchens and dress-up clothes. And after countless requests from parents, the American Girl doll company finally released a boy doll. The tide is turning.
So why are we still not seeing more photos of young boys practicing their nurturing skills?
It could be that some people are scared about negative outcomes from boys playing with dolls, so let’s clear the air and look at what actually happens:
- Boys who play with dolls develop empathy.
- As they dress and feed their dolls, boys practice fine motor skills, which is important for kids to learn to do more tasks independently. (Some experts say that giving more opportunities to build fine motor skills is even more important for young kids than practicing letters and numbers.)
- Boys playing with dolls also engage in social-emotional pretend play, which teaches them how to self-regulate big emotions, helps them make sense of the world and how it works, and gives them a chance to practice social skills like cooperating and taking turns.
In other words, boys who play with dolls grow into caring, empathetic people. And that’s something the world always needs more of.
Related: 3 Simple Steps for Teaching Empathy in the Most Authentic Way
It’s Time to Catch Up
We’re fine with a female CEO on the cover of a business magazine, highlighting an article about work-life balance. But what about a photo of a male CEO holding his newborn baby and talking about the importance of parental leave?
We expect new mothers to take time off work to bond with their newborns. But when a male athlete wants to miss a couple games to spend time with his newborn baby and help his wife recover from a C-section, sports commentators are outraged.
We think nothing of a prime-time TV ad showing a girl playing with an engineering toy, but you don’t see TV ads showing a boy playing house.
Maybe it’s time for a “Caring Is the New Strong” campaign to show young boys flexing their empathy muscles. Because caring boys grow into caring husbands and fathers, and nothing could be stronger than that.
Related: 40 Questions That Will Teach Your Kid to Be Kind to Others {Printable}
28 Photos of Boys Playing With Dolls…Because Caring Is the New Strong
I started by searching stock photography sites for photos of boys playing with dolls to go along with this post. But you can probably guess what happened.
I didn’t find a single high-quality photo of a boy happily playing with a doll.
And so I asked a few friends to share photos of their boys playing with dolls, and their response was immediate.
Enjoy these sweet photos of boys playing with dolls!
Before you go, get my FREE cheat sheet: 75 Positive Phrases Every Child Needs to Hear
Your Turn
Have you seen ads or media photos of boys playing with dolls? Share in a comment below!
Wow, I’m loving the vibes! I have clients who feel the exact same way; boys should be able to play with dolls as well and explore their nuturing side! I couldn’t agree more, it’s definitely time to catch up! Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and personal experience as well as these beautiful photos :-)
These are all so sweet! I have a son after raising two daughters and he’s shown much more interest in playing with dolls and cute things than they did.
Love, Love, love.
We have a five-year gap between our oldest son Thomas and his first little brother.
When I was pregnant, I was terrified that my son would accidentally hurt his new baby brother. So we bought him a doll.
“Cody” helped Thomas practice holding, loving, and helping with gentle hands. He took Cody everywhere.
At 24-years-old he still has Cody, but alas he loves the dolls’ severed arm more than the doll itself. He likes to hold it out when he offers you “a hand”.
Thank you for this post! My son is 2 and is your average rough boy. I think getting him a doll of his own might help us teach him not to hit or pinch. These pictures are adorable!