When I first started teaching I was surprised to see Barbie dolls in the classroom. That was many years ago and the naked Barbies (as Hilary mentions they are difficult to dress) were the classic large breasted ones. It was when I heard the children calling them the Mommy dolls that I realized that they played with them differently than they did the baby dolls.
Recently I observed my grandchildren playing with their contemporary Barbies whose bodies and faces are much more realistic. "I'll be the driver", said my 8 year old granddaughter as she placed her favorite Barbie in the Barbie car she had just gotten for her birthday and "I'll sit here," said my almost 5 year old granddaughter as she placed her Barbie in the passenger seat.
I'm not advocating for or against Barbies in the classroom but I do think it's interesting to observe the different roles children take on when they play with different types of dolls.
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Margery Heyl
Chicago IL
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Original Message:
Sent: 04-10-2021 10:14 AM
From: Hilary Laing
Subject: Barbie in pre school ?
Another downside to Barbie and Ken dolls is that the clothing and shoes are very tricky to manipulate, so that young children will not gain any fine motor skills that are valuable in the process of dressing and undressing dolls. There are so many more developmentally appropriate options- let families provide Barbie and Ken if they wish at home!
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Hilary Laing
Teacher
Orono Early Learning
Orono MN
Original Message:
Sent: 04-08-2021 08:26 AM
From: Andrea Cox
Subject: Barbie in pre school ?
I recently visited a classroom where the children were playing with Barbie and Ken dolls. I have only seen baby dolls, puppets and stuffed animals in a preschool classroom. What are your thoughts on having them in the classroom?
Thank you
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