Handing your kid a tablet might keep them busy, but it won’t necessarily help them figure out what other people are thinking or feeling. New research suggests that playing with dolls builds that ability more effectively than time spent on tablet games.
In a randomized trial, children aged 4 to 8 who played with dolls over several weeks improved more on a task that measures how well they can follow someone else’s mistaken belief. That skill underpins how kids form relationships and navigate social situations.
Families were asked to encourage regular play at home over about six weeks. Some children received dolls, while others used tablets loaded with open-ended games. After the intervention, researchers tested how well kids could separate their own knowledge from what another person believes is true.
Kids in the doll group made stronger gains, pointing to a real difference in how these types of play shape developing minds.
A controlled test with clear results
This wasn’t a loose observation or casual comparison between activities. Children were randomly assigned to each group, which helps isolate the effect of the toy itself. Parents tracked play sessions, and most kids spent hours with their assigned activity over the study period.
When tested afterward, the doll group showed greater improvement on the belief task. The effect held even after accounting for age and other factors, which strengthens the case that the type of play drove the change.
The takeaway here is straightforward and practical for parents. What kids play with can influence how they think about other people.
Why dolls change how kids think
The difference starts with how kids engage during play sessions. Children were more likely to bring other people into doll play, while tablet use leaned more toward solo time.
Doll play also changed how kids talked during those sessions. They referred more often to what characters wanted, felt, or believed, which gave them repeated practice in tracking someone else’s perspective.
That kind of mental rehearsal builds over time and becomes more natural. It helps kids develop the habit of stepping outside their own viewpoint in everyday situations.
Tablet games in the study were creative and open-ended, but they didn’t push that same pattern of thinking as consistently.
What parents should take from this
This doesn’t mean tablets are harmful, but they didn’t deliver the same kind of social practice in this setup. Even with open-ended games, the gains in understanding others lagged behind.
One group benefited the most in this study. Children with more peer-related difficulties showed the biggest improvements when playing with dolls, suggesting this kind of play offers a lower-pressure way to rehearse social situations.
The takeaway remains practical and easy to apply at home. If you want to support how your child reads other people, make space for pretend play. Toys that encourage storytelling and role play can do more for social development than another stretch of screen time.
Stephan is the sports journalist for the Maple Grove Report.
