“A doll is an image of a human being and is therefore the toy most suited to develop and enliven the self-image in the growing child.” Freya Jaffka (in Toymaking with Children)
There’s something really special about basic toys like wooden dolls our kids can use to role play life. Because that’s the thing; they are no longer a toy but a tool for them to use to process their lives. As our kids try to bring the big world into some sort of manageable size, doll play serves both boys and girls well. Especially for kids who have come from hard places, the tool of doll play can be empowering for them as well as for us as parents as we try to walk through hard stuff with them.
Beccijo is a local artist and natural toy maker at The Enchanted Cupboard, an award-winning and nationally recognized Etsy store. She reached out to us originally with encouragement and appreciation for what we do to support families. And, you know what, I’m appreciative of what she is doing to support families because I really think her items such as her custom doll family could be SO helpful for families like ours whose children may look a little different. They’d also be great to help prepare children for medical procedures if she made a nurse and/or doctor doll for you (wouldn’t a custom one that looks like your child’s surgeon be awesome?). I just love these. Can you tell?
The Enchanted Cupboard is one of our partners to Build the Nest this May, giving 10% of all her sales to support the work of The Sparrow Fund. And, she’s also offered to giveaway my favorite item of hers here–the custom family doll set worth $58. Wow.
