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From Dolls to Offsprings:

The Effects of Childhood Roleplaying Games
on Effective Motherhood
Erin Marie D.C. San Valentin
University of the Philippines Los Baos

SP: How do childhood role-playing games help a girl acquire good

mother/wife characteristics?
TS: Childhood roleplaying games can help a girl acquire good
mother/wife characteristics by exposing them to different roles
that give a child an idea of the duties and responsibilities done
by the character the child portrays.
I.

Experience shapes a childs performance as an adult.

A. Play is beneficial part of childhood.
1) Children acquire experience from play.
2) Children develop cognitive and psychosocial skills.
3) Other traits such as self-regulation, social competence,
and creativity are also developed.
B. Play is an inevitable part of childhood.

II.

There were toys created specifically to help further develop

useful skills.
A. Ancient people also used toys to train children
1) Wheeled carts were imitated and made into toys around
2000 BCE, as seen in an ancient carving in Greece.
2) Around 2400 BCE, dolls were already present in Egypt to
train the children for household work and care.
3) In Europe, toy horses were popularized to train boys for
actual horse-riding.
B. In roleplaying, children assume characters of different
people.
1) Children make use of their imagination and materials
available.
2) Children have the idea of sex-role identifications.
3) Make-believe play teaches the children to regard other
peoples thoughts, opinions, perspectives , and feelings
in their role-taking.

III.

There are different dolls targeted to young girls.

A. With the use of dolls, a young girl can assume the role of a
mother, a friend, or even a rival of the doll.
B. Barbie dolls seem to be the most successful in the doll
industry.
1) The use of the Barbie dolls encourages children how to
plan outfits for both the doll and her.

2) Some have responded negatively with the use of the

dollsteaching the children to be idealistic and
materialistic, among many others.
3) On the positive outlook, Barbie dolls have inspired girls
to be creatice, confident, and fashionable. (Basten,
2009)
C. Inventive dolls are more useful in developing good
mother/wife characteristics than fashion dolls.
1) The Baby Think It Over Doll and Betsy Wetsy
imitates an infant and likewise have their needs that
should be fulfilled by the child who acts as its caregiver.
2) Both dolls were created to help the consumers realize
the difficulties of child-bearing.
IV.

There are other types of role-playing games

A. Playing house is a classic game in which children can
assume different roles such as parents, children, and even
teachers.
B. Technology has helped role-playing games evolve.
1) Tamagotchi, like the dolls, emphasizes responsibility and
nurturance.
2) Although the children learns how to care for the pets,
Tamagotchi was also found to be negatively affecting
the emotional growth of some children.

V.

How do children apply the skills they have obtained from

childhood play?
A. Jeann Piagets Theory of Cognitive Development is one
theory that can explain.
1) Children carry the acquired skills and turn them into an
existing knowledge that can be later accessed in their
brains.
2) Environment and experience shape a childs perception
of morality.
B. A child develops her own concept of morality through play
and experience and thus will be able to guide her in
becoming the best mother to her family.

When you were a child, do you remember having brought your favorite toy car
with you anywhere you went? Do you remember the name you gave to that little teddy
which you hugged in your sleep? Do you miss the tea parties you have spent with Ken
and Barbie? There may be some moments when you will feel nostalgic playing around
with your favorite toys. At the same time, you might also start feeling silly as you
remember those days in which you thought your toys were the most valuable things in the
world. However, if you were to be asked how your childhood play has affected you as a
person, will you be able to reflect on how the toys and games have left an impact on your
character and personality as a continuously developing individual? This paper will focus
on explaining how a childsmore specifically, a girlsrole-playing activities, through
toys and games, help in developing sensible parent characteristics.
Psychologists believe that early experience can also be considered as one of the
many factors that affect a persons performance as an adult (Moss, 1970). It is noticeable
that most of the childrens time is being spent on playing. Generally, play becomes a
beneficial part of their childhood. Not only does play develop childrens cognitive skills,
but it also enhances their psychosocial abilities (Shaffer, 1989). These abilities are not
limited in the childs capability to play; rather, they include the childs ability to express

himself during such activities. Play also develops traits within the child such as selfregulation, social competence, and creativity, among others (Johnson, Sevimli-Celik, &
Al-Mansour, 2013).
Why do the young ones love to play? Do they play for the rewards or do they
simply play because it is their nature to do so? According to Hegeler (1963) in his book
Choosing Toys for Children, a child is born with nothing much to do but play. Children
play not because they want to learn or to get a reward; instead, they play because they
find it fun and, therefore, enjoy themselves. Through play, they learn small tasks that
eventually turn into a habit. In Hegelers example, playing tidying-up helps a child
develop an understanding that things should be put back in order in their original places.
Of course, at an early stage, children would not be able to realize the objectives behind
the tidying-up game. It will only be later in life that these children will be able to
realize that what made them acquire certain skills was their play. For example, a child
who is able to able to skillfully clean things up and put them back in order was able to
acquire such skills from his early activity of playing tidying-up. Hegelers example
supports psychologists findings that play is more than an instrument in enjoying the
childhood years. Rather, play can also be considered helpful in nurturing the child in
terms of his cognitive development.
To further develop some useful skills, there were some toys created to aid and
prepare the children with what they need as they grow up. As early as 2000 years Before
the Common Era (BCE), there were playthings such as wheeled carts for children. An

illustration of this instrument has been found carved on a Greek jar which was dated 2400
BCE. These mini-wheeled carts were imitations of the real carts. The real ones were used
by the ancient Greek to easily transport different items. Around the same time, dolls were
discovered to be present in Egypt. Both toys were believed to be tools in training children
for work and household caring, aside from entertaining themselves. In the same way, toy
horses were popularized in Europe during the Middle Ages so as to prepare the families
boys for riding the actual horses (Lindon, 2001).
These are examples of play that only involve enjoyment instead of work. Another
example would be roleplaying, wherein a child assumes the character of other people.
Since this paper will focus mainly on how roleplaying affect young girls concept
and ability of being a good mother and/or wife characteristics, the author will focus more
on play, toys, and activities which are normally targeted to girls. As playing with toys
targeted for boys enhances skills of versatility, activity and manipulative play, as studied
by Martin and Halverson (1981), Block (1984), and Caldera and Sciaraffa (1998), Liss
(1983) has observed that playing with feminine toys enhances skills such as proximity,
nurturance, and role-play. (Basten, 2009)
To be an effective mother of the household, one must not only communicate well
with the members of the family but also with the rest of the members of the society.
Indeed, it is challenging to be able to understand the thoughts of others. However, this
trait can be developed as a child.

It is only in the childs second or third year when a child starts to engage in makebelieve play. In this kind of play, children make use of their imagination and the objects
available to them. According to Hurlocks (1956) Childhood Development, the makebelieve play of children is a mirror of the culture which surrounds them, in that it
dramatizes events of their everyday lives. Another definition of make-believe play
comes from Jersild (1960), wherein he characterizes it as a play in which the child
deals with materials or situations as if they had attributes other than those they actually
have. It can also be noticed that children start to assume roles; the girls usually take the
characters of mothers, models, or businesswomen, while the boys assume the roles of
soldiers, heroes, or craftsmen. Some studies have shown that as children learn to take
such roles, they also start to develop their social skills. By taking different roles, they are
able to have even the simplest idea of becoming what they are role-playing (Moss, 1970).
A persons ability to regard others thoughts, feelings, and perspectives can be referred to
as role taking (Shaffer, 1989).
As stated by Almon (n.d.), a study conducted by Sara Smilansky in 1970s to
1980s showed the children who engaged in play, specifically dramatic play, were the ones
who showed positive results in communicating with others-- adjusting emotionally and
socially, and having a broader imagination than those who refuse to participate in
different activities.
One of the most common toys that young girls play with is the doll. With dolls,
girls can assume a lot of different roles with them. A child can play as a mother, a friend,

or even a rival to the doll. Through this, children can be more creative and, at the same
time, practice their role-taking capabilities. In addition, Basten (2009) has stated that
feminine toys have also helped to foster nurturance and proximity.
Companies that manufactured dolls were present even before the 1900s. As the
doll industry boomed, companies products start to have variations. Produced dolls vary
in shape, size, form, and texture. It is also in the 1900s that dolls functioned more than
just display or entertainment. Other dolls were used as models in showing different
nationalities costumes and at the same time incite the childrens interest in different
cultures. It has also been found out that starting from 1930s to 1940s, some dolls were
actually used in teaching young girls how to sew their own clothes by using the dolls as
an alternative for sewing samplers (Kernan, 2008).
Barbie dolls have been considered one of the most successful products in the doll
industry since its first release in the market (Kernan, 2008). Though these perfectly
groomed dolls were originally targeted for older women, it has been very appealing to the
young girls who once patronized the soft and huggable stuffed dolls. With the Barbie
dolls, young girls are able to manipulate the outfit of the dolls. Barbie products are not
limited to the dolls; the company also manufactured other useful things for Barbie such as
cars, closets, and make-up tables. However famous and enjoyable this doll may be, some
studies have found that Barbie dolls have brought along some negative traits. Some
children tend to be materialistic and idealistic, while others become more self-conscious
due to the desire to be like the flawless doll. On the positive outlook, Barbie dolls have

inspired girls to be creative, confident, and fashionable, some traits that children may
further develop as they grow (Basten, 2009).
Basten (2009) has also shown different inventive dolls in his publication. These
inventive dolls were said to be more realistic than the fashion dolls in a way that these
dolls possess one or two humanly characteristics like producing crying sounds or having
eyes that can blink on its own. Mostly, these inventive dolls were to imitate infantsor
childrenfor the young ones to assume the role of the dolls guardian. Another example
cited in Bastens work was the Baby Think It Over doll. This doll is manipulated by a
computer simulation software in which the caregiver can choose the difficulty of
handling the imitated infant. Again, dolls like the Baby Think It Over and Betsy
Wetsy were originally created to let the consumers realize the difficulties of handling a
child. Relating this with the concept of role taking discussed above, having such a doll
will be able to help in familiarizing one to the duties and responsibilities of having a real
infant in a household. A child exposed to such playthings will be more familiar with
motherhood skills such as changing a childs diaper and clothes when needed and feeding
an infant when hungry, among many others. These acquirable skills can be further applied
when the girl is faced with the real challenge of motherhood.
Another common type of roleplaying game is the favorite playing house in
which children assume roles of different kinds of peoplefrom parents roles to teachers
and firefighters characters. In this kind of play, the role-taking ability of a child is
probably enhanced the most (Hartley, Frank, & Goldenson, 1964). Playing house

exercises childrens sense of responsibility and problem solving. For example, two
children are portraying the roles of a father and a mother. With their sense of sexidentification roles, both of them will be able to decide who will do what work. The child
acting as the mother might stay in the house and do household chores and take care of
their child, while the father goes out to work. If both of the children imagine that, for
example, the family television breaks, the child portraying the character of a father might
feel responsible for fixing the television. The interactions between the participants

of

playing the game help develop the childrens social and communication skills (Pogrebin,
1980). Specifically, it has been observed that playing such make-believe play develops
characteristics such as determination, self-discipline, and good manners, among many
others (Hurlock, 1956).
Playthings have evolved through time. Electronic games have offered newer and
broader variety that children can play with. Around 1996, Japanese manufacturer Bandai
released the first Tamagotchi in the market (Mystic Fortress, 2004). Tamagotchi offered
the first virtual pet in a small egg-like faade, as the name implies (tamago, egg;
-tchi,, suffix to imply small) (Nakao, 1997). The goal of the game is to take care of the
virtual pets and take responsibility for its growth, as well as prolonging the pets lives
instead of letting it die early. To achieve such goal, the player must regularly feed, clean,
and medicate the pet. The virtual pets communicate their needs through small beeps, so
as to catch their owners attention (Singer & Singer, 2001). The Tamagotchi craze was not
limited to young players, but was also able to catch the adults interest.

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As small as it may seem, Tamagotchi promotes nurturance among its players.

Tamagotchi manufacturers intentionally made the toy to imitate real life. Thus, some
Japanese parents view it as training for their child to become responsible pet owners
(Singer & Singer, 2001). Another important matter was that the Tamagotchi owners tend
to become attached to their pets (Steinberg, Parmar, & Richard, 2006). Unlike the batteroperated dolls, the Tamagotchi actually hatches from the egg until it grows, and
eventually dies. Singer and Singer (2001) were able to find some cases in which children
actually grieve over the death of their Tamagotchi pets. Though the device is equipped
with a reset button, psychologists have found out the negative effect of the reset function
(Steinberg, Parmar, & Richard, 2006). Psychologists feared that children would think that
the reset function would also be applicable in real life.
Other ideas emerged upon the creation of Tamagotchi. Different versions were
released such as Angels Tamagotchi, which marketed the resurrection of the dead
Tamagotchi pets (Steinberg, Parmar, & Richard, 2006). However, most of these versions
were patterned with the traditional Tamagotchi. Thus, most of the pets in these virtual
games die, if not disappear, due to the owners lack of care or responsibility for the pets.
Having said that, such virtual games teach the young players to be more conscious and
responsible of their pets and their pets needs.
As stated, both role-playing with dolls and playing house and simulated games
develop useful characteristics within a young girl. Among the skills enhanced by such

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kinds of play, which of those are traits are desirable characteristics of a mother and/or
wife?
According to Shaffer (1989), children associate their parents with warmth and
affection. They visualize the mother as someone who is understanding, and is willing to
give all for the love of her child. In Eriksons (1969) words, a mother is a woman who
seems to know no law but that of giving. A mother/wife should also be supportive,
responsible, and most importantly, mindful of her familys needs. Studies of Lerner
(1937), Meltzer (1943), Duvall (1946), Cederquist (1948), and Mott (1954) have shown
that the child perceives his mother as the person who does things for him, takes care of
his physical needs with understandingand who comes to the childs aid in time of
trouble (Hurlock, 1956). Through these kinds of role-playing games, the young girls are
able to exercise the ideal traits and skills of a mother.
However, how do children carry the things they learn from childhood play to
when they become adults? How do they apply the skills they have acquired from their
role-playing games?
One of the many possible ways to answer these questions is to make use of Jeann
Piagets Theory of Cognitive Development, which involves the use of the two processes:
assimilation and accommodation. The two concepts simply imply that new information
can be turned into an existing knowledge (assimilation) and that this knowledge can later
be accessed in peoples brains whenever they need it (accommodation) (King, 2008).
Thus, although a young girl grows up and eventually gets tired of the usual dolls and

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games, she will be able to retrieve the knowledge and skills that she was able to
accumulate before.

In 1959, Maccoby has stated in his publication Role-taking in Childhood and its
Consequences for Social Learning that children has the most tendency to learn and
acquire morality from his environment since one is not born with a concrete and
established sense of morality. In addition, Jersild (1960) also mentioned that a child is not
born knowing the differences between right and wrong. The child acquires his perception
of morality through experience. Environment and experience also includes influencing
factors like the childs family and peers (Jersild, 1960).
By the time motherhood comes, the child must have had her own views and
perspectives when it comes to moral values. Thus, the values she has learned through
play during childhood may or may not be followed assuming that the child now has a
picture of what is and what is not morally correct. Her concept of morality, then, will be
her guide in becoming the best mother to her family when the time eventually comes.
Since play is an inevitable part of childrens lifestyle, children learn from their
play activities in every way possible. Children are able to discover and develop skills that
they probably cannot acquire through formal education. However, play also continues to
evolve together with the younger generations interest. Some children will now prefer to
sit down, spend some time with a tablet and play games there instead. Fortunately, child-

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targeted applications offer a wide variety of genre, including role-playing games. Perhaps
more applications with the same concept as the live play should be developed so as not to
compromise the benefits of the real and active play.

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