Nurturing Play With Dolls/Stuffed Animals
Child shows nurturing behavior by hugging, rocking, feeding, or caring for dolls or stuffed animals
What the research says
Referenced across 1 developmental framework: asq_3
Full quotes, source languages, and document links coming soon as we finish the source-evidence indexing pass.
Before this (4)
Required
—
Helpful (2)
- EmpathyMin: emergingEmerging empathy supports nurturing behaviors
- Pretend PlayMin: emergingPretend play enables nurturing scenarios
Character (2)
How it's taught
Provide dolls and stuffed animals; model nurturing behaviors; talk about caring for babies; allow child to observe real caregiving
Materials: Baby dolls, stuffed animals, doll blankets, toy bottles, pretend diapers
What mastery looks like
Does not show nurturing behaviors toward dolls or stuffed animals
- Ignores dolls and stuffed animals
- Throws or bangs dolls
- Shows no pretend nurturing behaviors
Beginning to show occasional nurturing behaviors
- Occasionally hugs doll or stuffed animal
- May imitate nurturing after seeing adult model it
- Nurturing is brief and inconsistent
Regularly shows nurturing behaviors in play
- Hugs dolls and stuffed animals regularly
- May pat or rock them
- Nurturing behaviors becoming more frequent
Consistently shows varied nurturing behaviors
- Hugs, pats, rocks dolls and stuffed animals
- May cover them with blanket or offer them food
- Nurturing is spontaneous and sustained
- Pretends to rock, feed, change diapers, put to bed
Nurturing play is elaborate and integrated into pretend scenarios
- Creates nurturing scenarios (putting baby to bed, feeding)
- Shows concern when doll is 'hurt' or 'sad'
- Nurturing behaviors are complex and varied
- Talks to doll while caring for it
Related activities
No activities directly mapped to this yet. These are age and domain-appropriate alternatives.
Share Bear
Parent and child practice sharing using stuffed animals or siblings. The agent coaches the parent to observe the child's willingness to share, understanding of fairness, and emotional response to giving and receiving.
Kindness Quest
Parent and child plan and do three kind things for family members. The agent coaches the parent to observe the child's empathy, initiative, and understanding that kindness makes others feel good.
Shape Explorer — Feeling and Sorting Treasures
Parent guides toddler through exploring objects of different shapes, textures, and sizes. Agent coaches parent to observe the child's understanding of physical properties through a natural sorting and exploring game with household items.
Tower Time — Stacking and Balancing Fun
Parent and toddler play a block-stacking game where the agent guides the parent to observe hand coordination, release control, and spatial understanding as the child attempts to stack objects. Celebrates every attempt and crash equally.
Your Turn, My Turn — The Sharing Game
Parent and preschooler play structured games that require turn-taking — rolling a ball, building together, or a simple card game. Agent guides parent to observe waiting ability, sharing, empathy, and social regulation during interactive play.
Affection-language practice
Parent teaches and models short affectionate phrases in your family's language(s), and invites the child to say them back. Builds emotional vocabulary and comfort with declarations of love. Agent coaches the parent to keep it light and not force reciprocation.
Formal assessments
No matching assessment items indexed yet.
Standardised assessment view
2 instruments measure this construct. The construct page shows how each one approaches it and at what age range.
View as assessment construct →