How to Set Up Your Dollhouse as an Invitation to Play

Dollhouse Set up Doesn't need to be perfect

One of the biggest misconceptions I see around dollhouse play, both as a former early childhood educator and now as a mom, is that it needs to be set up perfectly.

Tiny furniture arranged just so. Every room complete. Everything matching. This is beautiful and lovely but just not necessary at the end of the day. 

Over the years, I've learned something important: children don’t need a finished scene. They need an invitation.

An invitation to play isn’t about how much you set up. It’s about how much space you leave.

In early childhood settings, we often talk about “invitations to play” as a way of gently sparking curiosity without directing the outcome. The goal isn’t to show children what to play, but to quietly suggest that play is welcome. 

A dollhouse can do all of this and the great thing is, you don't even need much! 

Heck, you don't even need a Dollhouse. Get yourself a cardboard box and watch your child's imagination take off! 

Here are a few items I use to invite play, alongside our dollhouses......

Simple Ways to Set Up an Invitation to Play (Using What You Already Have)

1. A few wooden blocks

Blocks can become beds, tables, stairs, counters, or even “walls.” Their simplicity invites children to decide what each piece is meant to be.

2. Wooden train tracks or curved track pieces

These make wonderful pathways, fences, bridges, or room dividers inside a dollhouse world, no trains required.

3. Fabric scraps, scarves, or a doily 

A small piece of fabric can become a blanket, rug, curtain, picnic blanket, or cape. Soft textures often spark nurturing play.

4. A small basket or bowl

This can act as a bed, a cradle, a laundry basket, a shopping basket, or a place to “collect” things throughout the story.

5. A matchbox or small cardboard box

These can become drawers, mailboxes, suitcases, ovens, pet beds, or tiny rooms. Kids love containers.

Setting up a dollhouse as an invitation to play doesn’t mean doing more it means doing less with intention.

At Bitsy World, our mission is to offer toys and stories that invite open-ended play. Dollhouses have always been a favorite in our home, and watching my girls return to them again and again has shaped how I design, with intention, simplicity, and room for stories to grow.