6 Barbie-licious games to play

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[Image from Artsy Crafty Mom]

Barbies are a big thing for girls of a certain age. As are Monster High dolls, Bratz and the rest of the doll gang. And once your child has wrangled her Barbie out of the box (an entire afternoon could be dedicated to cutting her loose from all that plastic packaging!) there are limitless imaginary games that can be played – and hours, days and weeks of fun ahead.

Here are six of our favourite imaginary games your child can play with Barbie – once they have selected the perfect outfit, of course!   

Make dolls' clothes together

Most plastic dolls are fashion fiends – little girls always need something new to dress them in! You can make a wardrobe full of clothes without sewing a thing. Small socks become an instant Barbie frock when you snip out a neck hole and arm holes. Or mould some aluminium foil into a sparkly tube dress, or turn a coffee filter into a skirt with these recycled fashion ideas. Before you know it, you'll have a full dolly fashion line.

Have a doll fashion parade

Now it's time for Barbie to show off her new look! A fashion parade is easy to set up – all you need is a table long enough to act as a runway. Turn on the CD with some bouncy happy tunes (think Katy Perry), grab a flashlight for mood lighting and "paparazzi snaps" – and you're set. You'll rival runways in Milan and Paris from your living room. Tres chic, oui?

Set off on a Barbie cruise

Your daughter and her dolly would love an island cruise. A cake tin makes a great ship, or you can create a real luxury liner out of a shoebox. Set sail, using your carpet as the ocean and a bean bag as the island. You can even top your island with some toilet roll trees. But … maybe your daughter will discover creatures living on the island. Raid the toy box for island inhabitants and see what happens!

Make a doll soccer field

Time to try our for the next World Cup – dolly style! Set up a soccer field either outside on the grass, or inside on an old green towel. Whip up some goals with old popsicle sticks and a stocking (or cheat like I do and cut an empty ice cream container in half) and chuck a bouncy ball into the fray. Add a few little girls, their dolls, and you've got a real-life game of Fooz Ball. Game on!

Set up a school room

Get your daughter to act as teacher and run her very own lesson with a slate board and a dry erase marker. Her doll will be the attentive student! They can go over maths, reading, or whatever else your daughter learnt in school, (plus teach Barbie a thing or two). And when they're both bored of school work, it's time for a school emergency drill.

Play hospital

Let's face it – all that loving play means Barbie's bound to get a bit bashed up. So if your daughter's doll is looking worse for wear, book her in for a hospital visit. Your daughter will love tending to her until she gets better. Set up a shoebox bed so Barbie can convalesce wherever her "carer" is. Make some 'get well soon' cards together and before you know it, that doll will be as good as new!