Making Friends is a website that offers free paper dolls that you can print out and your preschooler can play with. There are tons of different clothing and hair options for these dolls, with new varieties added from time to time. These paper dolls are also great for story telling, and imaginative play.
To start, go to MakingFriends.com and look for the links to the paper doll bodies. You can print two dolls out on just one piece of paper. Each doll is wearing underwear, has outstretched arms, and a round, bald head. The dolls are gender neutral, waiting to be decorated. If you child really enjoys coloring, you might want to print out the outline of these dolls. Choose from “two friends”, “two friends with glasses”, or “two friends, glasses, freckles”, (which has one doll with glasses, and the other doll with freckles). “Two friends on wheels” has two dolls that are in wheelchairs. You can also choose “one cat and one dog friend”, or “two bunny friends”. These dolls have animal heads, paws, and are standing up on their back legs.
You can also print out the dolls in color. Select a doll that comes with several hair styles, all on one page. There is a “Light skin friend with hair”, “tan skin friend with hair”, “dark skin friend with hair”, and “Asian friend with hair”. The friends on wheels come with either two light skin friends, or two dark skin friends. You can also choose the skin tone you want for two friends, or two friends with glasses. This gives your child the opportunity to play with dolls that are similar to, and different from, the members of your family.
Once you have your paper dolls printed out, it is time to give them some clothing, and hair! Click the link that says “hair for friends”, and print out a full page of many hair styles. “Themes for friends” is where to find the clothing. There are several different categories, including, “Multi-Cultural Friends”, “Career Friends”, “Spiritual Friends”, seasonal and holiday varieties, and more. All clothing and hair styles fit on all of the Making Friends paper dolls. You can print out everything on this website for free.
I would advise laminating the dolls, to make them more durable. Your preschooler can use his or her imagination to make the dolls, and the adventures the dolls will have. Use the “Spiritual Friends” to tell stories from the Bible. Test run a choice of Halloween costume, and practice Trick-or-Treating with the dolls before you go out. Create dolls that resemble your preschooler’s friends, and practice social skills. Let your preschooler express excitement over school starting, or an upcoming holiday, by using the paper dolls. The possibilities are endless!