9 best dolls’ houses for kids to inspire imaginative play

Best: Overall

Rating: 10/10

Giving the traditional, wooden dolls’ house a stylish makeover, dovetail house was a favourite with both our young testers and adults. Coming in at H 68cm x D 39.5cm x W69.5cm, it’s big without being overwhelming, and we found it a perfect size for both our toddler and five-year-old to play with together. Assembly was easier than expected, with mercifully large pieces of wood to screw together rather than mountains of smaller panels to deal with. It took us around an hour and a half to complete, although we imagine you could easily do it in under an hour if you didn’t keep getting distracted like we did. The finished build felt reassuringly sturdy – exactly as you’d hope for a “keep-forever” toy like this.

The double-fronted house opens up, offering two floors for play, with an additional level if you take the roof off (this simply lifts off, and our testers had no problems doing it themselves). Although it doesn’t come with any dolls or furniture, apart from a potted tree and flower, it’s an adaptable space where you can use what you have already – or treat yourself to their coordinating (chip-free) furniture sets, which are gorgeous. It’s the level of detail here that really wowed us; windows and shutters that open and close, window boxes, an incredible porch, a winding staircase, a wreath on the door and beautifully patterned floors, everything has been thought of to make this dolls’ house really stand out. Our testers loved walking their dolls up and down the stairs and coming up with little stories involving the fox on the side of the house. We feel like this dolls’ house is set to be a family favourite for many years to come.

Best: L.O.L. Surprise! dolls’ house

Rating: 9.5/10

L.O.L. Surprise! toys are a phenomenon. Creating a cult-like following among young kids and tweenagers, these fashion dolls (which all come with their own surprise accessories) constantly top the “most-wanted toys” lists that roll around each year.  The O.M.G House of Surprises is the latest dolls’ house from the brand, this time catering for the larger O.M.G dolls, as well as the smaller L.O.L. Surprise! figures. Not your traditional dolls’ house, this is an all-out, super-flashy, neon bright, multi-storey mansion that is a dream come true for fans of the dolls. With so many fun touches and interactive features, it’s a real show-stopper of a toy.

First off, it needs to be said that this is massive. It arrives in a box that’s 100cm wide and weighs around 26kg, and you absolutely need two people to move this around. There was no way we were getting this box upstairs on our own, so it’s worth bearing that in mind. Assembly is pretty intimidating, mainly due to the sheer number of pieces, but the step-by-step instructions featured photographs to guide you through. Yes, it’s fiddly and time consuming, but it’s a one-off build and once it’s done you are going to be very popular with the kids. We also found lots of video tutorials online, which helped us when we got a little stuck. Once built it measured H 75cm x D 32cm x L 94cm, so you will need a lot of space – and you’re definitely going to want to assemble it in place. It comes with fixings to attach the dolls’ house to the wall for safety, which is important with a toy this tall.

The four-storey house has the usual kitchen, bathroom and bedroom, as well as a fancy rooftop patio, cinema room and diner. There are six spinning rooms, which our five-year-old tester thought were ridiculous fun. They also loved the light-up fireplace and working lift, but without a doubt the biggest hit was the spiral slide from the roof to the pool (which you can even fill up with water).

As is the way with anything L.O.L. Surprise! the house comes with lots of little accessories (over 85 in this case), including everything from food for the fridge to a tiny electric toothbrush. We thought it was such a great touch how these were all packaged up in “moving boxes” for the kids to unbox – you can imagine the excitement. Everything about this dolls’ house is epic – from the neon bright colour scheme and plastic palm tree, to the attention to detail (cup holders around the pool!). If you’ve got an L.O.L Surprise! fan in your life, you can’t get better than this.

Best: Disney Princess dolls’ house

Rating: 8.5/10

It’s rare for anything Disney princess-related to not be plastic, which is why this sweet, wooden castle-style dolls’ house really won us over. Made from FSC-certified wood, it’s quick and easy to assemble, and was light enough for us to easily carry from room to room (although we wouldn’t recommend letting children carry it around).

One side features the castle façade and a working drawbridge, while the other has nine different princess-themed rooms spread out over three floors. The rooms are decorated to appeal to Disney fans, including the “seashell boutique” (complete with a working clamshell swing), spinning room with toy spinning wheel and even a ballroom à la Beauty & the Beast, which includes a fun rotating dancefloor. Both of our testers loved the six, double-sided, instantly recognisable wooden figures included, such as Snow White, Merida, Princess Jasmine and Abu the monkey. These all came with their own stands, making it easy for our littlest tester to move them around without them falling over – a constant annoyance for toddlers.

The set also comes with a small amount of furniture, like a bed, thrones and fire, although randomly some of these are made of plastic rather than wood, like the rest of the dolls’ house. The slide was the real highlight, adding an extra level of fun as our testers whizzed the princesses down at speed – many times over.

Best: Portable dolls’ house

Rating: 8/10

Children of the Seventies and Eighties may remember this iconic playset, which is back with a mini makeover – and just as much fun as ever. The Timber Tots treehouse manages to pack a lot of great features into its small size. Both our testers loved pressing the button at the top of the tree, to make it pop up to reveal inside the treehouse, and using the carry handle to take it from room to room (it’s very lightweight).

The four rooms are separated by little dividers (you just need to add the stickers and fix these in place first), creating a kitchen, living room, bathroom and hallway, all set up for storytelling play. With a foldout staircase, swing, a lift which you work by turning the branch at the side of the tree and a cute hedge hideout, there’s lots to keep little hands busy. Our two-and-a-half-year-old found everything really easy to operate, which stopped her from getting frustrated mid-play, and engaged her much longer than usual – although we’re not sure this would hold the attention of a child over seven for very long.

The treehouse-style dolls’ house comes with a little fox and bear, beds, chairs, a table, bench, armchair and car, so it’s essentially a complete set with everything a child would need to get stuck into play. We loved watching our testers come up with sweet make-believe stories, before happily packing the toys inside, popping down the top and carrying it off to put away themselves.

Best: Minimalist dolls’ house

Rating: 8/10

This beautifully pared-back dolls’ house is a feast for the eyes when you’re drowning in a sea of multi-coloured plastic toys. Made from pine wood, this is a simple hinged design, with four windows and a door at the front and a chimney on the roof, which opens at the side with an easy-to-operate (even for a toddler) metal clasp.

We were initially concerned our testers might lose interest in such a minimal design quickly, but we were happily proved wrong. If anything, having such a blank canvas to play with gave both our five-year-old and two-and-a-half-year-old free rein to let their imaginations run wild. They used their own dolls, furniture and toys to make the most of the different spaces inside the house, setting up everything from a shop to a doctor’s surgery. The vegan leather handles at the top of the house were a great touch, helping our testers to carry this around easily. While we loved the look of the wood, as it’s unfinished you (or your child) can paint or decorate the dolls’ house however you like.

Best: Dolls’ house for pre-schoolers

Score: 8.5/10

If you have a pre-schooler, chances are you’re as familiar with Peppa Pig’s house as you are with your own . Well, now you can see it in all its 3D glory thanks to this H 75cm x D25cm x W57cm colourful dolls’ house. Straight forward to assemble, this FSC-certified wooden three-storey house is impressively accurate, and our youngest Peppa Pig-mad tester’s little mind was blown as she excitedly pointed everything out to us.

Each room is fully decorated, which helps bring the dolls’ house to life, and we particularly liked the muddy puddle on the bathroom floor, which sparked some great imaginative play from our two-and-a-half year old. As well as this, the Peppa Pig dolls’ house comes with various pieces of furniture, including some excellent interactive items like a stove with sound effects and – most exciting of all – Mummy Pig’s computer that lights up with the Happy Mrs Chicken game. The house also comes with wooden Peppa and George figures, although our testers were a little confused as to why Mummy Pig and Daddy Pig were missing (these can be bought separately). The dolls’ house is a decent size, with enough room for two children to play alongside each other. With Peppa Pig’s appeal showing no sign of wavering, we think this is a solid choice for pre-schoolers.

Best: For older children

Rating: 8/10

If the Barbie fan in your life is desperate for a house for all their dolls, but you either don’t have the space or the desire for one of the huge Barbie mansions, this foldaway playset is the perfect compromise. Fully extended it measures H 91cm x D 42 cm x L61cm, so you will still need to have a decent amount of room to set it up, but it can fold down to less than half the length, making it easier to store away if needed. Assembly itself is much easier than you’d imagine; instead of screws, all the plastic panels simply click together, with just the addition of two plastic rods to slide into place (the fiddliest part of the assembly). The only issue we had was that there are a lot of stickers you need to stick in place yourself, so a steady hand is needed.

Although the dolls’ house doesn’t come with any Barbies, it’s described as “fully furnished”, with plastic furniture and all the accessories any self-respecting Barbie would need, including a foot spa! A lot of the décor comes courtesy of the stickers you’ve painstakingly fixed in place, and for the price we would have liked a little more furniture, but there’s plenty for children to play with.

While the dolls’ house’s main selling point is how it folds up to save space – a little tricky to begin with, but easy once you’ve got the hang of it – it does have some other fun features with real kid-appeal. The wall of the living room can be spun around to transform it into an entertainment room, the bathroom cabinet can be flipped out to reveal a shower, and one side of the roof clicks down to create an extra bed, so you can fit up to four Barbies in here for a sleepover.

Little features we liked included how the dining table had holes for you to click the dinner plates and glasses in place – so much better than having these constantly tip over or lost mid-play. Our testers loved exploring the rooms and looking inside the oven and fridge, as well as making up games involving the revolving wall, but funnily enough it was the fact the toilet had a lid you could lift up and down that really appealed – that’s five-year-olds for you.

Best: Personalised dolls’ house

Score: 9.5/10

With the option of having your child’s name engraved on the door, this cute woodland cottage is a thoughtful gift for little kids. Made from high-quality wood, this easy-to-assemble dolls’ house is small but perfectly formed, measuring H 21cm x D18cm x L22cm.

On each side of the dolls’ house the walls are painted with wildflowers, and inside there is a mezzanine to make the most of the space. The back panel can be removed (you just need to pull on one of the hinged edges to release it), which opens up the dolls’ house, while the panel lies flat to transform into a garden space.

There are lots of cute wooden characters and accessories included in the set, which our testers were instantly taken with. Bud, the littlest character, comes with his own mini fabric leaf sleeping bag, and our two-and-a-half-year-old loved tucking him up and saying goodnight. Our five-year-old thought the wooden swing was lots of fun and enjoyed setting up the table and chairs, as well as giving the wood-burning stove a good poke to keep everyone warm. With a rope handle to carry around, as well as its dinky size, this dolls’ house could easily be taken for night’s away at the grandparents’ without any bother.

Best: Modern dolls’ house

Rating: 9/10

Djeco took its inspiration from “signature works by the greatest modern architects” to create this contemporary dolls’s house, and it shows. This cool, colourful, open-plan design is completely different to anything else we’ve found and is the kind of toy you’d be more than happy to show off. We found it to be quite the draw, with both children and adults desperate to have a play with it once assembled.

Very straightforward to put together, it measures H 31cm x D 32cm x W 48 cm, and all the furniture and dolls are sold separately. These are certainly worth investing in if you can, as they really complement the contemporary style of the house, plus they are excellent fun to play with.

Designed with kids aged 4-10 in mind, we definitely found it was our older tester who enjoyed playing with this the most, although they’re now a bit disappointed they don’t live in a house this bright. Because the house is accessible from all sides, with no walls closing off any of the rooms, we felt it encouraged creative play, with our testers happily mixing up the rooms and creating their own crazy layouts.