Can you make children interested in Playmobil/ Sylvanians/ dolls house and similar stuff?

[JingleCells]

I have six year old girl/boy twins (year 1). Some of my favourite childhood toys were my dolls house and Sylvanians. I didn't have Playmobil as a child but have fallen in love with it as an adult as I just think all the tiny accessories and the different sets are adorable.

I am writing this in full knowledge that people are different, and you can't make them like things, but I'm really gutted that neither of them play with any of the Playmobil sets (police, house, vets, nursery) they've been given for Christmas and birthdays, nor the Sylvanian stuff I had as a child, or the dolls house and dolls, furniture etc that was a requested Christmas gift last year (played with briefly after opening and then left alone).

Is there anything I can do to gently encourage this stuff, or do I just accept it's not for them and pass it all on to someone who'll like it?

The dolls house is always out on full view, but for tidiness/space reasons the Playmobil and Sylvanian stuff does get packed away. Do I just keep bringing it out and setting up scenes? Play with it myself and hope they'll join in? Or exchange them for better children?

I can't really remember the age I was when I was really into this stuff, so are they too young maybe? They don't really seem massively into imaginary play with toys although they do like having feasts with play food, so maybe it's just not their thing.

Thanks @SoMuchToBits

Nope, mine was never interested! He did have a rich imaginary world with his 90 billion teddies though, and I had no interest whatsoever in stuffed toys as a child myself.

Also preferred Minecraft over Lego as soon as he got access to it (builds houses, zoos, farms etc). Still trying to interest him in reading (he likes being read to, but not reading to himself).

I don't think you can make them like it really. You can try playing with it yourself and see if they join in but be prepared that it's just not their thing.

I absolutely loved Lego, my dolls house and playing with dolls till I was so old I had to hide it from friends, I was about 14 when I stopped with the dolls.

I assumed my daughter would love those things like I had but no. She hardly played with dolls and the dolls house was practically ignored however much I encouraged it. My son absolutely loved Lego so I played that with him.

But my granddaughter thrilled me because she loves playing with dolls, dolls houses and Lego so we have brilliant times together playing those.

So you might have to wait till you're a grandma. Put the stuff in the loft and get it out for your grandchildren.

I also have b/g twins (almost 9 - Year 4).

I also had and LOVED playmobil and slyvanian families as a child! I've still got all my old playmobil sets, but neither of them have ever been massively interested, even my dd, who does tend to like small fiddly stuff.

The playmobil has had more action with my cousins two dds, who I see a couple of times a year. They are both 13 and still ask for the playmobil out!

My DD didn't even like baby dolls when she was younger, something I loved my entire childhood, so I was quite sad about that. ALTHOUGH, this christmas she's asked for some slyvanians!! So I'm fully embracing that!

DS never had any interest in small world play particularly. He played with his cars and dinosaurs, but was more interested in the facts and figures behind them. He enjoys lego, but just likes the engineering of building the sets. I've rarely seen him building imaginatively with it.

I loved imaginative play as a child. I'd be fully immersed in scenarios for hours at a time. I even created my own currency that my characters used in shops and earnt in their "jobs". I drew street maps, showing where everyone lived, and wrote out lists of names and family trees!
It does make me a little bit sad that neither of the children are terribly into imaginative play. It bought me so many hours of joy.

DD does enjoy arts and crafts, and loves to draw, which I also did a lot of as a child, so that's nice.

I think it's a personality thing. I had one child who rarely engaged in "small world" play and one who absolutely loved it.

Bike not so much, but they definitely love baking, painting and crafts which I'm not so keen on. So definitely up for a loan of a different one. 😀

Oooh, maybe I should wait a few more years until I give up hope then, perhaps one will have a sudden change of heart!

Neither have been into baby dolls much at all, or cars really. They did used to love Fisher price people/play sets though which gave me some false hope about Playmobil and Sylvanians!

I also have boy/girl twins a little bit younger than yours - they do love sylvanians but drive me nuts taking off all their clothes (the sylvanians not the children!£ and then I have to google pictures of them to ensure they are all suitably dressed correctly! I’ve hidden the sylvanians now

and playmobil they also love but half of it goes up the hoover! Why do they need to make some of the accessories so bloody small! Don’t have thick pile rugs anywhere near playmobil!

Same experience here - I loved all that stuff too, would play for hours with my dolls house etc. Playmobil is so fabulous and i was excited to buy it for my kids - no interest. I actually wondered if life just offers too many options for kids these days so they don't sit still for long - but Lego-loving kids really can so maybe mine were just too full of energy!

My 8yo has really got into that kind of play since she is old enough to sit up and play alone in her room in the evenings (had to be in her room at a certain time but lights out is later).

When she was six she was never really alone with her toys because she followed us round the house, and if she played with her sylvanians she would rely on an adult to lead the playing.

so I would say it may still happen

What are they into playing with? That would help with understanding why they don't like more role-playing type games.

Also, different children find joy in different types of role-play. If I tried to make a house with my son out of his playmobile, or tell a cute little story... no interest at all.

But, if it is an epic battle to save the castle from the invading hoard of toys that he has decided are the "baddies" - he will be lost in his make-believe world for ages. Carefully setting up the defenses, and then playing out each little detail.