Sneak peek: Toys for social emotional development don’t have to be boring. These ideas will keep kids growing, learning, and having fun.
My four-year-old was at it again. He, his big brother and I were doing our usual Target run and they had convinced me to go to the toy aisle. What was I thinking?
The whining and begging from the little guy began pretty much as soon as we entered the first aisle that contained Hot Wheels or Nerf guns.
“Mom, can we get this?” he asked-whined (parents, you know that’s a real phrase)
“No, sweetie,” I say in my trying-to-not-get-upset voice. “You know, I said we are just looking, not buying today.”
“But Mooooooom, it sooooo cool,” he says in that dramatic voice.
You parents know how this goes and it hardly ever ends well. Many times, we leave the store with someone crying (hopefully not me).
I get it. He’s only four. Only recently has he gained any mental capacity for thinking of anyone outside himself. He’s emotionally immature in many ways. Even though he’s mastered many aspects of toddler development, he’s still learning to regulate his emotions. And those toys are SO tempting. Luckily, my eight-year-old has matured to the point where he can handle the toy aisle without fits of whining.
Unfortunately, as any holiday approaches, this focus on toys, rather than gratitude or giving tends to only increase in our kids. So this year, in thinking about how to approach gift-giving, I decided I will focus on helping parents find gift ideas to promote positive child development. That is, toys for emotional development that help promote the social and emotional development that we want to encourage.
In other words, gifts that will help them grow more towards gratitude than “gimme.” The core of this mindset is a set of social emotional skills that take years to build. However, parents can be key guides in this development process. Through interaction, connection, and modeling, your kids’ emotional development can blossom. Unlike the “hot” toy of the moment, the gift that these social-emotional skills bring is happiness and contentment that is deeper than one season.
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Related reading: What I learned from MLK’s Legacy About Emotion Regulation in Kids
So without further ado, here is this year’s list of gifts and toys for emotional development:
Toys for Social Emotional Development
These games may just seem like family fun (which they are) but they all involve trying to perceive another person’s thoughts or feelings–key emotional skills that our kids can develop.
A fun kit of creative and interactive activities and games to help kids learn about feelings.
Instead of competing against one another, teams in this game work together to help the three dinosaurs escape from the volcanic eruption. It builds strategy, teamwork, and social emotional skills.
I’m really excited about this one because it involves both active play and social skills. Kids have to advise the characters on what to do in certain social situations. Plus there are cards to perform physical skills involving balance and coordination.
Wonder Crate
Now, this is an awesome idea! A kids’ subscription (or one time) activity box all focused on building social-emotional skills like empathy, resilience, confidence, and mindfulness. I just found this box but it is definitely on my list to try out with my boys.
A special card game that helps parents and connect while also learning about social-emotional skills like growth mindset and confidence. This is one of the best toys for emotional development that I’ve seen.
No ordinary plush toy; this feelings toy helps kids understand their emotions and label their feelings. Understanding feelings and using the language for emotions is the first step in kids learning to manage their emotions without tantrums and meltdowns.
Aren’t these the cutest thing? When I saw these, I knew immediately I had to include them. Each kit comes with a big animal and smaller “feelings” creatures inside. These cute emotional toys help kids learn about feelings and how to cope with them. Each set also includes a “Feel Guide” to help parents explain emotions to their children better.
You may also enjoy: Social-Emotional Development: The Ultimate Guide for Parents
For young kids, learning what the different emotions look like and the names for each is the first step in learning emotional skills. These eggs make learning emotions a fun game.
Kindness Activities for Kids
In addition to learning about sharing and kindness, we also have to act on these values too. There are many fun and meaningful options for doing kind and charitable acts together with our kids.
It’s a kindness activity disguised as an art project. One your child is done painting, place the rocks around parks or playgrounds to be shared.
Books that foster social emotional skills
Pretend play for emotional development
Kids love to care for animals but with this fun set, there is no real mess to clean up. Kids can learn empathy and caregiving skills while pretend playing vet’s office.
I’ve written before about the developmental benefits of dress-up play and it doesn’t have to be Halloween for this to be the case. One of the best toys for social emotional development is a costume. Kids love dressing up and taking on all the details of a different role or personality.
Okay, parents, you will love this one. A toy that encourages cooperative skills and reinforces the need for chores.
Dollhouses are not just for girls anymore! Now that there are these nice gender-neutral ones on the market, any kid will want to try it out. Role-playing “mom,” “dad,” or “baby” is one of the best ways for kids to learn empathy and perspective-taking.
Puppets are really underrated in today’s world of high-tech toys. We have only had a few in our house, but the kids always come up with such creative ways to use them–reenact stories, battle each other, or take on all sorts of silly voices. Believe it or not, this all helps build emotional and cooperation, and language skills.
Okay, parents, I hope these ideas give you help for finding toys that promote social and emotional development. Focusing on items that promote positive child development and build social-emotional skills will result in meaningful benefits for your kids for years to come.
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clare
awesome list!!! i love sarah m too!
Sarah
I love these ideas!! Definitely keeping these bookmarked!!