Sneak peek: Toys for 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.
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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 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.
Explore Feelings Kit
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. Builds strategy, teamwork and social-emotional skills.
 Q’s Race to the Top
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.Â
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.
These are great little reminders for kids to do each day. Simple ideas for practicing kindness, gratitude and understanding their own emotions. Easy but meaningful!
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 or charitable acts together with our kids.
Kindness Rocks: This fun and thoughtful rock painting kit is a great way to spread a little kindness in the world. Kids paint the rocks with words of kindness and leave them in public places likes parks, library gardens or schools. Fun!
Random Acts of Kindness cards: These premade cards are a great stocking stuffer idea! Tuck these into your kids’ stockings as a fun way to encourage kindness each day.
The Doll Kind: Kids love dolls but this doll is special. It fosters kindness with these little tokens that kids can pass along. Great idea!
Cuddle and Kind: These are another beautiful line of dolls that are out of the ordinary. Not only are they cute but each doll purchase helps provide 10 meals to children in need! Plus, they are heirloom quality and made by artisans using fair trade practices. Check out the link for all different varieties–dogs, flamingos, bears, sheep, and so many more animals. A lovely gift to cherish for generations.
Gifts of Foster Emotional Connection
In addition to being fun, some gifts can actually help foster an emotional connection between you and your kids. I think podcasts are one such gift. Listening together on something like an Echo while eating breakfast can be a great way to connect with kids each day.
A few of our favorite podcast to listen to together:
Books that Foster Social-Emotional Skills
Big Life Journal: My all-time favorite journal for kids. It focuses on fostering a growth mindset and other important social-emotional skills.Â
A Little Spark: a great story of kindness, bravery, forgiveness and more as two friends have to help solve a big problem. PLUS this book has cool interactive features–use your QR code reader to hear the story and songs!Â
Lovely: a wonderful story to help kids understand we are all lovely in our own way.
Pass it On: a book all about sharing kindness and joy with others.
We’re All Wonders: if you loved Wonder this is the picture book version for younger kids. My boys loved this one. We have read it at least 50 times.
The Read-Aloud Family: this isn’t a children’s book but a book for parents to encourage connection and reading together. Great lists of books, great insights.
Not Fair: how many times a week do you hear “it’s not fair” from your kids? This book can help your kids handle envy and jealousy.
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.
Police costume
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 emotional development is a costume (or several). Kids love dressing up and taking on all the details of a different role or personality. Perspective-taking skills at their best!
Pretend cleaning set
Okay, parents, you will love this one. A toy that encourages cooperative skills and reinforces the need for chores! My boys always loved helping me clean when they were about 2-3 years old. Encourage that love of cleaning with real, hands-on toys that look and function just like the adult version.
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
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 says
awesome list!!! i love sarah m too!
Sarah says
I love these ideas!! Definitely keeping these bookmarked!!