5 Toys to Encourage Emotional Development in Children
Supporting children in managing their emotions can be achieved through play. These five toys are perfect for encouraging emotional development while helping children regulate their feelings.
1. Glitter Calm Down Jars
Age Group: 3-6 years
Benefits: Glitter jars are great for helping children calm down when they feel anxious or upset. Watching the glitter settle helps children focus and regulate their emotions.
How to Play: Children shake the jar and watch the glitter settle as they take deep breaths, promoting relaxation.
Time: 5-10 minutes during emotional distress.
Materials Needed: A jar filled with water, glitter, and glue.
Guided Relaxation: Parents can use 3Miles kids Walkie Talkies to talk children through breathing exercises while using the glitter jar to calm down.
2. Emotion Plush Toys
Age Group: 4-6 years
Benefits: Plush toys with different facial expressions help children recognize and label their emotions. Acting out scenarios with these toys helps children express how they feel.
How to Play: Children use the plush toys to act out different emotions and discuss why the toy is feeling that way.
Time: 10-15 minutes of emotional play.
Materials Needed: Plush toys with different facial expressions.
Communication Tools: Parents can use 3Miles kids Walkie Talkies to encourage children to discuss their plush toys’ emotions, helping them understand their own feelings better.
3. Weighted Sensory Toys
Age Group: 3-6 years
Benefits: Weighted sensory toys provide children with a comforting sense of security, helping them manage stress and anxiety through physical pressure.
How to Use: Children can hold or wrap themselves in the weighted toy when feeling anxious, using the weight to self-soothe.
Time: 10-15 minutes when feeling overwhelmed.
Materials Needed: A soft, weighted toy or blanket.
Parental Guidance: Parents can use 3Miles kids Walkie Talkies to guide children through relaxation moments with the weighted toy, promoting calmness.
4. Emotion Cards
Age Group: 4-7 years
Benefits: Emotion cards help children recognize different emotions and discuss how they feel. By connecting emotions with real-life experiences, children learn to manage their feelings better.
How to Play: Show children cards with different emotional expressions and ask them to identify the emotion. Then, ask them to talk about a time when they felt that way.
Time: 10-15 minutes of guided play.
Materials Needed: A set of emotion flashcards.
Parent Involvement: Parents can use 3Miles kids Walkie Talkies to ask questions about the emotions on the cards, encouraging deeper emotional awareness.
5. Playdough Emotion Faces
Age Group: 3-6 years
Benefits: Playdough helps children express their emotions creatively by molding faces that represent different feelings.
How to Play: Children use playdough to create faces that show happy, sad, or angry expressions, allowing them to express their emotions through art.
Time: 15-20 minutes of creative expression.
Materials Needed: Non-toxic playdough in different colors.
Creative Guidance: Parents can use 3Miles kids Walkie Talkies to guide children through making different facial expressions with the playdough, helping them process their feelings.
