10 Toys And Books That Help Little Kids Understand Big Feelings

Children's toys and books can help support emotional development. We hope you love the products we recommend! All of them were independently selected by our editors. Just so you know, HuffPost UK may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page if you decide to shop from them. Oh, and FYI – prices are accurate and items in stock as of time of publication. Helping your child navigate something as big and complex as emotional wellbeing can feel pretty daunting, if you ask me. But there are ways to support your child to understand and manage their feelings that can be “fun and even enlightening”, according to Hayley Standen, a social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) advisor, who’s teamed up with Learning Resources to create a Kids’ Wellbeing Toolkit. Emotional literacy is the ability to recognise, name and talk about feelings – children learn this over time, and it’s pretty important for everything from self-awareness and empathy to maintaining healthy relationships. You can start building emotional literacy by helping children learn the words for different feelings. “Naming emotions makes them easier to understand and manage,” explains Standen. Some practical ways to build emotional literacy include: Talking about how characters feel in books, films and on TV. Naming your child’s feelings in the moment. Sharing your own feelings to help normalise them. Linking feelings to colours. Using resources such as books and tools to introduce emotions in a fun way. On that latter point, here are 10 toys and books which can help kickstart some all-important conversations about how your child feels. Related... Forget The Heavy Gear – This Travel Cot Is A Total Game-Changer For Trips With Kids The One Cleaning Tool Parents Of Messy Kids (And Cats) Actually Swear By It's Official: You Need To Start Putting Sun Cream On Your Kids Again