2019 Holiday Gift Guide-Building Toys and Manipulatives

In today's gift guide, I share some of my favorite building and manipulative toys for children of all ages. Some are intended for a particular age group, while others can grow with your children from toddlers to tweens. I tried to share as many open-ended building toys as I could because I think the importance of this type of play is critical to child development. Open-ended play allows for children to be in control of their materials which encourages creativity, imagination and executive functioning skills. It also has been proven to help children with their cognitive development. In a time when children are being told what to do and how to do it more often than not, I think it is important for us to provide them the opportunities at home/during play to feel more in control.



Lalaboom Popbeads-we all know about the traditional plastic snap lock beads from Fisher-Price that have been around for as long as I can remember. They have been a staple in my OT tool box since I began working, especially with my younger kids. During one of my Fat Brain Toys website searches, I stumbled upon the Lalaboom Popbeads and was an immediate fan. I quickly became obsessed by how they took an already awesome toy and made them even more awesome. This set of 48 snap and twist-together beads work on developing fine motor, grasping and bilateral coordination skills, improve visual motor and perceptual skills while introducing kids to a variety of sensory experiences. The beads are interchangeable by twisting them apart, finding two sides you like and putting them back together.

Elemenosqueeze Blocks-these are a great first set of blocks for your baby as young as 6 month old. There are 26 animal themed blocks, 1 animal for each letter of the alphabet. Since they are BPA free, you don't have to be worried if a teething baby/toddler chews on them.  They are all different shapes and have different textures on each of them. I love that these can grow with your child by using them for different reasons throughout their development. As a baby, they can learn how to grasp and manipulate blocks. As they get older, they learn how to stack and build and as a preschooler, they can be used to teach your kids the letters of the alphabet. Kids of all ages can work on developing grasping, fine motor and manipulation skills, improve bilateral and hand-eye coordination and improve visual motor and perceptual skills while encouraging creativity.





Popoids-I've had these on the shelves at my gym for years and they are a constant favorite with the kids (and me). This set from Romper Room comes with 60 colored mini poptubes and different kinds of connectors and encourages creativity and imagination. This open-ended building set comes with suggestions on things you can make but they really are an invitation to create whatever comes to mind. Popoids are great for working on developing fine motor and grasping skills, increased grasp strength and manipulation skills, encourages bilateral coordination and works on developing hand-eye coordination, visual motor and visual perceptual skills all while encouraging creativity and imagination.




Squigz 2.0-I have been obsessed with all things Squigz since they first came out years ago and didn't think they could get any better until I saw Squigz 2.0. Essentially the same concept as the originals but these have the ability to stick to each other in more ways because of the new design. This 36-piece set comes with a variety of new shapes and are great for teaching young children about colors. Additionally, they work on developing fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills and improves bilateral coordination and hand-eye coordination skills while also encouraging creativity and imagination skills. These can be used on a variety of surfaces including the bathtub, walls, windows, mirrors and so much more. Easy to throw in a bag to keep kids entertained while at a restaurant, in the car or waiting for appointments.

Bristle Blocks Stackadoos-another great open-ended building set from B. Toys, this set is recommended for kids 2 years and older but can definitely be used with younger children who are being supervised by an adult. These chunky, soft pieces are easy to connect and offer a multi-sensory experience for little hands. This set comes with 68 assorted colored and shaped bristle blocks and a booklet with building ideas that can be stored in the sturdy jar that they come in. Great for working on developing fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills, increasing grasp strength, improves bilateral, hand-eye coordination, visual motor and visual perceptual skills and encourages creativity and imagination.





MagnaTiles-another staple to my holiday gift guide. MagnaTiles are pricey but worth the investment and will last you for a lifetime. My daughter is almost 10 years old and we still have her original set of MagnaTiles and are still in perfect condition. She may not use them as much but they are pulled out from time to time. MagnaTiles are also a huge hit with my kids in my social skills group and are a great tool to encourage creativity and imagination skills while also working on developing fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills and improves bilateral coordination and hand-eye coordination. I like to have my kids at work use different characters and work together to build something for them to then play with the dolls. For example, I have seen kids use them to build a castle for the Disney Princess Magic Clip Dolls. It's so fun to watch them not only create together, but then come up with a story for the princesses. One thing I was excited to learn was that in 2020 they will be releasing a series of new products that will have images on them that will encourage them to build different structures.

Way To Play City Speedway Set-totally love this collaboration by Way To Play and Candylab. If you have a transportation lover in your life, this is the perfect gift. I have used the Way To Play road pieces with the kids in my social skills group and they loved them. It was so fun to see how they would work together to put their road together, adding twist and turns and then take cars for a ride. This particular set comes with 12 Road Pieces that can be connected to make a closed loop and 2 Candylab Race Cars. This open-ended set is great for working on improving fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills, improves bilateral and hand-eye coordination and works on developing executive functioning skills such as focus, attention, planning and organization. And as previously mentioned, this is a great building set to work on encouraging social skills such as teamwork, flexibility and working with other people's ideas.



Build It Blueprint Puzzles-in these clever puzzles, children get to build a structure by following the blueprint. On one side of the puzzle there is a blueprint image and on the other is the exterior of what they are building (doghouse, birdhouse, a cabin or barn). The chunky pieces are great for little hands. I like that kids work on developing bilateral and hand-eye coordination skills while also working on improving visual motor and visual perceptual skills. While putting the pieces together, they are also working on increasing grasp strength and manipulation skills. Another great feature is that once they are done, the can take it apart and store the pieces in the board.






People Blocks-I have been a longtime fan of magnetic blocks, especially for younger children who have developmental delays. This cute set from People Blocks is intended for children starting at the age of 18 months. The way in which children will interact with these blocks will expand over the years. This open-ended building toy works on developing fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills, improves hand-eye and bilateral coordination skills and encourages problem solving, creativity and imagination.





Design and Drill My First Workbench-I am obsessed with this workbench from Educational Insights! It makes a great gift for kids as young as 3 years old and I can say through experience that kids as old as 6 and 7 still enjoy playing with some of my other Design and Drill sets. This workbench (which comes in two different color choices) includes an electric bolt driver, a hammer, 60 bolts and 60 nails in a variety of colors and a guide that includes 10 different patterns all which can be stored in the built-in drawer under the work area. This is great for working on improving fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills, increases grasp strength, improves hand-eye and bilateral coordination skills and encourages focus, attention, planning and organizational and task completion.

Design and Drill Space Circuits-this STEM set from Educational Insights is the perfect set to introduce children as young as 5 to basic engineering. Kids can use the battery operated drill (which they absolutely love doing) to complete 20 space-themed, circuit building challenges that lights, spinning simple motors and more. I have had other of the Design and Drill sets and my kids just can't get enough of using the drill to screw in the bolts. I love how this works on developing executive functioning skills such as focus, attention, problem solving, organization and task completion while also working on improving grasping, fine motor and manipulation skills and encourages bilateral and hand-eye coordination skills.




Straws and Connectors Building Sets-this simple open-ended building toys have been a staple in my social skills for years and I am always amazed at what the kids will build, especially when they are working together. This set comes with 750 straws, connectors and wheels in 4 different colors, an idea book and a sturdy storage container to keep everything contained. The straws are completely flexible so they can make curves for whatever your children decide to build. Straws and Connectors is great for encouraging creativity and imagination skills while also working on developing fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills, improves hand-eye and bilateral coordination skills, improves visual motor and visual perceptual skills and works on developing executive functioning skills such as motor planning, organization and task completion.


Bamboo Builder Marble Run-this is another one of those items I would consider an investment piece that your children will use for years and years. There are a variety of sets to choose from and all can be used with each other. Kids can follow along with the book or make their own design. The kits come with a variety of hand-crafted carbonized tracks, bamboo cylinders, and wooden spirals that connect to each other. Some sets even come with special pieces that make music as the marble goes flying down the tracks. Kids can work on improving fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills, improve hand-eye and bilateral coordination skills and work on visual motor and visual perceptual skills when playing with the marble run. This is also a great activity for kids to work on together and collaborate on what to build, take turns adding pieces and be able to be flexible and take ideas from others.




Young Architect House Designer Set-this is a great activity set for kids 8 and older and introduces kids to the world of architecture. Kids get to build their own 3-D house using acrylic walls, corner blocks, tracing paper and a handful of other tools. Kids can make their own floor plan, including figuring out where furniture should go. Great for working on improving graphomotor skills, improves visual motor and visual perceptual skills and works on executive functioning skills such as focus, attention, organization, problem solving and task completion.








Jixelz-these small and colorful-jigsaw shaped building pieces are definitely intended for older children who don't have significant fine-motor delays. There are a variety of sets to choose from including, but not limited to, animals, robots and mythical creatures. Kids can use the templates to create something or use their imagination and create something of their own. They can work on improving fine motor, grasping and in-hand manipulation skills, increases grasp strength, improves hand-eye coordination, visual motor and visual perceptual skills and works on developing executive functioning skills such as focus, attention, planning, organization and task completion.






Plus Plus Blocks-another open-ended building set that encourages creativity and imagination skills in children of all ages. These manipulative toys are awesome for working on developing fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills while encouraging creativity and imagination and working on executive functioning skills such as focus, attention, planning and organizational skills. There are several sets to choose from, including different size Plus Plus Blocks for younger and older children. In my Small Gifts/Stocking Stuffer Gift Guide, I recommended the tubes for on-the-go fun but here I recommend the larger sets that come with a baseplates for some more advanced building opportunities.





Engino Discovery Stem Kits-looking for something for some of the older kids on your list? This STEM set is a great option as it can be used to build 50 unique motorized machines, from race cars and motorcycles to bouncing mechanical creatures. Kids snap pieces together and turn things into moving objects. Great for working on improving fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills, encourages hand-eye and bilateral coordination, improves visual motor and visual perceptual skills and works on developing executive functioning skills such as focus, attention, planning, organization. While the set comes with directions for 4 models, you can go online to find the directions for 46 others.





There are so many great building toys out there that help children develop a crazy number of developmental skills. It was hard to weed out my favorites, especially since there are so many new things hitting the shelves each year. One of the things I did try and do were find things that could last a bit longer and could grow with your child. If you are looking for something a bit more specific for your child, don't hesitate reaching out to me. I am only a click away and love hearing from you all. Also, if you have building sets and manipulative toys that you think are fabulous, please send along! Not only am I always interested to hear what is out there, I know my readers are as well.

2019 Holiday Gift Guide-Stocking Stuffers/The Small Stuff

This is one of my most of all my holiday gift guides to put together. I think there are a lot of people who need to pick up little gifts during the holidays and there are so many to choose from. The problem with a lot of the little gifts out there are that they can be used once which can be really frustrating. In this list, I have tried to put together a variety of toys, crafts and activities that can either be used again and again or when created, can be used for a long period of time. Many of them are great for keeping kids entertained when on-the-go or out and about. All of them were hand-picked because I know that they will help the children on your gift-giving list develop a variety of skills. More importantly, they were chosen because I know that kids enjoy playing with them without knowing that they are actually "working". Below, you will find over 20 of my favorite stocking stuffer/small gifts.

Plus Plus Tubes-these manipulative toys are just awesome and make a great stocking stuffer or small gift for those on your list this year. There are several themed tubes to choose from depending on what your child's interests may be and they are all great for working on developing fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills, improving hand-eye and bilateral coordination, visual motor and visual perceptual skills and works on a variety of executive functioning skills. Kids can follow the step-by-step directions and create whatever they suggest or can use their imagination and make their own creation. I love how you can throw these into your bag for on-the-go entertainment.





Scratch and Scribble Kits-another great product from my favorite OOLY that would not only make a great stocking stuffer, but also great for keeping kids entertained while on-the-go. Each of these kits (there are a bunch of different ones to choose from and come in two different sizes) comes with 4 illustrated cards and a variety of blank cards that kids can make whatever designs they feel like creating and a special wooden tool. These are great for working on developing fine motor, grasping and graphomotor skills, improves hand-eye coordination, bilateral coordination, visual motor and visual perceptual skills and encourages creativity and imagination skills.

Gunner and Lux DIY Holiday Ornament Necklace Kit-a perfect little gift for your fashionistas. This adorable DIY Necklace Kit from Gunner and Lux comes with the wooden ornament, beads, tassel, a marker (but you can use any of your favorite markers to complete the ornament) and rope. Kids color their ornament in any way they want, add beads and the tassel and then tie the rope to the desired length. This is a great activity for working on developing fine motor, manipulation and graphomotor skills, improves bilateral coordination and hand-eye coordination, improves visual motor and visual perceptual skills and encourages creativity while working on developing executive functioning skills.

Squiggle Wiggle Pen-this is something I have loved and used in my therapy sessions for as long as I can remember. The Squiggle Wiggle Writer is a battery operated vibrating pen that allows children to turn straight lines into loops, circles, curves and a variety of other things depending on the amount of pressure you use while drawing. It comes with 5 different color refills that you can switch in and out as you please. While this is a fun writing instrument, it is a great therapeutic tool as the vibrating helps with focus and attention. It is also great for working on developing fine motor and grasping skills and encourages creativity and imagination.





Mad Mattr Quantum Pods-this is one of my 9 year old daughters favorite things in the whole world. I should mention I am kinda obsessed with Mad Mattr as well. From the makers of Kinetic Sand, Mad Mattr is a non-toxic, oderless dough that flows and never dries out. Made out of a polymer-dough mix, this sensory material can be used to help kids with tactile defensiveness, increase grasp strength and manipulation skills and encourages creativity and imagination. Use it with cookie cutters and other tools (I like to use some of my tools from playdough sets) to encourage bilateral coordination skills. For parents who worry about sensory materials making a mess, this is your thing. This is a super clean sensory material that doesn't stain hands or your furniture.

Build-A-Bot Unicorn Robot Toy-I can't speak for anyone else's kids but my daughter is a big fan of all of the small interactive animal toys out there. We have had more Little Live Pets, and even at almost 10 years old doesn't want to part with them, then I can count. As the mother of a huge unicorn fan, I wish this S.T.E.M. kit had been around when she was younger. Kids can build their very own Unicorn robot. Each kit comes with over 20 pieces and stickers for your kid to build their very own pet unicorn that you an interact with. Great for working on developing fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills, improves bilateral and hand-eye coordination and works on executive functioning skills such as focus, attention, planning, organization and task completion.



Shrinky Dinks DIY Pins Project Pack-I am a long time fan of all things Shrinky Dinks. I love that things from my own childhood are still a thing now and that I can enjoy them with my own daughter. This set comes with some images images of cute animals, food and other things that you can trace onto two types of Shrinky Dinks sheets but you can also trace your favorite book characters or images you like. Cut out the design, color it in and follow the bake and shrink directions provided. Once it is cooled off, you can add a glitter sticker to the back to give it a shiny metallic look, glue on the tie-tack and put it on your favorite jacket, your back pack or anything else you think could use a little extra bling! Great for working on improving fine motor and graphomotor skills, encourages creativity and imagination and works on improving executive functioning skills such as focus, attention, organization and task completion.

NeeDoh Bubble Glob Groovy Glob Ball-I am pretty much obsessed with any and all sensory/squishy balls. One of the most popular things at my gym is this giant container of sensory balls and tools  and many of them are from the NEEDOH line. Thanks to my monthly subscription to Sensory TheraPlay Box, I have learned about a lot of great sensory tools including the extensive collection of squishy balls from Schylling. Color changing, Snowball, Gumball, Cool Cats.....there are so many to choose from and they are all pretty fabulous. Other than the overwhelmingly good feeling of squeezing them, squishy balls are great for reducing stress and anxiety in children while working on increasing grasp strength and manipulation skills.

Kid Made Modern On-The-Go Drawing Kit-if you don't know about Kid Made Modern On-The-Go kits, you are missing out on some pretty awesome stuff. When my daughter was little, I was always carrying around a bag of random things to keep her entertained when we were out and about. I wish that these little kits had been available to us because we would have gotten so much use out of them. The first kit I will share is the Drawing Kit. This kit comes with a 32-page sketch book with drawing prompts, 12 mini colored pencils and a pencil sharpener which can be stored in the fabric carrying case. This on-the-go drawing set is great for developing fine motor and graphomotor skills, improves visual motor and visual perceptual skills, helps with improving executive functioning skills such as focus, attention and organizational skills while encouraging creativity and imagination.



Kid Made Modern On-The-Go Jewelry Making Kit-another one of my favorite on-the-go gifts. I actually got a handful of these last summer and brought them to the beach for my daughter and her friends when they needed some down time. Great for working on developing fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills, improves bilateral coordination and hand-eye coordination, works on improving focus, attention and organizational skills while also encouraging creativity. Each kit comes with over 100 multicolored acrylic beads and 2 colors of cording which can be stored in the fabric carrying case.



DIY Charms Accessories Kit-this is another great on-the-go crafting kit that works on developing fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills, improves hand-eye and bilateral coordination, improves visual motor and visual perceptual skills, encourages creativity and can help with letter recognition. This craft set comes with 50 assorted plastic letter beads, charms and multi-colored jewels and string to make bracelets, necklaces, keychains and other accessories.





32 Ways to Dress Wild Animals Book-as the mother of a budding fashion designer and an animal lover, I was so excited to find these at Norman and Jules a couple of years ago. This adorable book is another awesome on-the-go activity book that works on developing fine motor and graphomotor skills, encourages creativity and imagination, works on visual motor and visual perceptual skills and helps develop executive functioning skills such as focus, attention, organization and planning skills. This little activity book comes with 32 perforated and removable black and white illustrations with upper bodies and feet/shoes and allows your little artist to draw the perfect outfit for each animal. Can be used with your favorite writing instrument but I highly recommend the ooly Yummy Yummy Scented Gel Glitter Pens  or ooly Sketch and Color Colored Pencil Set.



Kiko + Wakka Game-love this little game that and totally takes me back to my own childhood with our little water games similar to this. The point of the game is simple: there are a bunch of little hoops floating in the water and by pushing the two buttons, you try and get them onto the the spikes. This little hand-held game which you can pick up from Norman and Jules in Park Slope is great for working on improving visual motor and visual perceptual skills, increases grasp strength and manipulation skills and works on developing executive functioning skills such as focus, attention, organization and improves frustration tolerance.

Wikkidoodle Fun-these are another item that has made my gift guide year after year. I recently got a fresh new set of Wikki Stix and introduced them to one of my kids who has been really struggling with learning how to write letters. It was so much fun to watch him twist and turn the Wikki-Stix into letters and shapes and I could see his confidence increasing with this simple multi-sensory approach to learning. The Wikkidoodle Fun kit is another great on-the-go gift to keep kids entertained while in the car, on a plane or at a restaurant. It comes with 36 Wikki Stix and a 32 page doodle pad. The doodle pad doesn't require any crayons or markers, just the Wikki Stix and your child's hands. Kids work on developing fine motor and grasping skills, improving visual motor and visual perceptual skills and works on bilateral coordination and hand-eye coordination while twisting, turning and bending the Wikki Stix into the shapes they see on the pad. I love how it also encourages creativity and imagination by giving them a prompt with a line or a squiggle and has them turn it into something else.



Disney Princess Magic Clip Dolls-these are easily one of the most asked for toy at my gym and would make your princess loving kid so happy. These little dolls can be purchased individually (I picked up most of mine at Lulu's Cuts and Toys in Park Slope) or in an 8 pack for a larger gift. These tiny little dolls work on developing so many skills such as improving grasp strength and manipulation skills, develops hand-eye coordination, visual motor and perceptual skills and works on executive functioning skills such as focus, attention, planning and organizational skills. I have been using them with my kids in my social skills group and paired them up with Magna-Tiles, having them build a castle with the Magna-Tiles and then watch them play.

Scribble Scrubbie Pets Beauty Salon and Vet Sets-I picked these up on a whim last week at Stationery and Toy World on the UWS of Manhattan and these are now a new favorite of mine. More importantly, the kids absolutely love them. These adorable sets from Crayola work on developing fine motor and graphomotor skills, helps to improve bilateral coordination, hand-eye coordination and visual motor skills while encouraging creativity and imagination skills. Using the special scrubbie markers, kids can color their pets any way they want. When they are done, they can use the little spray bottle to wet the animals down and then scrub them clean with the brush provided. When used in my social skills group, we worked on cooperative play by having them color them together and help each other with cleaning and drying off their pet.



Tiger Tribe Coloring Sets-I have picked up a few of these sets from one of my local stores, Annie's Blue Ribbon General Store in Park Slope, and they have been really wonderful for keeping my daughter entertained in the car and in restaurants. There are a ton of different themes to choose from so you are sure to find one perfect for your kid. Each set comes with a book of 36 coloring pages, 2 handy storage drawers, 3 sheets of stickers 3 double sided markers. I really like the included markers because they are a good size and encourage a tripod grasp. Not only great for keeping kids entertained but also works on developing fine motor and graphomotor skills, improves visual motor and visual perceptual skills and encourages creativity and imagination skills.



Bag of Magic Tricks-looking for something a little off the beaten path for one of the kiddos this year? I love this Bag of Magic Tricks that I have seen at Annie's Blue Ribbon General Store in Park Slope. The set includes over 15 tricks packaged in a fabric bag making it easy to take on the go to entertain people over the holidays. It also includes a 20-page magician booklet so your child can master the magic. This is great for working on developing fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills, improves bilateral coordination and is awesome for working on developing executive functioning skills such as focus, attention, sequencing, following directions, planning and organizational skills. While your kids are mastering these magic tricks, they are building confidence and self-esteem at the same time.

Melting Snowman-this simple little gift will bring hours of entertainment to your children while also working on increasing grasp strength and manipulation skills, improves bilateral coordination and visual motor and perceptual skills while also working on learning about body parts and improves body awareness. This melting snowman kit comes filled with reusable melting putty, hat, scarf, eyes, nose and arms for your kids to make their own snowman over and over again. It is so much fun to watch their delight each and every time the snowman goes from standing tall to being a puddle.





Creatibles D.I.Y. Eraser Kit-another one of my favorites from my OOLY is not only great for working on developing a variety of skills, but also a very useful end product for school age kids. My daughter is constantly on the search for erasers and I have to believe (or at least hope) that she's not alone. This easy make and bake eraser kit helps children use their imagination to make their own erasers. Creatibles comes with 12 pliable clay colors that can be mixed together to make any color they want. Kids can use their hands or tools and their imagination to make their very own erasers. Once they are made, they get thrown in the oven to cook and then they can be used to assist with homework! This kit is great for working on increasing fine motor skills, grasp strength and manipulation skills, improves bilateral coordination, hand-eye coordination and visual motor skills and encourages creativity.

Lee Sticker Puzzles-I discovered these awesome sticker puzzles years ago at another one of my local toy stores, Little Things in Park Slope, and have always had a handful of them in my work closet since. These are one of my most recommended on-the-go/travel activities when people ask. There are many different books to choose from and each one comes with 8 puzzles. I love that they start simple with books that have fewer and larger pieces and go up to more challenging puzzles with smaller pieces and higher numbers. This simple book of puzzles works on so many skills including developing fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills, works on number recognition and matching skills, works on improving visual motor, visual perceptual and visual tracking skills and helps with developing executive functioning skills such as focus, attention and organizational skills.




I had so much fun putting this part of my gift guide together. One of the things I thought about when putting it together was how I could support my local small businesses. While I do more shopping online than I am proud to admit, I also do my best to support my local New York City small businesses. I love my local toy stores and encourage you all to support your local toy stores when possible.

If you have any other amazing small gifts/stocking stuffer that the kids in your life have loved, please send them along. If you need some specific recommendations for the kids on your gift-giving list this year, send them along. I am only a click away and love hearing and learning from you all.

2019 Holiday Gift Guide-Social Emotional Toys

One of the most important shifts I have witnessed in my career as on occupational therapist is the increased focus and attention put into social emotional development in children as young as preschool. While always an important issue, there has been a lot of research done in the last few years that show that teaching social emotional intelligence at an early age help children become more successful as they get older. With this increased attention to social emotional learning, there has also been an uprise in the products available to young children that help facilitate a better understanding of feelings, emotions, empathy and self-awareness.
In this portion of my 2019 Holiday Gift Guide, I share some of the amazing products out there that can help children learn about feelings and emotions, learn about empathy and kindness while working on improving fine motor and manipulation skills, improves visual motor and visual perceptual skills and can build confidence and self-esteem. 



Build a Robot Emotional Developmental Toy-teaching kids about emotions can be difficult, especially in the moment when they are feeling big feelings. This educational robot toy not only works on helping children learn about emotions but helps with developing fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills. This robot comes with one body and four interchangeable heads with different emotions. Great to use with young children when talking about their feelings. I love how each of the heads is a different shape and offers a variety of tactile experiences.




Emojinks Emoji Card Games-I have been a big Spot It fan for years and years and now that I run a social skills group, I tend to try and find games that have some kind of social emotional learning component. So try and imagine how happy Emojinks makes me! Very similar to Spot It, Emojinks is a game of speed where you try and be the first to find the matching Emoji. The nice thing about this game is that there are two different levels, beginner and advanced, so you can use it will all members of your family. Another great thing, the game is compact and easy to take on-the-go for non-screen-time entertainment. Emojinks is perfect to help your children learn about feelings and emotions while also working on developing focus, attention, visual motor skills, visual perceptual skills and visual tracking skills, improves fine motor and manipulation skills and works on social skills such as being a good winner/loser, taking turns and being flexible.

Make A Face-I first learned about this social emotional toy from my friends at Norman and Jules in Park Slope and fell in love with it immediately. Make A Face is a beautiful wooden toy that helps children create hundreds of expressions. Kids can use this 9-piece set to not only work on learning about emotions, feelings and expressions but also work on developing fine motor, grasping and manipulation skills and improves hand-eye and bilateral coordination skills. This toy shows kids how a simple change in the eye or mouth positioning can change the way someone sees them and makes them think about what they are feeling. While this toy was originally created for free play, Moon Picnic has realized that they could do more with it and have created a set of free downloadable flash cards that can add to the importance of playing with this toy.




eeBoo Pretend Play Stickers-pretend play is critical for the development of a variety of social skills. Through cooperative pretend play, children learn how to take turns, share responsibility, creatively problem-solve, be flexible with friends and can encourage creativity and imagination skills. I discovered the eeBoo Pretend Play Stickers last year and thought how awesome it was that these reusable stickers could be used with cardboard boxes (and we know how many of these we accumulate over the holiday season) and instantly transform them into a kitchen, spaceship or a car. Each set comes with four giant sheets of reusable stickers that will turn a plain cardboard box into a prop for kids to spend hours playing with. Not only are these great for developing social skills, they are great for working on developing fine motor and grasping skills and improve visual motor and visual perceptual skills. 

Penny For Your Thoughts Games-this is an amazing game that includes 80 hand-illustrated cards that were designed to increase connection between kids and adults, encourage more positive ways to communicate feelings and teach social and emotional skills that lead to success at home, school and various environments with friends. Using the cards, kids identify how they are feeling, other people who may be involved and learn to problem solve on how to get through some really challenging situations and deal with big feelings. 

Silly Street-this game began as a Kickstarter project a few years ago and I was really excited about. Silly Street helps children with developing social and communication skills, encourages creativity and builds confidence and resilience all through play! As an occupational therapist, I love how they have also incorporated ways to work on developing fine motor and grasping skills and improving visual motor and visual perceptual skills. I also love that this is a multi-sensory game that gets kids up and moving and encourages them to get their sillies out while building confidence, creativity, empathy, flexibility and resilience.





Lion In My Way-in this cooperative game by eeBoo, players work together to help the lion who is on a journey overcome hazards and barriers. By using a variety of objects, kids have to decide which one would be best to help the lion stay on his way. There are a tremendous amount of benefits from exposing children to cooperative games. First of all, by elimination the competition, the pressure of having to be the winner is taken away. These kinds of games also encourage kids to problem-solve together, accept ideas from others and be flexible in their thinking. Lastly, this game is great for encouraging communication skills with peers.


The Calm Mind Kit-I have been a fan of Rose and Rex for years and years so when I heard they were developing their very own product that worked on mindfulness and meditation, I was completely sold. This amazingly thought out kit was designed for children as young as 3 years old and can be used by grownups as well. The kit teaches techniques that can help people who are feeling anxious, have difficulty staying still and a variety of other common emotional struggles. This kit was thoughtfully created by childhood development and wellness experts to provide children with a variety of tools for emotional development and well-being that will help them learn now to focus, self-regulate and most importantly, build confidence and self-esteem. This well-crafted kit contains three handcrafted toys and a deck of beautifully illustrated Calm Mind Activity Cards that teach people how to use the tools provided. As an occupational therapist, I love how this kit helps children get into the right state of mind to work on more stressful or challenging activities by providing them with the tools. 


Feelings and Emotions Peg Doll Set-I love when a simple toy can help children develop a deeper understanding of their own emotions. This beautiful set of feeling peg dolls are perfect for pretend play while also helping children gain a better understanding of feelings and emotions. Included with the set are 5 birch discs with the feelings sad, calm, angry, happy and worried etched on them so kids can work on being able to match and discuss these emotions. These can be perfectly matched with the Hope Learning Toys The Friend Ship which is another beautiful homemade product that was developed to help children learn about their feelings. 






The Unworry Book-unfortunately, there are too many children who have a hard time talking about their feelings and anxieties. Having an outlet to express these feelings can be incredibly helpful for children (and their parents). The Unworry Book is filled with amazing activities for your anxious child. One of the most important things to do is allow children to express these feelings. This illustrated, write-in book is an unworry toolkit, for distracting you from any anxieties, calming you down, and providing a place to sort through your worries and thoughts. It includes a variety of activities, from things to write, color and design, to calm-down tactics and relaxation exercises.

Lets Talk! Conversation Starters-sometimes getting kids to talk about or express their feelings can be really difficult. I can't tell you how many times I have heard parents complain that they can't get their kids to talk to them about things that have to do with how they are feeling. This conversation starter kit from Lakeshore Learning is designed for children starting at age 5 but could easily be adapted for younger children. The box contains 50 open-ended questions that help parents and children talk about their feelings, ideas and so much more. Also great for working on conversation skills.

Guess It. Get It. Gumballs-this fun and engaging from Peaceable Kingdom teaches young children learn about feelings, develops empathy and encourages cooperation. Kids take turns spinning the spinner and then use the gumball-grabbing mirror to choose a matching color gumball. Look in the mirror and make the face that you think you might have grabbed. If you guess correctly, add the gumball to the scoreboard. If not, put it back in the gumball machine and try and remember what it is. In order for everyone to win, the players work together to collect a rainbow of gumballs before finding the stink face card. In addition to the social emotional learning that takes place, kids will also work on improving memory skills and improves visual motor skills. 

Putting together this gift guide was a particularly meaningful one for me. I run a social skills group for young children so I know how important having fun and motivating tools have helped them. All of these suggestions are ones that can easily be used in groups or at home. If you have any specific questions or are looking for something else, please reach out to me. I am only a click away and love hearing from you all. I would also love to hear from any of you if you have any wonderful tools that can be used to deepen children's social emotional intelligence.