I am an easy mark for any toy that’s advertised as being educational or good for a child’s development. I’m a sucker for toy delivery services that promise to teach Montessori at home, or for dolls and toys that introduce a child to another culture in an accurate, respectful way. As I’m writing this, we’re about to enter the time of year when everyone gets inundated with ads for the latest, greatest new toys.
But here’s the thing: if you take a peek into any play therapist’s office, you’re probably not going to see any of these hot new toys, no matter how wholesome or beneficial they claim to be. What you’ll see are classic toys you probably remember from your own childhood: no frills, no bells and whistles, and probably no batteries required. If you’re looking to stock your child’s home playroom, here are 5 classic toys that encourage emotional growth and promote good mental health.
Baby Dolls Help Children Learn to Nurture
Rocking, feeding, dressing, bathing…baby dolls teach children how to empathize and care for others. Parents have to learn how to respond to their babies’ cues in order to give them what they need. When children play make-believe with dolls, they’re using their imaginations to practice this same important social skill.
Interestingly, when kids pretend soothe and nurture a baby doll, they’re also soothing and nurturing themselves. In play therapy, kids who have had difficult experiences in early life can use baby dolls to reconnect with a feeling of being cared for and loved. This probably goes without saying, but kids of all genders can benefit from playing with baby dolls: if we want all our kids to be loving parents and empathetic people, they need practice to develop these skills!
Play-Doh Encourages Sensory Awareness
I’ve written a lot in this blog about the not-so-hidden mental health benefits of the slime craze…I am all in on slime and it’s a staple in my play therapy room. But if you aren’t as thrilled by the idea of dried glue on every upholstered surface of your home, maybe Play-doh—slime’s older, less trendy cousin—is more your speed. Play-doh and other similar products, like modeling clay or kinetic sand, provide kids with a great opportunity to engage in sensory play.
Sensory play activities help kids get in touch with their 5 senses: scented markers, musical toys, and water tables are all great examples of toys that give kids interesting sensory experiences that go beyond sight. This type of play has been shown to help with motor and language development, but it offers benefits for emotional health, too. Focusing on sensory input is a form of mindfulness, similar to paying attention to the breath while meditating. Kids tend to get very absorbed in sensory play because they’re super aware of what’s happening in the present moment, rather than multitasking or letting their minds wander to other thoughts. This can have a soothing and focusing effect for kids who are feeling anxious scattered.
Dress-Up Clothes Let Kids Try Out New Possibilities
Playing dress-up is more than just make-believe fun. Putting on a costume allows kids to test-drive new ways of thinking, behaving, and interacting with others. Playing dress-up is a form of roleplay, which drama therapists often use as a mental health tool with both children and adults. Drama therapists believe that we all have roles we play in life that dictate our behavior: we probably behave pretty differently at school, at work, with our families, and when out with friends, for example. Children are still learning the social and emotional skills they need to operate in all these different settings, and dress-up gives them a chance to practice.
Thinking about the kinds of costumes kids choose for Halloween can provide good insight into the types of dress-up clothes that can be helpful for emotional growth. “Real life” costumes like doctor and firefighter outfits help kids to emulate adults in their life, explore their interests, and develop a sense of responsibility. Superhero costumes are awesome for building self-esteem and self-confidence: who doesn’t want to feel like Superman or Wonder Woman for a day? Even villain costumes have a function for kids, allowing them to experience feeling powerful and letting out aggressive energy in a safe and playful way. Consider stocking up on at least one costume in each of these three categories if you’re building a dress-up area for your child at home.
Toy Weapons Help Kids Vent Anger Safely
Whether or not kids should be allowed to have toy guns is a pretty fraught subject, and may schools, daycares, and parents have decided to ban them. It’s a complicated issue, and these days there are a lot of reasons why it may not be a good idea for kids to have toy weapons in public places. Nevertheless, I think there are some good reasons why toy weapons can actually be beneficial for mental health when used in a therapy playroom or at home.
Many parents are worried that playing with toy guns will encourage violent tendencies in children. I used to wonder about this, too! However, the research shows this isn’t the case: kids who play with toy guns do not grow up to be more aggressive than kids who don’t. In fact, playing out war or fight scenes may help children learn how to better understand and control their own anger. Children play things out in order to better understand them, and to develop a sense of control over their surroundings. When kids act out angry scenes, they are learning how to handle their own anger and safely express it in ways that don’t hurt people in real life.
Play therapists often say that “toys are a child’s words”, because kids often use play, rather than language, to work through their thoughts and feelings. Sadly, many kids enter play therapy after witnessing violence, and they often need toy weapons available to give them the “vocabulary” they need to express themselves. If toy guns feel too risky to have at home, consider getting a very childish, non-realistic nerf gun or another play weapon such as a sword, instead.
Play Kitchens Strengthen Parent-Child Bonds
Almost every child I’ve ever worked with in play therapy has enjoyed making pretend food to serve their parents in the play kitchen. Children imitate their parents as a sign of affection: they want to be just like you! Many kids see their parents preparing food all day long, and play kitchens give kids a chance to step into that grown-up role for themselves.
Similar to the baby dolls I mentioned earlier in this post, play kitchens give kids a chance to practice nurturing and caring behavior. Plenty of kids use the play kitchen to make meals for their dolls and toys, but play kitchens also get kids interacting more with parents or other adults in the playroom. In many families, food is love. Even though play kitchen food is pretend, serving food to parents or other special people gives kids a chance to express their own love and care. In play therapy, this kind of interactive, open-ended play is wonderful for helping kids and parents reconnect and increase feelings of attachment.
Learn More About the Emotional Benefits of Toys and Play
Children naturally use their play to explore their feelings and figure out the world around them. If you are looking for mental health support for a child in your life, play therapy is an option to consider. I provide play therapy to children in and around Charlotte, NC, and work with kids across North Carolina, New York, and Florida in my online child therapy practice.
If you’d like to learn more about play therapy or set up an initial appointment, contact me here.
