Why I Love Emotiblocks for Teaching Kids Emotional Development!
Welcome back to another weekly blog post, friends, and happy Monday!! Today is extra special because I'm sharing an educational tool/game that helps teach young children (ages 2 and up) all about emotion development! Miniland’s Emotiblocks are a set of characters with interchangeable pieces that allow kids to create countless people with different emotions. This game includes activity cards, and is a great tool to aide children in learning about their emotions so that they can better overcome challenges in life, and learn how to properly express themselves! I’m sharing below why I love and recommend Emotiblocks for teaching emotional development! Enjoy!
You can follow Miniland, and explore more educational/diverse toys on Instagram at @MINILANDUSA. Miniland was sweet enough to give 20% off for your own Emotiblocks with the code “COOLMOM20OFF.” You can purchase Emotiblocks at my affiliate link here!*
1. The characters are diverse and interchangeable!
Miniland prides itself on representing all sorts of backgrounds so that no child is left out, and every child sees unity and beauty regardless of one's physical appearance! With Emotiblocks, you can create up to 100 different character combos with interchangeable faces, bodies, and hair! Not only can you address the different emotions each character presents, but how diverse and beautiful each character is by talking about the different features of each new creation your child makes!
2. Teaches emotions through creative and interactive play
Through playing with Emotiblocks, the conversation opens up for why someone might experience the six emotions included: “Happy,” “Sad,” “Frightened,” “Bored,” “Astonished,” and “Angry.” Each character is so colorful and expressive that my son was immediately drawn to them. He’s also slightly obsessed with creating scenarios with the "angry" emotion, haha! He was able to learn new emotions like “astonished” and “bored,” and we talked about the many scenarios in which those emotions might be felt.
3. Provides multiple language translations for each emotion
Being that I'm teaching my son Spanish, it was great to have the Spanish word for every emotion on each activity card, along with a few other languages that we could explore together! This really opens a door to help establish some basic language skills regarding emotion.
4. Activity cards pair each emotion with a real life child
I love how the activity cards include each emotion expressed by a different child, and the body language to go with it! This can help young children pick up on different social cues, and know how to react in the midst of them.
5. Ability to role play each different character’s emotions
My son loved watching me role play the characters to get the ball rolling, and immediately, he took off to do the same! It was so fun to sit down together, and create scenarios similar to instances of emotion he’s experienced in his own life. “Aw, how do you think that made him feel?” “Was she being kind and loving with her hands?” “Tell him, 'Don't be bored, there's always something fun to do!’” “Have you ever felt this way?” “She's so happy! Look at her smile!” The possibilities are really endless and can be molded to fit your child's specific emotional needs!
6. The process of attaching and separating blocks, promoting fine motor skills and dexterity
This educational tool is so versatile! Building blocks are one of the most essential toys a toddler can have! I love that Miniland included the ability to build fine motor skills with Emotiblocks!
7. Endless ways to play!
Emotiblocks truly grow with your child! From simple tasks like stacking, grouping, and creating different combos, to the four different game modes included to get you and your young one having fun! This is especially great for kids who want to “spice it up a bit,” and play Emotiblocks as a board game!
8. The message behind this product
Miniland's mission is “creating mind-expanding toys for all levels of early childhood.” They’re a company that stands behind promoting diverse toys that spread love and acceptance for all to enjoy, and that is evident in Emotiblocks! Its nice to have a way to start implementing these ideas in my children in a fun and stimulating manner! :-)
I hope you all enjoyed the many reasons I love Emotiblocks for teaching emotional development to my toddler! Have you dealt with any struggles, or wins teaching your Littles about big emotions in these uncertain times? Let me know in the comments below, and I wish you all a emotion-filled day!! ;-)
Cool, Calm, and Collectedly Yours,
