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Toys for Social-Emotional Skills

Big feelings and first friendships are some of the hardest — and most important — things little ones learn. These toys help children practice sharing, turn-taking, naming emotions, and caring for others through play.

Pretend play, cooperative games, and feelings-focused toys give children a safe, joyful way to rehearse empathy and self-regulation — the social-emotional skills behind every classroom and friendship to come.

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What these skills look like, age by age

Social-emotional skills grow in small steps. These are a few from the CDC's milestone checklists, which describe what most children can do by each age:

  • Around 15 months: copies other children while playing, and shows you affection with hugs, cuddles or kisses.
  • By 2: notices when others are hurt or upset, and looks at your face to see how to react in a new situation.
  • By 30 months: plays next to other children and sometimes plays with them.
  • By 3: calms down within 10 minutes after you leave, like at a childcare drop-off, and joins other children to play.
  • By 4: comforts others who are hurt or sad, and pretends to be something else during play, like a teacher, a superhero or a dog.
  • By 5: follows rules or takes turns when playing games with other children.

How to play so feelings and friendships grow

Young children can't calm themselves down yet. Zero to Three calls the answer co-regulation: your child borrows your calm until they can find their own. Everyday play is where you practice it together:

  • Name feelings out loud as they happen, theirs and yours: "You're frustrated. The tower fell down."
  • Calm down together first, and talk about what happened later.
  • Take turns out loud: "My turn, your turn." Short turns make waiting easier, and a timer can keep the rules for you.
  • Let a doll or stuffed animal have the big feelings. A teddy who is scared of the dark is easier to talk about than your child's own fears.
  • Expect playing side by side before sharing. Many children are 3½ to 4 before sharing comes easily.
  • Notice kindness out loud: "You gave her the red truck. Look, she's smiling."

What makes a good social-emotional toy

Look for toys that work best with two or more people: pretend sets, dolls and stuffed animals to care for, simple games with turns, and building toys with enough pieces to share. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends toys that make room for pretend play, and notes that learning to cooperate and negotiate builds social skills.

Feelings tools, like emotion cards and calm-down bottles, help most when you use them together to put a word to a feeling. They're a starting point for a conversation, not a lesson your child does alone.

From our Mom-Tested notes

We started the Express Your Feelings Sensory Bottles with our son at 2, and gave them 5 stars for emotional and communication skills. Our notes on the magnetic building tiles list social skills alongside imagination and creativity.

Every child is different. If big feelings or getting along with others worry you, your pediatrician is the best person to ask.

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Common questions

What toys help with social-emotional development?

Toys that invite pretend, cooperation, and feelings talk: dolls and play sets for nurturing, cooperative board games for turn-taking, and feelings-focused toys like emotion cards or calm-down tools for naming and managing emotions.

How do toys help children manage big emotions?

By giving them a gentle way to practice. Feelings toys help children name what they feel; calm-down and sensory tools offer a strategy to settle; and pretend play lets them rehearse big moments safely. Naming and practicing, with a caring adult nearby, is how self-regulation grows.

What toys help toddlers learn to share?

Turn-taking and cooperative play are the practice ground: simple board games, building together, and pretend play where toys are passed and roles are swapped. Sharing is genuinely hard for little ones — these toys make the practice playful and low-stakes.

How does pretend play support social skills?

Pretend play lets children try on roles — caregiver, friend, helper — and rehearse empathy, problem-solving, and conversation. Feeding a doll or running a pretend shop builds the perspective-taking behind real friendships.

At what age do children learn to share?

Later than many parents expect. Zero to Three notes that sharing skills develop between about 3½ and 4 years, because younger children can't yet put themselves in someone else's shoes. Until then, short turns, a timer, and naming both children's feelings make it easier for everyone.

What are social interaction toys?

Toys that are made to be played with someone else: pretend kitchens and shops, dolls and puppets, simple turn-taking games, balls, and building sets with enough pieces for two. They give children natural reasons to talk, wait, share and work things out together.

What are good toys for building empathy?

Dolls and stuffed animals to care for, play sets that involve helping others, and books and games about feelings. They give children gentle practice noticing and responding to what someone else needs.

Guides on social-emotional