MESH (mental, emotional, and social health) toys are the perfect tools for teaching kids how to play with others, how to handle big emotions, and more. These new and upcoming 15 toys are a great fit for a retailer’s MESH section and every parent’s toy box.
PRETENDABLES MILK & COOKIES

The set includes cookies, a cookie jar, a milk bottle, cups, and plates. Kids can pour the bottle to watch the milk flow and disappear.
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IQ GEARS

Once kids fit all the gears on the game board in the correct space, the pieces will connect and the wheels on the side of the gameboard will spin. There are 120 different challenges from levels easy to expert.
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BUMPAS

These 2.5-pound weighted plush create deep pressure stimulation to help promote a sense of security, reduce stress and anxiety, improve sleep quality, and create a calming effect.
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BUILDABLE PEOPLE WITH BIG EMOTIONS

Encourage toddlers’ creativity and help them explore their emotions with this 71-piece LEGO Duplo Buildable People with Big Emotions set. Preschoolers build and rebuild the five characters to reflect the diverse world they see around them. There are 10 expressive faces that help them share their feelings.
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HAYLO THE HORSE

Haylo the Horse helps children recognize common emotions like Happiness, Sadness, Anger, and Anxiety. Since horses most closely mirror human emotions, Haylo is the perfect friend to help your child learn to work through emotions! When they demonstrate this ability, children earn a token to put in Haylo's back. All the tokens collect in his…
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MOODLES 12-INCH DOLL

The Zoey and Aria dolls feature six different faces and emotions for kids to showcase by twisting the bow or flipping the face.
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MAKE FUNNY FACES – A SILLY MATCHING GAME

After rolling the dice, families build funny animal faces while kids learn how to express emotions — the first player to complete three faces is the winner.
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LETTER TRACING SENSORY PAD

Kids can learn how to form uppercase and lowercase letters using this tracing pad, which is filled with thick movable gel that helps kids develop fine motor skills.
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GIGAPETS BIT BUNNIES

This virtual pet starts as a baby bunny, which, with a good amount of love and care, will grow into an adult bunny and multiply. Each bunny has its own unique personality, animations, and games.
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PLAYFOAM SHAPE & LEARN FEELINGS SET

This sensory-friendly set comes with Playfoam and 13 double-sided activity cards to help teach kids social and emotional skills. They can learn breathing exercises and re-create expressions to practice learning what different emotions look like.
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HEXEL

Kids can twist, manipulate, and connect this fidget toy, which features six Plus-Plus pieces connected by a flexible cord.
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NEEDOH DREAM DROP

This squishable, squeezable droplet-shaped sensory toy is filled with a sparkle gel. It includes a translucent splash display base and comes in three colors.
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EMOTIONAL SUPPORT HOT DOGS

This set includes five plush emotional support hot dogs with different condiments and facial expressions, plus soft checkered napkins peeking out of the fuzzy plush container.
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FIDGET BLOX (TOUCH, SOUND, VISION)

Fidget Blox are squishy, sensory, and satisfyingly fidgety. The Blox are available in three styles, each with a unique focus on fidget play: touch (squish and squeeze), sound (popping water beads), and vision (lava effect).
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COOL DOWN CUBES SENSORY FIDGET SET

These four calming sensory cubes have different fidget actions to help kids as they work through their emotions. Kids can squeeze the slow-rise foam, spin the spinner, solve the maze, and sift the falling beads. The cubes store in the tray when playtime is over.
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A version of this feature was originally published in The Toy Book’s 2024 Specialty Toys & Gifts Issue. Click here to read the full issue! Want to receive The Toy Book in print? Click here for subscription options!
