For Parents: Some of my Favorite Toys for Making an At-Home Play Therapy Kit

Let me share my ridiculous amount of knowledge about some of the most therapeutic toys currently available on the market that are also easy to order from the comfort of your own home (a major win for busy parents and Jeff Bezos’ yacht!!!). I have done the research and used these toys both at home with my children and in my play therapy practice. I highly recommend them, microplastics be damned!

The main thing to remember when building an at-home play therapy kit for you and your child is that the toys do not really matter all that much. They are fun, and they are facilitative, BUT children will create or imagine anything they need to in order to process what they need to! Creating an accepting and non-judgmental relationship with your child is the most important piece of the puzzle. I will be making a blog post about how to do play therapy with your own child at home soon, if I haven’t already.

1. Beverly Hills Dolls
   Children love these because they are super movable! I have had other doll sets in the past that children didn’t play with nearly as much. They only come in two different skin tones though.
   Click here to order: https://amzn.to/4uMP36e and https://amzn.to/3QNTBvj

2. Dinosaur Puppets
   These are super helpful for processing aggression. When you’re feeling frustrated, why not put a puppet on your hand and have a pretend dinosaur fight?!
   Click here to order: https://amzn.to/3SQrNqE

3. Safari Fairies
   This set is super helpful for facilitating stories related to nurturing and stories involving mothers and babies.
   Click here to order: https://amzn.to/4gvQtP5

4. Safari Cute Monsters
   These help children to express their fears of monsters, being weird or feeling left out, and plus, they’re just fun!
   Click here to order: https://amzn.to/4gwPEp7

5. Water Monster
   A water monster like this can help children to really process their fears and anxieties, especially related to flooding or climate change. Children are particularly drawn to this one in my experience.
   Click here to order: https://amzn.to/4gwpYZK

6. Folkmanis Bee Puppet
   I’ve found that bees bring up a lot of feelings for children! Whether they are afraid of being stung or feel protective of bees, bees just bring up a lot of feelings! This little finger puppet is so pretty.
   Click here to order: https://amzn.to/4a7FZBB

7. Bear Family
   I’ve found this particular bear family to be really useful for expressing family dynamics, because one bear looks particularly angry. What parent hasn’t acted like an angry bear at home?! It’s ALL about the repair: https://www.ted.com/talks/becky_kennedy_the_single_most_important_parenting_strategy‍ ‍
   Click here to order: https://amzn.to/4xCUY0n

8. Lion Family
   I’ve also found that this particular lion family can facilitate a lot of expression in general, and especially related to divorce, because there is one male lion and two female lions, along with three baby lions.
   Click here to order: https://amzn.to/4vZYCjp

9. Wheelchair
   Children LOVE this wheelchair in particular, and it fits the Beverly Hills Dolls perfectly. Wheelchairs can help express anxiety and vulnerability.
   Click here to order: https://amzn.to/4fW7Atk

10. Nightmare Before Christmas Figures
    Children also need to process their fear of death, just as adults do. Death is terrifying. These figures are really well-made and detailed. Usually play therapists don’t recommend figures that have particular characters associated with them, but these are just so cool and expressive! These figures have really helped children express fears about death in my experience.
    Click here to order: https://amzn.to/43I3eP4

11. Dryer Balls
    These random dryer balls are so surprisingly expressive! They’re great for children to squeeze when angry or throw as a game to strengthen connection.
    Click here to order: https://amzn.to/4euaO6d

12. Miniature Paper Shredder
    There is something extremely satisfying about this particular hand-cranked paper shredder, and children absolutely love it. Drawing something that makes you feel mad or scared, and then shredding it, is really satisfying!
    Click here to order: https://amzn.to/4vY9XjR

13. Two-Pack of Sand Trays
    These are really convenient, because you can keep sand in one of the trays, and many of your toys in the other tray.
    Click here to order: https://amzn.to/3QCoMJM

I personally prefer kinetic sand, because it doesn’t get everywhere. Click here to order: https://amzn.to/4xFV9YT

If you have money to spend, this sand tray is really, really nice: https://amzn.to/4xFSQow

Here’s a full list of toys recommended for play therapy at home: https://cpt.unt.edu/recommended-toy-list

Again, always remember that the materials are only one part of the process, but toys are also just SO FUN!

Happy playing!!!

Warmly,

Dr. Alison

Please note: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. However, I only recommend products that I personally use and trust. If you make toys, feel free to send them to Dr. Alison Sheesley, 3570 E. 12th Ave., Denver, CO 80206, and I may add them to this list.