How Do Toys Help With Mental Health?

Children’s mental health is a hot topic currently. With the conversations surrounding how social media can affect your little one’s wellbeing, it is becoming even more important to talk about emotions with your child. This Mental Health Awareness Week, explore how you can help your youngster deal with feelings of anxiety & sadness. Read our guide on how toys help with mental health and discover some great wellbeing activities for kids. 

Mental Health Awareness Week 2025 

Mental Health Awareness Week (12th-18th May 2025) is an annual event where everyone can have discussions online and in person about their mental wellbeing and ways we can support each other. Children’s Mental Health Week 2025 took place earlier this year in February, but awareness is for everyone, no matter their age. The theme for this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week is Community. Read below to discover how you can create your own little community at home and connect with your child through toys to support their mental health.  

Why are Toys Good for Mental Health? 

Learning through play is a great way to support your child’s development and help them interact with the world around them. Toys can not only help with your little one’s physical and cognitive skills, but they can also boost their mental health and emotional development. 

Playing with toys releases lots of happy hormones in children’s minds, such as endorphins, which can relieve pain & help to reduce anxiety and stress. When your tot is feeling good, their brains release another chemical called dopamine, which is linked to pleasure. This means if your kid is having fun with their toys, they will feel more motivated and focused, which helps with their mental health and learning. 

Different toys will help with different aspects of Children’s mental wellbeing. Some teach your child how to express their thoughts and feelings, whilst others will help your kid to feel calmer. Read our guide below on which toys are best for helping your little one feel happy, healthy and worry-free! 

Soft Toys

Plush toys can make great therapeutic tools for your little ones. These soft, cuddly animals are comforting to kids (and adults!) when they’re feeling worried, sad or a little bit stressed out. Soft toys and teddies are great for anxiety relief as they calm your kids down and provide a sense of security.

These cuddly wonders are a great comfort when your child can’t sleep. Getting some good shut-eye is extremely important for everyone, but especially for growing minds, as lack of sleep can affect their cognitive development. Having something soft to hold can be a great way to reassure your child and help them get quality sleep. 

Large Elephant Plush Toy

Hug, cuddle and comfort this Large Elephant Plush Toy. This toy is super soft to help your little one feel safe and secure when they’re feeling a bit upset or overwhelmed. This adorable push comes with a little rucksack so kids can play pretend and express their feelings by creating imaginary worlds for their new ele-friend. 

Kids Dolls 

Dolls have been used in children's therapy for a long time, and for a good reason, as these toys can help your kid express their emotions. You can roleplay situations where the doll might feel sad or anxious and discuss what they might do to help. Asking your little one how the doll might be feeling can reveal a bit more about what your youngster is thinking. 

Because dolls often have human-like features, your little one can recognise this and learn how to communicate their feelings to other people by starting with the doll. These toys can also help little ones develop their empathy and understand how their loved ones might be feeling. 

Lottie Dolls 

Our selection of Lottie Dolls can help your little one build their confidence and role-play situations where they might feel afraid, angry or nervous about something. This Young Inventor Lottie Doll will empower your child, encouraging them to learn more about science, building & engineering. Encourage your little one to express their feelings by talking to/with the doll and inspire their imaginations by playing with the mini screwdriver and hammer tools. Your youngster can be whoever they want to be with these dolls! 

Sensory Toys & Fidgets 

Is your kiddo feeling restless or nervous? Fidget and sensory toys can be a great way to help with anxiety. Very often, anxiety in kids can present as them being agitated; they might bounce their leg or bite their nails as a way of relieving some of this nervous energy. By playing with fidget toys, your little one can squeeze away some stress or move the toy around to release this nervous energy in a healthier way. 

These toys can help your little one if they are feeling nervous or not focusing well at school. Many classrooms now offer sensory toys such as fidget cubes and stress balls to help children focus, particularly those with ADHD or kids who may have mental health concerns. Studies have shown that engaging your hands with fidget toys and using them in repetitive motions can help to increase focus & reduce anxiety, so your little one can concentrate and feel less worried in the classroom. Always check with your school’s rules before sending them off to class with these toys! 

Lava Squish N Flow

And breathe… calm the senses with this incredible Lava Squish N Flow fidget toy. Squeeze the ‘lamp’ and watch the blobs float about to release any tension and feel less anxious. This sensory toy can help your little one to focus and let go of any worries they might be holding onto. These groovy lava lamp squishes glow in the dark and come in a range of colours for the ultimate sensory play!  

Needoh Teenies 

Restless little hands can fidget with the Teenie Needoh toys. Perfectly sized for small hands, these miniature stress balls are great for boosting concentration and anxiety relief. Take these fidget toys wherever you go to ease any agitation and help your kid feel relaxed. Pop them in your pocket for on-the-go fidget fun. 

Mindful Creativity 

Help your tot to relax with some creative activities. Meditative toys & games, such as children’s mindful colouring, can help them to feel less stressed and refocus their minds. These kinds of toys can help your little one’s mental health because they allow them to take their time, meaning that they can slow any unhelpful thoughts of sadness and anxiety and let them express these feelings through art. Research has found that mindful colouring, in particular, can reduce anxiety and depression, helping your youngster to feel their best at difficult times. 

Encourage them to flex their imagination and express their individuality by crafting, crocheting and painting! You could also introduce some more mindfulness through breathing exercises and grounding techniques. One way to calm your child’s worries is to get them to focus on their surroundings. To make this more enjoyable, you could motivate them to draw 3 things they can see, hear or smell, allowing them to appreciate the present moment and reducing those pesky feelings of panic. 

Mindfully Me - Breathe. Relax. Create.

Brighten up your kiddo’s day with Tiger Tribe’s Mindfulness Colouring Book Set. The Mindfully Me kit helps your little one to regulate their emotions, bringing them into the present moment with some creative colouring. Explore your feelings and the world around you with this Zen-inspired toy. 

Crochet Suitcase Kit

Learn to crochet and calm the mind with this wonderful Button Bag Crochet Set from Fiesta Crafts. This little suitcase is packed with all the tools you need to crochet little bracelets and teach your youngster some basic stitches. Crocheting takes time and patience, helping kids to slow their thoughts and focus on the task at hand. Unravel their anxious thoughts and have a ball with this simple-to-use Crochet Kit. 

Role Play 

Role play toys and games, such as dress up, can help your child to feel more confident in themselves. Like dolls, kids can learn how to express their feelings in a fun, safe way and develop empathy for others by putting themselves in someone else’s shoes. However, role-play toys can boost your little one’s self-esteem as they take on the job of a firefighter, chef or doctor. 

With these toys, kids can learn new skills such as communication and even simple cooking, providing them with a sense of pride when they achieve something new. This helps kids with their mental health because if they feel confident playing, they are less likely to feel worried in other scenarios and will feel happier overall. The possibilities of role-play games are endless, these toys might even inspire their future career! Uplift your tot with our suggestions below. 

Explorer Dress Up

Discover the world’s wonders from home with this exciting Explorer Dress Up Set! This costume is great for encouraging your little one to explore nature and the outdoors, which is great for nurturing their mental health. Role play with the wooden fossils and magnifying glass to discover new creatures and develop their communication and imaginative skills. Our dress-up sets are a fantastic way to boost children’s self-esteem and confidence, so you can raise a happy and healthy kid. 

Breakfast Fry Up 

Serve a sunny-side-up morning with our Breakfast Fry Up Set. Kids can build their confidence in the kitchen and learn some basic cooking skills with the wooden egg, bacon rashers and sizzling sausages. These toys are ideal for helping your kid feel happier as they learn how to do something new, boosting those fun hormones in their brains. Cook up courage and face any emotion with this fabulous foodie kit!

Mental Health Support for Children 

It's okay to not feel okay sometimes. If you're looking for mental health help for your child or more advice on how you can support them, check out the links below for guidance: 

Barnardo's: barnardos.org.uk/get-support/support-for-parents-and-carers/mental-health 

Place2B: place2be.org.uk/