Feelings and mental health can get complicated, but play doesn’t have to be! May is Mental Health Awareness Month, making it the perfect time to add social-emotional, educational toys to the playroom.  

Fidget toys like Goliath’s Clickeez and Schylling’s Nee Doh can provide kids with a distraction during stressful moments or simply offer a necessary sensory experience. Plush friends, like Give Hugz’s Rey the Manta Ray, offer little ones a sense of love and comfort. Give Hugz donates a portion of its proceeds to mental health organizations, so this plush not only nurtures kids, but also makes an impact beyond the playroom. 

Toys from Battat or Solobolo Toys that introduce different emotions offer kids a visual and hands-on way to identify and understand emotions. Arts and crafts kits from Highlights and Crayola can also provide a needed de-stressor when feeling nervous or anxious. 

It’s important to incorporate these educational and emotional elements into play to help normalize the experience for kids as they grow. These toys open the door for conversations, understanding, and a deeper connection with themselves and others. 

Check out our top 15 picks for toys that support mental health below! 


MAGICAL MERMAIDS HIDDEN PICTURES

This mermaid-themed arts-and-crafts kit includes 6 metallic, washable markers and more than 40 ready-to-color stickers to complement the under-the-sea coloring book. Each page in the book features a beautiful underwater scene, with hidden objects to find and color in.

Product Facts

  • MSRP:
  • $14.99
  • Age:
  • 6+

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NEEDOH NICE BERG

With a squeeze, this soft, yet firm, squishy blue ice cube can be used as a de-stressing sensory toy or fidget. Watch it return to its normal shape no matter how much kids stretch, squish, pull, and poke it.

Product Facts

  • MSRP:
  • $12.99
  • Age:
  • 3+

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CLICKEEZ 5 PACK

This pack of five fidget toys features collectible character keys that click like keys on a mechanical keyboard. There are more than 70 different designs to collect.

Product Facts

  • MSRP:
  • $9.99
  • Age:
  • 6+

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JELLY BLOX TRACTOR VEHICLE SET

This building set features 12 squishy pieces, including a tractor, a farmer, and apple crates. The pieces also feature new sensory fills for unique texture experiences.

Product Facts

  • MSRP:
  • $14.99
  • Age:
  • 2+

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BIGFOOT SNUGGLER

This charming and meaningful set includes a Bigfoot Snuggler plush, Bigfoot Copes with Hurt Feelings Board Book, and Bigfoot You Are Lovable Board Book, all of which teach kids lessons on self-esteem that will help them cope with adversity as they grow up.

Product Facts

  • MSRP:
  • $67.98
  • Age:
  • 3+

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PLAYTAB GO

This travel-friendly toy includes two tactile sensory tiles for kids to move, switch, and replace with other Play Tab tiles. It also has a clip to attach to a car seat, a bag, or a stroller.

Product Facts

  • MSRP:
  • $14.95
  • Age:
  • 1+

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REY THE MANTA RAY

This weighted, heatable, and coolable manta ray plush brings a wave of calm. Each Hugz plush comes in a tube for easy storage. Hugz donates 10% of all proceeds of Hugz of the Month to mental wellness charities.

Product Facts

  • MSRP:
  • $59.99
  • Age:
  • 2+

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SORT & MATCH EGGS

This set includes 12 wobbly eggs, each hiding an expressive little chick inside. Toddlers can pull the eggs apart, explore the colorful chicks, then snap them back together by matching the correct shape and color. Egg tops only click into place when they’re a perfect match, encouraging problem-solving, fine motor practice, and early learning with…

Product Facts

  • MSRP:
  • $17.97
  • Age:
  • 18 MOS+

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CARE BEARS 14-INCH COZY TOGETHERNESS BEAR

Togetherness Bear teaches little ones that sharing and being kind to others brings everyone closer together. Togetherness Bear's belly badge features a vibrant embroidered heart, symbolizing the love and connection she encourages. This plush is also made of sustainable materials, as showcased by the leaf embroidered patch on her left foot.

Product Facts

  • MSRP:
  • $19.28
  • Age:
  • 4+

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EMOTION BLOCKS

Kids can identify their feelings with 10 colorful and expressive blocks that feature different emotions, including happy, sad, angry, surprised, and more.

Product Facts

  • MSRP:
  • $32.99
  • Age:
  • 3+

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KINETIC SAND SMOOTHIE MAKER

Use the blender or popsicle molds to make various Kinetic Sand smoothies and popsicles. The set includes molds to shape the sand into fruit or popsicle shapes.

Product Facts

  • MSRP:
  • $14.99
  • Age:
  • 5+

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BIG FEELINGS NESTING FRUIT FRIENDS

This 9-piece playset includes double-sided fruit friends that introduce kids to 10 emotions. Little ones will build social-emotional learning and fine motor skills as they play.

Product Facts

  • MSRP:
  • $17.99
  • Age:
  • 18 MOS+

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GUND TOOTHPICK NEAR OR FAR BEARS

This set features Toothpick as both a full-size and mini keychain plush. Families can record three 20-second voice messages that will play when kids hug the larger plush pal.

Product Facts

  • MSRP:
  • $44.00
  • Age:
  • 0+

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COLOR WONDER COLORING PAGES – MS.RACHEL AND BLUEY

These sets offer screen-free fun with mess-free magic. The included Color Wonder markers let kids color freely without staining clothes, furniture, or skin. The folder-style packaging keeps everything organized and travel-ready, making it a great option for playdates, holiday trip, or quiet time at home. Available in both Bluey and Ms. Rachel styles.

Product Facts

  • MSRP:
  • $8.99
  • Age:
  • 3+

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EMOTIONAL SUPPORT HIGHLAND COWS

This cozy container comes packed with 5 soft Emotional Support Highland Cows, each with its own unique name, look, and personality.

Product Facts

  • MSRP:
  • $19.99
  • Age:
  • 0+

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About the author

Annie Marino

Annie Marino

Annie Marino is an Editorial Assistant at The Toy Insider, The Pop Insider, and The Toy Book. A native New Yorker, she can often be found on long walks through Central Park or catching a film at the AMC Lincoln Square theater. Marino is passionate about all things pop culture and is an alumna of Fairfield University.

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