Why Plush?

Article from Parents.com called First Friends: Toddlers & Stuffed Animals states that playing with plush allows kids to explore their complex feelings because they can relate and attach emotions to it as kids know that a plush doll or a bear represents a living thing and helps children develop essential skills.

What are the benefits?
1) Plush toys can help kids make that first step into independence
The world can appear scary, huge and overwhelming to the little ones and without the protection of their parents next to them at times. However, with a plush friend, children can feel safe and protected, giving them the confidence they need to explore the world on their own more.

2) Helps kids deal with and understand their more complex emotions

According to many psychologists, children at the at a young age can learn to manage their emotions by role-playing with plush. This gives them a way to communicate their experiences in a playful, nonthreatening manner.’’ So rather than bottling up emotions that are too difficult to understand and express, they can use plush toys to act them out in a way so that it makes sense to them.

3) Helps kids hone their language and speaking skills
When children talk to their plush friends, they are also listening to the sound of their own voice, figuring out on their own how best to say what they want to say, and practicing their pronunciation skills. After all, the more children talk – whether it’s to you or their stuffed animals – the more practice they’ll get and the better at communicating they’ll become.

4) Plush toys can help kids get along better with others.
One of the hardest lessons for children to learn are social rules and norms. Some of us adults still struggle with it from time to time. However, when children play with plush, they can go through these challenges safely by acting and experimenting with different scenarios and possibilities.

5) Helps kids gain a sense of control over their world

When children first explore the world, it can be a very scary and overwhelming place for them, full of chaos and information overload. However, when kids take the role of parent over their plush, suddenly everything becomes manageable, understandable and safe.

There is something that makes plush toys much more memorable than other toys and it is something that most of us might not normally consider to be all that important: cuddliness, coziness, softness and huggability. Plush toys are fantastic because they teach children how to cuddle, hug and be more nurturing and loving. It helps children learn to be more caring, compassionate and this plays on of the most important roles in their development. This I think is the most important benefit of playing with plush toys.