Learning Resources Ocean Emotions Seashells Social Emotional Learning Activities Ages 18 Months and Up

My 1 year old absolutely loves these Ocean Emotion Seashells! Learning Resources sent this product to me for free through the BzzAgent sampling program. I am definitely impressed with the quality of this toy set! The bucket is impressively thick and sturdy and the shells are made out of a strong plastic as well. The little creatures are slightly bendy/rubbery and have a great feel. The emotion creatures are quite small, so I wouldn't recommend for little ones that still put everything in their mouths. The shells come apart easily and the creatures are easy to put inside. Closing the shells isn't difficult, but it does require the dexterity to line up all of the grooves on the shells, which may take some time for little hands to learn. My little one likes to open the shells, attempt to close them for two seconds before getting frustrated and then handing them to me to close for him. However, I see him trying for a few seconds more here and there so I'm sure he will figure it out soon and be so proud of himself. He's a very impatient toddler in general, so I think he learns slower than many others with things like this. He loves to shake the shells, take them apart, collect all of the pieces and put them into the bucket one by one, carry the bucket around, play with the little creatures and so many other little "games" he comes up with. This toy has gotten more attention than most others these days! Keep in mind there are quite a few pieces to keep track of, so if that's something that bothers you this may not be a good choice. I do wish there was a lid to keep on the bucket for storage. On the plus side, everything does fit in the bucket even when taken apart, so that is definitely appreciated. The emotion poster/card was definitely a bit of a letdown as it's just paper/cardboard. I wish they would have made the card out of a more durable material. Unfortunately, it didn't last long with my wild child before it had to be thrown out already. Some emotion faces on the creatures were a bit difficult for us to identify exactly what they were labeled as without referring to the card, however, I think you can just call the emotions whatever they look like to you and it will have the same effect with teaching. They are definitely a cute way to introduce emotions to little ones! Overall, I think this set is a fantastic value. My little one has thoroughly enjoyed playing with it and I see it being around to enjoy for many years! I definitely enjoy being able to introduce the different emotions in such a cute and fun way!

I work in early childhood education and have kids of my own. These are an adorable and fun way to help little ones identify and express their emotions. I love having them identify the emotion on the creature and then asking them to make the face they identified. Then we talk about in what situations we feel that way and why.