How does that make you feel?

That’s what LEGO asks kids with one of its newest building sets, LEGO DUPLO My First Emotions. The set helps toddlers to understand different emotions. True to the LEGO DUPLO My First brand, the set assists toddlers as they discover this emotional developmental milestone.

Kids can piece together the bright, buildable blocks and begin to understand the different social cues that match each emotion. The chunky bricks are designed for tiny hands, and the colorful pieces will instantly attract eager eyes. The double-sided face and story bricks help kids to explore the different emotions and what they may mean.

Each face represents a different mood or feeling. For example, a child may recognize the squinty eyes and pouty face of one character as someone who feels grumpy. Kids will probably remember this mood from when Mom or Dad tells them that they can’t have any more sweets before dinner, and understand that those expressions cue a grumpy mood. Then, they can pair it with a lower body block that has a stubborn air to it, with it’s arms defiantly crossed. Parents, you know what I’m talking about here.

On the other hand, another LEGO brick figure has blushed cheeks and eyes that appear to be upset. Kids can identify this feeling based off of yesterday’s dinner escapades where an entire glass of juice spilled all over the table. With that little #TBT in mind, kids will understand that this LEGO character is clearly a bit upset and somewhat embarrassed because it had an unfortunate mishap. Once that is understood, kids can pair the face with hands that hug its body and are covered in ice cream, with an ice cream cone face down on the floor (Oh, the horror!).

A mood that tots can easily identify is the sleepyhead face. This little dude has droopy eyes that pair well with the pajama body block. To top it off, kids can use the night and moon block to complete the bedtime ensemble. Other emotions that the blocks represent include happy, sad, and giggly (No, I’m not talking about the seven dwarfs!) expressions.

As kids build the figures and tell each character’s story, they will begin to grasp how certain expressions signal specific dispositions. This understanding will become useful as they mature and begin to interact with others. Parents can then use the My First Emotions building blocks as a tool to open discussions on emotions and moods. ALL the feels.

About the author

Stephanie Grassullo

Stephanie Grassullo

Stephanie Grassullo is an associate editor at Adventure Publishing Group. In addition to handling toy and licensing news and updates for The Toy Book and The Licensing Book, Stephanie also writes toy reviews and commentaries for the Toy Insider. When she’s not binge-watching old episodes of Gossip Girl, Stephanie is always game for Boggle tournaments—she’s the titleholder Boggle champion in her family, and proud of it! Stephanie firmly believes that there is no awkward moment that can’t be remedied with the help of Bop It. To get to know her better, follow her on Twitter @steph_grass.

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