New Series from Child's Play Focuses on Positive Behaviors

In 2024, Child’s Play published a series of simple board books called First Feelings.  This was in response to research indicating that good mental health was increasingly under threat, in children as much as in adults.  The National Library of Medicine, for instance, reported that in 2016, almost 20% of children in the US between the ages of 2 to 8 years had a diagnosed mental, behavioral, or developmental disorder.  The reasons for this, of course, are complex and diverse, and in many cases, a carefully planned and structured intervention is the only solution.

Early intervention is key, and our series of six board books was enthusiastically received for all the reasons we published them. The books are nonjudgmental, nongendered, unstereotypical, sometimes challenging, and written as much for neurodivergent readers as for neurotypical ones.

Exploring the Child's Play Series: First Feelings

Explore the groundbreaking series, First Feelings which focuses on children's emotional well-being, created with expert guidance and charming illustrations. Learn how to nurture empathy and resilience in young minds. Read the blog post here.

We’re now pleased to bring to the table a new series of board books featuring similar characters, on the theme of behaviors.  It’s a natural progression in that behavior, which is feeling made manifest – the difference being that we can’t help what we feel, but we can manage how we behave.  Working once again with Dr Katherine Lester, Senior Lecturer in Developmental Psychology at the University of Sussex in the UK, we identified six key behaviors in young children, and sought to represent how they arise, when and how they are positive, when and how they are negative, and how to manage them to achieve best outcomes, and to support the child’s ability to learn and to grow.  Positive behavior is critical to a child’s healthy personal, social, and emotional development. 

Each of these six books focuses on a classic behaviour displayed by young children, introducing a single behavior and exploring its effect on the child and on those around them, offering helpful coping strategies where relevant.  The carefully designed (and very cute) non-human characters avoid gender stereotyping and traditional color associations, too.  The usual suspects are included – Brave is here, and Kind, and Calm – but less obvious (but no less important) behaviors are included too – Creative, Curious, and Playful. 

We also looked to challenge the traditional associations made with behaviours.  The character in When I am Brave, for example, admits to feeling scared sometimes. Bravery is about keeping going when progress is hard; it’s about trying new things when we’re not sure of them.  It’s brave to say ‘no’ if something doesn’t feel right, or if we don’t like it.  It’s brave to own up to our mistakes, and it’s brave to choose what’s best for us, even if peer pressure is forcing us to conform.  When I am Kind is about consideration of others, which takes many forms, but it’s also important that we remember to be kind to ourselves, too.  When I am Playful introduces the various stages of play, from solitary forms all the way through to cooperative play.

Although we’ve only just published this series of books, we’ve already received numerous positive responses from teachers, educators, parents, and – most importantly – children themselves.  We’re already working on a further collection of books focusing on children’s healthy and positive emotional and behavioral development.  Watch this space!