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

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.

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!

From the packaging to the toys to the instructions- everything about this toys are perfect. And it's made from recycled materials. Me and my kids (2,3 years old) enjoyed going through emotions and I loved how durable this toy is. Now it's their favorite bath toy. I love how it promotes fine motor skills, to open up shells, and little toys are so cute. Almost like in their own beds. Little bucket was an awesome bonus. I also loved instructions. Very carefully curated and with some awesome tips and fun facts, so even older kids are fascinated. Axolotl was a fun touch. My daughters favorite

My son loved playing with this toy set! He was very entertained and loved imitating the faces he saw on the shells. This was a fun bath time toy for him and he enjoyed playing with the bucket

My 2 year old likes this toy. Is great for motor skills development, they have to match the seashells halves and place the sea animal inside. Comes with a cute bucket and a card with the emotions names.

I received this product for free to review through Buzz Agent. I am so glad I did, it is so much fun to play with with the kids. Not just for toddlers, helps younger kids better understand emotions.

This was perfect for our littles.We have 1 nonverbal special child & 2 behavioral needs children so it was very easy to apply and play with this with the kids. We enjoyed opening to find dif facial expressions!

I love the emotions part of this toy! What a fun way to teach the different emotions all while during bath time which is perfect! We love making up little stories to go along with the expressions and emphasizing them with our own facial expressions!

It's great learning tool to help children learn emotions,texture,colors also makes great for accompaniment to bathtime! The toys are small, but they are large enough they can't be swallowed.

My son is 32 months, on the older end of the target audience with good communication skills which likely influenced his interaction with this toy. When I first presented the seashells to my son, he was very interested by the different bright colors. He was curious about what was inside each shell, and quickly opened them all, asking each animal's name in turn. At first, he didn't notice the different faces on the front and back. When he did notice them, he was curious about why each animal had 2 faces. We used the toy as a naming activity for different emotions. He wanted to match the animals to the images on the sheet, but not all the faces are shown. I think it would be helpful to include a reference sheet that shows both sides of each animal, so that children can match the animal to the sheet and learn the names of the emotions. It was helpful to talk to my son about why the animal might be making that face to try to understand the emotions. This toy would pair well with a mirror for the child to see their face and try to mimic the animals' faces. The shells are an interesting enclosure for the animals, but it might be better to have 2 of each animal - so they can have just one face and children can see both at the same time and recognize them as opposites. As it is, the toy is not something he chooses to use on his own (we've had it on the shelf for a week) and it requires a lot of interaction from an adult. Adults who encounter the toy all use it differently also which leads to some confusion for my son. I prefer toys I can demonstrate to him a handful of times that he can then use independently, and which adults can immediately see how to use reasonably consistently. I may make a reference sheet for him so the can match up the animals. I have videos of his first interaction with the toy, but don't have a YouTube account, so qould need a different way to upload.