My Friend Huggles Dolls

Product Description

Communicative 4

Skills

• Kids have an opportunity to learn and verbally label clothes—shirt, pants, dress, socks, shoes, etc.
• Dolls are a great way to learn various body parts—eyes, nose, mouth, tummy, feet, etc. This helps to teach children that “nose” not only refers to the thing on their own face but to all faces.
• Receptive and expressive language can be enhanced when a child talks about her and others’ attributes and feelings.

Play Ideas

• Caregiver can ask the child “wh” questions to answer. For example, “Where is the dolls foot?” or “What does the doll want to eat?”
• Play freeze dance, having the dolls dance with the child to the music and then stopping when the music stops. Music also reinforces vocalizations needed for speech and language.
• A caregiver can have pictures of family members to show a child. Have that child select a My Friend Huggles doll and attribute that best describes each family member’s personality.

Cognitive 3

Skills

• Pretend play with the dolls helps kids learn sequencing actions like feeding the doll, bathing the doll, and then putting the doll to bed.
• Dolls are a great way to teach various body parts—eyes, nose, mouth, tummy, feet, etc. This helps to teach children that “nose” not only refers to the thing on their own face but to all faces.
• Action concepts in/out, on/off, under/over can be practiced by playing with the dolls for example when dressing them.

Play Ideas

• Caregiver can use the doll to teach basic concepts like “doll is under the blanket,” “doll is sitting behind the couch.”
• Use the dolls “Life Virtues” tag to personally write out or verbally describe positive things that have happened related to the description on the tag.
• Caregiver can help the child practice following simple instructions using stickers and ask her to place the stickers on the doll.  

Social/Emotional 4

Skills

• Through pretend play, children can become more self-aware of how they act and react to different situations. Pretend play enables children to re-play the situation and learn different ways to handle themselves and appropriate ways to respond.
• My Friend Huggles helps children recognize their own feelings, and begin to acknowledge the feelings of others around them.
• The dolls are non-judgmental and encourage confidence as there is no right or wrong way to interact with My Friend Huggles.  

Play Ideas

• Manners and social etiquettes can be practiced through a pretend play tea party or lunch with the Queen of England.
• Use dolls as a companion to take to the park. Slide the slide with her and swing on the swings together.
• Caregiver can provide the child with weather scenarios and she can dress the doll according to the outside elements.