Twonster®

Product Description

Cognitive 4

Skills

• As children flip the faces on the Twonster from one emotion to the other, memory and recall is promoted as they remember the two emotions.
• Twonsters promote object permanence, children know and remember that the emotion on the other side is still there, even if unseen at the moment.
• Action concepts such as over/under or front/back are encouraged when flipping Twonsters inside out as children switch between the two emotions. 

Play Ideas

• Have the child use the Twonster to talk what happened throughout the day as an evening activity. For example: In the morning-happy, at lunch-embarrassed, etc. Talk about why those feelings happened today.
• A caregiver can have pictures of family members to show a child. Have that child select a Twonster character that best describes each family member’s personality.
• Create a designated spot in your house for the Twonster characters. When the child is beginning to feel overwhelmed or needs a break, a caregiver can have her cool down and express feelings in this designated “safe place” using the Twonsters as a tool. 

Communicative 4

Skills

• Twonsters characters encourage open-ended play. Children get to dictate the rules and discover what they like.
• Language development opportunities arise when the child is talking about feelings or making up her own stories with the Twonster characters.
• Receptive and expressive language can be enhanced when a child talks about his feelings using the Twonsters characters or when the child is asked a question such as, “What are you feeling?”
• Children can practice their self-awareness using the Twonsters because they can help identify needs and feelings in the moment. 
• For children who have difficulty with verbal communication related to their emotions, the flipping nature of the Twonsters’ emotions can be used to let people know how they are feeling at the time. 

Play Ideas

• Caregiver can hide the Twonster around the house with part of it sticking out from underneath a bag or a pillow. Caregiver can give hints of “warm” and “cold” to help the child find the Twonster.
• Caregivers can help children make their own plush figures so they can feel the stuffing and fabrics that goes into these plush characters.
• Have the child draw/write a new story for their Twonster character that relates to the feelings on the pillows.
• The child can keep a journal of his feelings by writing and/or drawing out the way he felt during the day. A caregiver can debrief with him after it is completed. 

Social/Emotional 4

Skills

• Social interactions like sharing, turn-taking and patience are promoted as kids engage in pretend-play activities with Twonsters when having a tea party or playing house.
• With two different emotions conveyed with each Twonster, these plush characters can be used to teach children not only how to express their feelings, but comprehend the feelings of others.
• Twonsters can be used to help a child transition from one activity to the next. These characters can be the constant in novel situations and help ease apprehensions.
• The Twonsters appeal to a wide age range, allowing children of all ages, maturities, and cognitive levels to use and learn from Twonsters. 

Play Ideas

• Gather hats and pretend play items to dress up the Twonsters.
• Twonsters can be used to have an imaginary party with all of the child’s favorite toys.
• Twonsters can encourage curiosity of emotions and feelings. Why does she feel this way?