Feeleez

Sam has recently become interested in how people are feeling.  We have a book about a monkey who's sad because he wants a hug, but can't find his mom.  Sam is very interested in this idea and always points at the monkey and says, "shad?" 

I'd recently seen the Feeleez game and loved the idea.  I contacted the company about doing a giveaway (coming up next week!) and they generously sent a game for us to try out with Sam too.  It's been a huge hit!  He even gives the little people rides on his train:)

I wondered if he wouldn't be interested because it says it's for two and up, but he loves looking through the pieces and talking about each of the characters.  He has certain ones that he really likes and looks for (the girl making the "yuck!"face, the boy with the boo boo on his elbow and the boy that looks nervous).  Initially he didn't like to look at the ones that looked angry or very scared.  If he saw them he would say, "No," and put them back in the box and find a happy face.  But after awhile he started becoming interested in those as well.  I think it's so healthy for him to be thinking about emotions and what other people are feeling.  We try to talk about how other kids are feeling, like if they're crying and sad or hurt or frustrated.  It's really interesting to watch him develop this new awareness of people around him and what they're feeling.  Babies are, by nature, self-centered.  The world seems to revolve around them from the moment they're born and their circle of people is very small.  So, as that world begins to open up and include more people, I think it's so important for them to learn to be empathetic towards and interested in those other people. 

I love watching my sweet boy grow and learn.  It warms my heart to see him snuggle his stuffed animals and kiss their boo-boos.  I saw him the other day talking to his toy dinosaur and telling him he had a boo-boo.  He then requested a kiss from the dinosaur and put him up to his knee to deliver the kiss.