Observations

How do children interact with Squishmallows?

Background Info: In order to get an understanding of how children directly interact with Squishmallows, we utilized our group member, Parker's, position as a Registered Behavior Technician (RBT). Parker immediately thought of a little girl that he works with, Avery, who is very fond of her Squishmallows, using them in play almost everyday. She is just five years old and is a high-functioning individual diagnosed with austism spectrum disorder (ASD). The following observations illustrate a variety of ways that these stuffed toys can be useful in children's learning and development.

Note: Name have been changed and first-hand pictures not included due to behavior analyst certified board (BACB) privacy policy and client confidentiality standards.

Image: Web-sourced image showing the importance of pretend play in the setting of a "tea party."

Pretend Play

Observations: During session, Mom, Avery, and I decided to play her favorite board game, “Hi Ho Cherry-O." Avery wanted to use her favorite plushie to fill in the spot of the fourth player. Throughout the game, when it was the plushie’s turn, Avery took the perspective of the plushie, pretending to vocalize her thoughts and actions. When the plushie had unfortunate luck in the game, Avery would sympathize and build the imaginary persona up by offering words of kindness. For example, Avery rolled the dice for the plushie and it was a low number, Avery immediately offered solace saying, "it's okay, don't worry, you can still win!"

Analysis: This behavior exemplifies how pretend play with Squishmallows can teach children to empathize and practice their perspective taking skills. Later on, children who have had these learning experiences may be more equipped to understand the perspective of others in various social situations. By including these toys in creative play, we hope to bolster communication skills and emotional intelligence.

Hide and Seek

Observations: Another common activity that occurs during session is that Avery asks to play hide and seek with her Squishmallow. We gather up her favorites from her massive collection. Then, Mom, Avery, and I take turns counting to 20 while the other two hide the ~10 plushies around the room. When Avery is hiding the toys she often smiles widely and giggles when we cannot find a few of the plushies. Eventually, she will provide hints until we get closer and let out a loud laugh when we finally uncover the missing plushie. When she is the seeker, she will count the remainder of plushies to be found, greeting each one with their uniquely given name when they are found.

Analysis: Hide and seek offers a number of really great learning opportunities for children. For one, Avery shows progress in her spatial awareness, keeping track of numerous Squishies and even providing hints towards the location they are hidden. She is also pushed to use her imagination and come up with creative hiding spots for the toys. Additionally, as a seeker she must apply problem solving skills when she cannot find the toys, asking for hints from the hider. This will be a great lesson that she can always ask others for help from others when facing difficulties. Lastly, the way she greets her toys demonstrates social skills that will aid in her social development with her peers as she enrolls in Kindergarten next year.

Image: Web-sourced image of girl counting for Hide & Seek.

Image: Example image very similar to the visual shown to Avery when she is asked to choose a coping tool from her "tool box."

Coping Skills

Observations: When Avery gets angry/upset and displays signs of tantrums (crying with or without tears, vocal protest, falling to the floor, rarely - self injurious behavior), I implement a check yourself visual. Basically, a paper that shows different emojis representing different feelings. I ask her to identify how she feels by pointing to the given emoji and and then ask her what tools in our toolbox we can use to cope. Sometimes this may be deep breaths, but Avery’s preferred coping mechanism is squeezing her biggest plushie. As she squeezes tightly, she focuses on slowing her breathing and calming her body. Within roughly 2-5 minutes of hugging the toy, she is more willing to listen to instruction and talk about how she is feeling.

Analysis: This specific use of the Squishmallow demonstrates its effectiveness in calming children down from heightened emotional states. While this can be achieved with any stuffed animal, the Squishmallow is especially squishy and soft to the touch. I believe that the sensory experience achieved with a Squishmallow is exceedingly comforting and quick to relieve stress in children and adults alike. This goes to show that Squishmallows can be useful tools in teaching children to deal with their less favorable emotions. Pushing children to develop coping mechanisms that they can later implement during experiences with stress, anxiety, anger, or frustration.

Summary: Based on my observations, it is clear that Squishmallows offer a number of learning benefits to developing children. They can be a useful tool to teach: perspective taking, social skills, coping with aversive emotions, and many more important skills when combined with different forms of play.

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