Learning Resources 

Blog Post 

Full Name: Samantha Hayhurst

Job Title: Head of Marketing

Why Social Emotional Learning Toys Are the Key to School Readiness in 2026.

At Learning Resources, we’ve long championed the power of Social Emotional Learning (SEL) toys helping young children build essential life skills. Now, new research from King’s College London, commissioned by the Department for Education as part of the Best Start in Life campaign, has reinforced what we’ve always believed: when it comes to preparing children for school, social skills are just as much academic ones.

The study found that parents and carers overwhelmingly prioritise their child’s ability to interact with peers, express emotions and form friendships over early academic milestones like writing their name or recognising numbers. 

The results of the survey could be a response to the social isolation many children experienced during the pandemic. As a result, nurturing emotional intelligence, sentence-level communication, and the ability to describe feelings have become a top priority for families and schools alike.

The best advice emerging from the study was to prioritise play as a key element to your child’s education. It’s through play that children learn to share, empathise, problem-solve, and express themselves. And toys designed with SEL in mind can be powerful tools to support this development.

Samantha Hayhurst, Head of Marketing at Learning Resources, shared:

“Last year our School Readiness campaign ran throughout the year, and we want to build on our support for parents as we go into 2026 with an emphasis on helping young children develop their social skills through innovative products, educational resources and advice from our experts.”

One standout example is our award-winning Campfire Chatmallows™ Storytelling Set. This imaginative toy invites children to create and share stories around a pretend campfire, encouraging creativity, logical thinking, and most importantly enhancing listening and speaking skills. By helping children to express emotions with others, it lays the groundwork for resilience and confidence as they grow.

Looking ahead to 2026 and beyond, Learning Resources are dedicated to supporting families and schools with toys and games that foster emotional connection with others, empathy, and self-expression and the team are excited to share upcoming plans at Toy Fair. 

How many years have you exhibited at Toy Fair? Any favourite memories?

Learning Resources have exhibited for over 25 years. One of our favourite memories was the first toy fair following COVID and meeting customers in person again!