Ms. Rachel Designed Her New Toys To ‘Grow’ With Your Child and ‘Last Longer Than 2 Days’
These early childhood toys aren't just for littles though. They help caregivers learn to play too.Fact checked by Sarah ScottFact checked by Sarah Scott"I am so excited; It's crazy how excited I am," Rachel Accurso (aka Ms. Rachel) exclaims as we begin our interview about her brand-new toy line. Saying she feels like Santa Claus, Accurso goes on to say, "I keep having visions of myself just giving them out to people. I'm so excited to share them."Teaming up with SpinMaster and Melissa & Doug, Accurso has answered fans' calls with this toy line.
Spin Master Corp. / Parents
"We've put a lot of care and thought and love and so much detail into the toys to make them really special," Accurso says.These toys are special, created with both kids and parents in mind. Parents got a sneak peek at some of the toys heading to store shelves and online retailers this fall. Read on to learn more about them and find out which one is Ms. Rachel's favorite.What Should Parents Look For in a Toy?There are so many toys on the market that it may be hard for parents, caregivers, or anyone buying a gift to decide which toy is best."Something that grows with a child; something they're not going to play with for two days and then not want to play with anymore; something that inspires imagination and creativity; something that you can use in multiple ways," describes Accurso.It's with those tentpoles that Accurso helped develop her own line of toys. But that doesn't mean there aren't other types of toys she says are valuable for children."I love Play-Doh, kinetic sand, things that kids can be creative with, and it never gets old, just like classic, toy dolls," Accurso says. "Dolls are so wonderful. You can do so much with a doll."All About Ms. Rachel's New ToysThere are 10 brand-new toys that include blocks, plushies, puzzles, and a rattle. They are all designed by Accurso herself, along with developmental experts."She's truly like another toy designer," explains Laura Henderson, Executive Vice President and Global Head of Early Learning at Spin Master. "She has sat alongside our designers and sat through every detail."The goal of all of the toys is to support littles throughout their ages and stages, from 3 months to 3+ years. Of course, they are all tied back to songs, characters, and themes from Ms. Rachel's wildly popular Songs for Littles YouTube Channel."It's so important to me that the toys be affordable, and they're very open-ended. They can grow with the child," Accurso explains. "We always want everything with Ms. Rachel to be beneficial, and that's one of the whys we go back to like, is this helpful for children? Is it going to inspire learning and creativity?"Wood Learning Blocks
Spin Master Corp.
The first toy Accurso highlights are the wood learning blocks."There are so many ways to play with them—it's not just blocks," Accurso says.These blocks include letters, numbers, pictures, and colors. But they also include four game blocks that show animals, body parts, emotions, and movements. That, Accurso says, was one of her ideas."Some of the blocks you can play a first game with. So you roll the block and then it says to wiggle, and you wiggle. You're getting some gross motor skills," she explains as she demonstrates how to play with the blocks. "This [block] teaches where different parts of your body are. So you can touch your eyes. There's a feeling block, and it's so important that kids can identify their emotions. Identifying them is one of the first steps to being able to regulate them and say what's going on."Ms. Rachel Surprise Learning Box
Spin Master Corp.
Another toy Accurso personally had a hand in is the Surprise Learning Box. There are four different interactive scenes on the sides of the box, something Accurso thought of herself. It also comes with six accessories that babies can play with including a bear, bunny, carrot, bus, bubble gum, and a scarf. Parents can use the accessories to create scenes."Bunny can inspire a lot of language. [Bunny can go] up, up, up and down the slide, and Bunny's so dirty she needs to take a bath, and you put Bunny in the bath," Accurso demonstrates.The toys are multi-functional as well. Take the peekaboo scarf that comes with the Surprise Learning Box. Accurso shows us how not only can you play peekaboo with it, but then it can also be a washcloth to wash the bear with."So, we're helping the kids imagine that something is multiple things, and just extending the play," Accurso explains.Accurso and her team will be incorporating the Surprise Learning Box into episodes of her show as well. On October 1, they'll be releasing the first play-along episode so littles and their families can do exactly as Ms. Rachel is doing.Ms. Rachel Speak & Sing Doll View this post on Instagram A post shared by Ms Rachel (@msrachelforlittles)
When I spoke with Accurso last December, she said they had gotten so many requests for a Ms. Rachel doll. That's now a reality."It's just one of those pinch-me moments where you're like, it's a doll," Accurso exclaims. "It's just really cool."The Ms. Rachel doll sings all the songs that kiddos know and love. But the doll is also inspirational for kids and adults with what it says."She says, 'You can do hard things,' which is something I think about every day," Accurso explains. "She says to take a deep breath. One time I was just playing with it, and I was like, oh my god, I do need to take a deep breath. So I love that. And she says, You're so loved—things that I want kids to hear."Accurso admits the Ms. Rachel doll is her favorite among the new toys, "They did such a nice job."She highlights the quality of the sound that makes it her favorite."I hope she brings some comfort to kids," Accurso says. "I know there are a lot of moments where kids have struggles and [trouble] sleeping alone at night. So, I just hope the doll is helpful."The Other Toys
Spin Master Corp.
Accurso also showed us the six-piece Wooden Song Puzzle, developed with popular toy brand Melissa & Dog. It plays some of Ms. Rachel's popular songs."When I was shopping for my son, I just put in Melissa & Doug to the search and see what came up, because I knew I trusted their brand. I loved all the pretend play the brand inspires. And so to have Melissa and Doug puzzle, it's just so cool," Accurso says.Some of the other toys include a Herbie Huggable Lovey, Hop Little Bunnies Soft Rattle, a Herbie Doll, a Sensory Take-Along Toy, a Sensory Learning Farm, and a Tummy Time Activity Bus.These Toys Are for Parents TooA big part of Ms. Rachel's toys is for parents or caregivers to interact and play along with the child. But sometimes, parents and caregivers may find it difficult to learn how to play with their kids—especially when they are new to raising a child.However, each of Ms. Rachel's toys comes with a learning card for inspiration."They'll lay out for parents what skills their children develop by playing with the toys. Then they offer play prompts on the back, which are like a little blueprint for parents, ideas on how to use the toy, and how to get started. Each card has a QR code that links to a video that Rachel and Aron have created that helps inspire parents," Henderson explains.When and How Can I Get Ms. Rachel Toys?You can get a first look at Ms. Rachel's line of toys right now on Ms. Rachel's website. They will be available for presale online at the major retailers (Walmart, Target, and Amazon) starting September 15.You won't have to wait very long after that to get your littles' hands on them. The toys will be available across the country both in stores and online on September 29. For more Parents news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter! Read the original article on Parents.
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