There are plenty of back-to-school friendships that are waiting to be made when kids return to the classrooms this fall and there's a special Thomas & Friends Friendship Set that was created to ease kids back into in-person learning and being with their peers. The sweepstakes from Thomas & Friends is focused on helping preschoolers build socio-emotional skills such as being kind, caring and brave, which is more important than ever as kids make the transition to being back in school after an unprecedented year and a half.
The set features five trains, including Thomas himself, each of which represents a different tip for the back-to-school season. Ashima is all about curiosity and social awareness, and Nia celebrates creativity and self-management, for example.
Back-to-School Friendship Sets
Thomas & Friends Fosters Socio-Emotional Skills in Pre-Schoolers
Trend Themes
1. Back-to-school Friendship Sets - There is an opportunity to develop more back-to-school friendship sets that embrace inclusivity and empathy, and take into account the unique socio-emotional needs of children.
2. Socio-emotional Learning - Socio-emotional learning is becoming more important than ever for young children adjusting to post-pandemic classroom environments, with huge opportunities to expand this field of learning and development to new horizons.
3. Educational Toys - There is a constant need for innovative educational toys that not only entertain kids, but also help them learn and grow in various areas of physical, cognitive, social and emotional development.
Industry Implications
1. Toy Industry - Toy companies can explore the potential market for more integrated, educational toy sets that develop socio-emotional skills along with other physical and cognitive skills.
2. Education Industry - Education experts can focus on the rapidly growing field of socio-emotional learning and work towards developing age-appropriate and inclusive curricula that meet the changing needs of young children today.
3. Child Development Industry - Child development specialists can collaborate with toy makers and educators to create more innovative and personalized learning tools that promote holistic growth and development for young children.