🧠Shop our Emotional Literacy Line💗
Explore our core 9 kits that are customer favorites all year round.
Hey there!
Abbie & Emily here! We are so glad you're here and a part of this community. We are passionate about supporting the emotional wellness of families and empowering the next generation of mindful, creative, and resilient kids. Want to learn more about our background and the "why" behind Present Not Perfect Play Co.?
New to Present Not Perfect?
Here's what you need to know:
Our Approach:
Created by an Art Therapist and an Elementary Special Education Teacher, our kits provide practical tools families can use to foster social emotional literacy. These topics become accessible through sensory play, metaphor, and hands-on learning. 🎨📚🧠
How to shop:
You can always shop our Emotional Literacy Line, which features our 9 core kits, available year round. In addition, be sure to stay tuned for our seasonal launches. Each season, we'll launch 2 new kits, along with some bonus launches sprinkled in too! 🙂
Subscribe & Save:
We also offer a subscription box program. Join The Sub Box Club for exclusive perks and guaranteed access to our seasonal themes. Signing up for our subscription club will allow you to take advantage of the best savings we offer. 📦 💌 ✨
Connect
Our main goal is to normalize talking about mental health, provide hands-on strategies and tools to support emotional wellness, and empower families to have more present, not perfect moments together. We shouldn't wait until we are in crisis to prioritize emotional literacy, it should be an essential part of our everyday life.
Create
Children learn through play. This fact has been proven by decades of research. Both art and play allow children to create meaning and explore complex topics in ways that make sense to them. Our kits use fun and playful metaphors to assist grown-ups in early emotional skill building and in managing future conversations around mental wellness.
Co-Regulate
Research shows us that intentional sensory input can aid in regulation of the central nervous system in kids and adults. When children and their caregivers dive into our Sensory Kits, they enter into a safe space to practice co-regulation strategies and thrive. We find that the best way to teach emotional regulation is to model it.
Frequently Asked Questions
We are not just your average sensory kit business. We strongly believe in what sets us apart and makes our kits d̶i̶f̶f̶e̶r̶e̶n̶t̶ better. Created by professionals in the fields of Art Therapy/ Counseling & Elementary Special Education, our kits include age appropriate therapeutic play and psychoeducation to support wellness.
We try to always emphasize self-compassion for families navigating challenging seasons, and include Emotional Literacy skills tied to each theme for parents to introduce topics in ways that make sense. The play and extensions included in every kit focus on mindfulness and the importance of sensory input as preventative tools for family wellness.
We recommend our Kits for ages 3-14... and up! Even adults report they love to play with the dough and sand so we don't necessarily have a cap for the max age. Due to small parts in our Sensory Kits we do recommend ages 3 & up. You know your child best, adult supervision is always recommended.
Sensory play is one of the most effective ways to help re-center a child who may be feeling worried or anxious because it is mindful, interactive, and immersive.
...it’s also just really fun.
When us adults engage in the activities with our kids, we find ourselves unexpectedly enjoying the benefits too; feeling not only the mental shift to a calmer mindset, but a physical shift as our bodies and muscles become less tense, our heart rates slow, and our minds race a little less rapidly as we enjoy present purposeful play with our kids.
Our Sub Box Club subscription box program is hand-crafted with so much love and care each season. Not only do you get a 35-40% savings 🤯, here’s what you get inside a box:
- 2 new seasonal kits (in your choice of sand or dough)
- 1 FREE build-a-character mini kit
- 2 double sided interactive play dough mats
- 2 affirmations on a card for the grown-up
- 2 book lists with theme and emotional skill connections
Sub boxes ship 4 times a year, one for each season, and we feel like it’s the best savings we offer!
Other perks of joining the Club:
✅automated deliveries
✅guaranteed access to our popular and limited edition seasonal kits
✅early access to sales and bonus kits
What our Customers are Saying:
My daughters are 3 years old and 20 months old. They both enjoy the kits and ask to play with them almost on a daily basis. You cannot find kits like these anywhere else or with the great messages behind them, for parents and children. We try so hard to be perfect as parents and this company reminds me I don't have to be, I have to be present. I love the time with my girls creating. There is a theme for everyone and the kits are easy to take on the go. We love the options of sand or dough.
Whitney
My daughter loves the Present Not Perfect sensory kits! She’s 2.5 and she’s not one to sit in the same place for a long time so I was skeptical at first if the kits would hold her attention, but she sat for 40minutes straight!! I was amazed. I typically like to take then out while I am making breakfast or lunch. A great tool to use instead of putting her in front of the TV. Plus they’re really great to bring on the go too!
Nikki
We had the experience of hands on play and a presentation at my sons intermediate school recently. I was very impressed with their business model and creation of using art and manipulatives for calming play. Such a great tool for any parent. 10/10 would recommend trying a calming dough jar. They have the cutest arrangement of themed items that kept my 9year old son occupied and calm for at least 20 minutes. And he’s proud of his work! Great products, great motto, very nice and transparent owners. It’s a YES from me!
Jane