How It Works

(Simple. Gentle. Scaffolding built-in. Co-use expected.)

Little Peanut helps children recognise, express, and work through big emotions — using soft visuals, tactile play, and adult-guided moments. Whether in a home, clinic, or classroom, the kit grows with your child’s emotional literacy, step by step.

🌟 Step 1: Match the Feeling with Mood Match

The child picks a Mood Match feeling card that shows how they feel.

Adults can help by pointing, saying the feeling, or copying the face.

This helps kids start to name feelings.

🌱 Builds:

  • Emotion recognition

  • Non-verbal communication

  • Visual matching

🌱 Reveals:

  • How the child processes emotion visually

  • Preferred ways to express feelings

  • Comfort with identifying emotions

  • Regulation state (engaged, distracted, hesitant)

🌟 Step 2: Play + Explore With Support

The child puts the feeling face on Little Peanut.

Adults can talk about times the child felt this way.

This helps kids understand feelings better.

🌱 Builds:

  • Sensory regulation

  • Emotional confidence

  • Coping strategies

🌱 Reveals:

  • What calming methods feel safe or effective

  • Sensory or movement preferences

  • Capacity for follow-through or co-regulation

  • Signs of emotional flexibility and self-awareness

🌟 Step 3: Try a Calm Plan Card

The child picks a Calm Plan card to use with Little Peanut.

Adults help the child try the calming idea together.

This helps kids learn ways to calm down.

🌱 Builds:

  • Emotional safety

  • Self-expression

  • Co-regulation

🌱 Reveals:

  • Emotional vocabulary and language style

  • Internal stories or patterns the child uses

  • Need for support or space

  • Adult-child dynamics (connection, resistance, trust)

Grows With the Child

As children grow, so does Little Peanut.
The kit supports early imitation, symbolic play, and eventually: reflection, problem-solving, and peer-based emotional scenarios.
It’s designed to grow with your child — from early intervention to early primary — and meet them exactly where they are.

💡 Some professionals use Little Peanut as part of emotional check-ins and early co-regulation screening.

If you’d like to explore how Little Peanut might support your work, we’d love to hear from you. Email Loren at hello@littlepeanutproject.com