PCIT Info for Utah

Information and Guidelines for Referring a Child in Foster Care for PCIT Therapy

Suggested Toys and Low-Cost Toys for PCIT

Download a PDF of suggested toys for PCIT here.

Creative and construction toys are best for PCIT.

Here are some examples: (You do not need all of these toys.)

  • Legos, Duplos, Tinker toys, lincoln logs
  • Magnetic blocks, soft blocks, wooden blocks
  • Increased positive parenting behaviors, including praise,
  • Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head
  • Dollhouse with miniature people
  • Baby dolls
  • Toy farm with animals
  • Play garage with cars
  • Train set with tracks
  • Small stuffed animals or plastic animals
  • Dishes, pots, pans, and play food
  • Play-Doh and molds
  • Crayons, stencils, and pape

Here are toys to avoid during PCIT.

Toys that encourage rough play, for example:

  • Bat and ball
  • Boxing gloves
  • Punching bag

Toys that could cause harm to self and others, for example,

  • Toy guns
  • Toy swords
  • Sticks

Toys that can get out of hand or require limit setting, for example:

  • Paints
  • Airplanes

Toys that have pre-set rules or discourage creative plan, for example:

  • Board games
  • Card Games
  • Books

Low-Cost Toy Options for PCIT

Ideas of using common household items for toys:

  • Cardboard boxes (often Best Buy and Walmart will let you take home their big, empty boxes).
    • These can be used as pretend kitchens, houses, race car tracks.
  • Pots and pans and plastic food containers
    • These can make great building blocks, or to create car tracks (around the pots and pans), or used as dollhouses.
  • Homemade playdough
    • Here is one recipe (others can be found online):
      • 1 cup of flour
      • 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
      • 1/3 cup salt
      • (Add to a sauce pan)
      • Add a few drops of food coloring to 1 cup of water.
      • (Stir water into the flour mixture)
      • Stir in 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil.
      • (Cook and stir until it starts to solidify)
  • Blankets, sheets, pillows, sofa
    • These can be used to build a fort, play animal games and create caves, houses, pirate ships, and so forth.
  • Wooden spoons
    • These can be decorated to create puppets and for building and making bridges.