" Through our collaboration with DardaCats, children in need have access to a fun and educational tool, that will support their healthy development. "
" DardaCats have not only brought joy and a touch of sweetness, they are a great tool for our children to develop their social and emotional skills. "
DardaCats is both a huggable soft toy as well as a puppet; it’s a Plush Puppet! Perfect for Cuddles & Chats!
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DardaCats works best when it invites conversations and roleplaying across situations. Below are a few ways you can play with DardaCats:
How does DardaCat feel?
Try introducing DardaCats to make difficult conversations easier by asking: How does DardaCat feel? And animated the emotion you want to discuss through the DradaCat.
Sometimes it is easier to talk about embarrassing or scary things through another medium, especially if it is a friendly huggable cat with big eyes and an easy to use mouth.
What will DardaCat do?
Try introducing DardaCats to model positive behavior by asking: What will Dardacat do? And model the behavior you want to discuss through the DardaCat.
Sometimes it's easier to try something new or difficult when it is presented in a playful & engaging way.
With our Buy One Give One model, DardaCats is reaching the children who need it the most.
Our NGO Partners
With every DardaCats purchased another is donated to one of our NGO partners. The NGO then assigns it to families who can benefit from it.
Our Advisors
We have been incredibly lucky to have the guidance and support of child therapists with diverse specializations & experience.
Rose Habchi Daher
Occupational therapist & Psychotherapist - Resilience Program manager at himaya
Rose is a licensed psychodynamic psychotherapist with more than 20 years of expertise in child & family care and also heads the resilience program at himaya.
Rose has been supporting DardaCats from day one and has been an instrumental voice advising the team. Her passion to helping children overcome difficult moments across diverse socio-economic backgrounds enabled DardaCats to reach children who need it most. Her commitment to forging strong bonds in a family through co-playing has informed a lot our thinking behind bonding through play.
Nivine Geagea
Clinical Psychologist
Nivine is a licensed psychologist with expertise in working with children, adolescents and parents. She has driven trainings on mental health topics and coordinated child protection programs at NGOs such as Caritas and himaya.
Nivine has been pivotal in encouraging us to leverage DardaCats as a communication tool. She contributes to our better understanding of childrens’ needs and the importance of unstructured play. She pushes us to continuously look for ways to make DardaCats accessible, authentic and practical.
Katie Lewis
Drama Therapist & Creative Psychotherapist
Katie is a HCPC & BADth registered dramatherapist and has worked in Private Therapy centres, Schools and Local Authorities in the UK. She uses Role Playing, Art Making, Puppets, Storytelling, and Movement to facilitate development, understanding and healing in young people.
Katie recently joined the DardaCats advisory family and inspires us on ways to provide a safe place for young people to discuss difficult feelings or explore them using creative methods - especially when words are too challenging.
Maha Ghazale
Play Therapist
Maha is a certified Play Therapist specializing in parent-child attachment, anxiety, and early childhood trauma. She works with an interpersonal neurology perspective, combining clinical knowledge, therapeutic and educational frameworks.
Maha advises us on ways to embody learning through play at home as families are the primary unit in early childhood development. She motivates us to remain playful and look for ways to encourage listening through DardaCats.
