understanding first kids
UNfirst Kids™
A little kinder. A lot more magical.
A playful world of curious kids, magical familiars, big imaginations and everyday adventures created to help children explore who they are, understand what they feel and discover more about each other.
Different friends. Brighter days.
Play With Something More Underneath
Created for childhood. Thoughtfully.
Children don't need every moment turned into a lesson.
Sometimes they need to laugh until they're ridiculous. Invent impossible creatures. Colour outside the lines. Ask enormous questions. Move their bodies. Tell stories. Change their minds. Be quiet. Be loud. Wonder.
UNfirst Kids™ begins there.
Everything is created to feel like play to children, while Understanding First™ sits quietly underneath, creating natural opportunities for emotional awareness, communication, imagination, connection, self-expression and the everyday skills that help children understand themselves and navigate their world.
No pressure to perform. No one way to be. No perfect answer waiting to be found.
Just thoughtful things children actually want to play with.
Welcome to the UNfirst Kids™ world
Different kids. Different stories.
Different ways of experiencing the world.
Mila • Nico • Luca • Amara • Mei • Sam
Nobody has to become the same to belong here.
There's room for big imaginations, quiet observers, enormous laughs, different ways of communicating, adventurous spirits, thoughtful minds and every kind of journey.
Every Adventure Needs A Little Magic
Meet the Magical Familiars
Axie. Dino-Mite. Azren. Hattie. Finn. Olly. Boo. Gargie. Pixie. Maya...
Some are gentle. Some are curious. Some are gloriously ridiculous.
They join the UNfirst Kids™ through stories, games, questions and adventures sometimes beside a particular friend, sometimes wandering wherever the next bit of magic takes them.
And somewhere along the way, children might just discover which magical familiar feels most like theirs.
Who would your magical familiar be?
coming soon
Around here, we try to remember...
Not rules to get right. Just little invitations for the journey.
Our First Adventure
A Little Halloween Magic Is Coming...
The very first UNfirst Kids™ collection is almost ready.
Lanterns are glowing. Pumpkins are appearing.
The familiars are getting suspiciously excited.
And we've been creating something for families who like their Halloween with a little more imagination, laughter, connection and magic.
The Halloween Connection Deck
Big questions. Silly moments. A little Halloween magic.
36 printable cards • 6 magical ways to play • Created for children & families
coming soon
Six magical ways to see where the
conversation goes...
Would You Rather? • Tell Me... • Imagine & Dream • Just for Laughs • Little Brave Things • Kind & Curious
Choose a card. Ask the question. See where it takes you.
Some conversations might surprise you.
Others may result in a room full of adults making monster noises.
Both count.
A Little More Than Play...
Fun for them.
Thoughtfully created for a reason.
Understanding First™ is woven quietly underneath.
♡
Feel & Notice
Building emotional awareness and language.
✦
Imagine & Create
Creativity, storytelling and flexible thinking.
∞
Think & Discover
Curiosity, choices and problem-solving.
☁
Pause & Settle
Gentler activities and opportunities for calm.
⌂
Connect & Share
Communication, relationships and shared moments.
☼
Move & Play
Movement, laughter and whole-body fun.
Different products support different skills because children don't all need, enjoy or experience the same things.
Halloween Adventure Book
Colour. Create. Explore. Imagine.
Colouring, puzzles, magical missions and creative adventures with the UNfirst Kids™ and their familiars.
coming soon
The adventures are only beginning...
My Magical Familiar
Which magical creature might choose you?
A playful journey of choices, imagination and discovery ending with a magical familiar of your own.
coming soon
Halloween Family Adventure Pack
Games. Missions. Mischief. Magic.
Printable Halloween fun created for playing, moving, solving, laughing and sharing together.
coming soon
Created by Karen Mullally
UNfirst Kids™ grew from something I've believed for a very long time: children make far more sense when we become curious about their experience before rushing to change it.
After more than twenty years devoted to understanding children, young people and families, alongside raising three children of my own, I wanted to translate that understanding into something children would never experience as “work.”
Something playful.
Something beautiful.
Something they might actually ask to do again.
Understanding First.
Magic included.
Go Gently,
Karen
Want to come along?
The first UNfirst Kids™ Halloween adventures are almost ready.
Join us and we'll send you a little note when the Halloween shop opens plus first peeks at new characters, stories and adventures as this world grows.
No pressure. No noisy inbox. Just a little magic when there's something worth sharing.
UNfirst Kids™
Different friends. Brighter days.
For little hearts. For every kind of journey