Play Time
Penguin 100 First Words Book
$10.99With easy-to-lift card flaps on each spread, this stylish first-word book is sure to hit the mark with little ones as they learn all sorts of new animals and objects....
Penguin 100 First Words: City Book
$9.99With flaps to lift on every page, this stylish first-word book is full of objects for children to recognize in a city or town.With a clear grid layout and bold,...
Penguin 100 First Words: Nature Book
$10.99A nature-based title in this prize-winning lift-the-flap seriesWith bold, easy-to-lift card flaps, this stylish first-word book is full of objects for children to recognize in nature. Every word is brought...
Omy Design 12 Piece Neon and Metallic Art Pastels
$22.00Let your creativity express itself with this palette of 12 oil pastels in bright, fluorescent, and metallic colors.This new Beaux-Arts quality graphic tool completes our writing range and promises you drawings in...
Plushies 18" Teddy Bear Grey
$34.00Super cute and ready for cuddles. This large stuffed bear is filled with polyester for a soft, plush feel. The 18 in. size of this soft teddy bear makes it...
Hape 2 in 1 Kitchen and Grill Toy Set
$46.00Role-play cooking a delicious meal together with your child with this realistic 2-in-1 Kitchen & Grill Set that includes metal accessories, clicking, turn able knobs, and an adjustable clock. Product...
Fat Brain Toys 24 Piece Squigz Starter Building Set
$30.00Fat Brain Toys 24 Piece Squigz Starter Set is the perfect toy to give to your little one to use in any environment, to stick on everything from walls, to...
Calisson 3 Musical Balls Light and Flexible So...
$24.003 light and flexible sound balls made from 100% natural rubber! Each ball makes a different sound: a bell on the white ball, crackling sounds on green ball, a «squeaker»...
Beginagain 321 Blast Off Puzzle - Multilingual S...
$14.99About this product The BeginAgain 3, 2, 1 Blast Off was inspired by global space exploration! Designed to develop problem solving skills and teach numbers in four languages. This puzzle...
PicassoTiles 56 Pieces Magnetic Building Set with ...
$36.00The 56pc magnetic building tiles feature 56 unique educational and fun creative design graphics from 28 click-in cards to teach about Alphabet reading or writing, Animals, Fruits, Numbers, Number matching...
PicassoTiles 60 Pieces Glow in The Dark Magnetic B...
$48.00Picasso’s 60-Piece Tiles Glow in the Dark is the perfect toy for your little innovative builder! This set is an easy construct, and also features simple storage. Suitable for children...
Omy Design 9 Piece Scented Markers
$14.00Scented markers with sweet fruit scents and tangy colors! Flavors: Apple, Strawberry Cherry Peach Grape Blackberry Orange Lemon Cola Double-tipped markers : 1 fine, 1broad. Conveniently, the box...
Tonies A Christmas Carol and Tales Audio Pla...
$19.99One of the greatest Christmas classics of all time comes to the Toniebox... and brings a few other favorites. These timeless stories written by world-renowned writers such as Charles Dickens,...
Cottage Door Press A Collection of Stories for 2 Year Olds
$12.99Snuggle up to your favorite nursery rhymes and drift into the magical worlds of all your most beloved fairytale characters with this unique collection of enchanting stories carefully selected to enthrall 2-year-olds. Enjoy...
Cottage Door Press A Collection of Stories for 2 Year Ol...
$12.99Cuentos para Niños de 2 Años Snuggle up to your favorite nursery rhymes and drift into the magical worlds of all your most beloved fairytale characters with this unique collection...
Cottage Door Press A Collection of Stories for 3 Year Olds
$12.99Snuggle up to your favorite nursery rhymes and drift into the magical worlds of all your most beloved fairytale characters with this unique collection of enchanting stories carefully selected to enthrall 3-year-olds. Enjoy...
Cottage Door Press A Collection of Stories for 3 Year Ol...
$12.99Cuentos para Niños de 3 Años Snuggle up to your favorite nursery rhymes and drift into the magical worlds of all your most beloved fairytale characters with this unique collection...
Cottage Door Press A Collection of Stories for 4 Year Olds
$12.99Snuggle up to your favorite nursery rhymes and drift into the magical worlds of all your most beloved fairytale characters with this unique collection of enchanting stories carefully selected to enthrall 4-year-olds. Enjoy...
Cottage Door Press A Collection of Stories for 4 Year Ol...
$12.99Cuentos para Niños de 4 Años Snuggle up to your favorite nursery rhymes and drift into the magical worlds of all your most beloved fairytale characters with this unique collection...
Cottage Door Press A Collection of Stories for 5 Year Olds
$12.99Snuggle up to your favorite nursery rhymes and drift into the magical worlds of all your most beloved fairytale characters with this unique collection of enchanting stories carefully selected to enthrall 5-year-olds....
Cottage Door Press A Collection of Stories for 5 Year Ol...
$12.99Cuentos para Niños de 5 Años Snuggle up to your favorite nursery rhymes and drift into the magical worlds of all your most beloved fairytale characters with this unique collection...
Moon Picnic A Dozen Bird Eggs in a Box Toy
$56.00This beautiful toy set is perfect for little hands to hold to feel the warmth of the wood, different sizes and curves, to roll, sort and count. Observe the lovely...
Workman A Photicular Book Dinosaur
$27.00Journey a hundred million years back in time, and see 8 amazing dinosaurs in motion. A New York Times bestseller! Using unique Photicular® technology that’s like a 3-D movie on the page, DINOSAUR brings...
Workman A Photicular Book Outback
$27.00Embark on an eye-opening adventure in the land Down Under, and see eight creatures in astounding motion. From the New York Times bestselling series.Using Photicular® technology that’s like a 3-D...
Play is essential for children because it contributes to their intellectual, physical, emotional and social development. When children play, they exercise their creativity, develop their imagination, master their dexterity, improve their cognitive ability and build physical strength. Experts agree that the best kinds of play allow kids to set their own goals, negotiate challenges, develop and share ideas, and make their own rules.
But how can we make sure our kids are getting enough healthy, unstructured play time when they’re growing up in an overscheduled and stressful environment, when parents are overly focused on producing high academic achievers, and safety concerns prevent us from letting our kids roam around freely and unsupervised? Perhaps the best thing we can do for our kids is to make sure they have the right kinds of toys at home to make play time most rewarding.
First and foremost is safety. Safe toys for young children are sturdy, without sharp parts or splinters, free of pinching hazards, and easy to clean. If the toy will be used by an infant, it’s important that parts aren’t small enough to become a choking hazard.
Toys must be made from non-toxic materials and coated with lead-free paints. You should steer clear of antique toys, second-hand toys and homemade toys that have not been tested and approved by a certified testing lab, or may have been produced before the current regulations governing toy manufacturing were in effect.
In addition to being safe, a good toy will match the child’s appropriate stage of development and abilities.
The best baby activity toys for infants between 0-6 months are things they can reach, grasp, suck on, shake, and make noise with. Some age-appropriate toys for little babies are squeeze toys, teething toys, soft dolls, textured balls, and board books.
Infants between 6-12 months are starting to crawl, sit up and pull themselves to a standing position. They are capable putting things in and out of containers and placing objects on top of each other. Some of the best baby activity toys for this age group are dolls, vehicles with wheels, bath toys, large beads, nesting toys, large soft blocks, wooden blocks, and push & pull toys.
As your child continues to grow, look for toys that will encourage them to explore, create, pretend, imagine, and learn from trial and error.