Play Time
Tonies Sleepy Friends Bedtime Stories with S...
$17.99Create calming bedtime rituals with the Sleepy Friends collection. This Tonie features a wonderful bedtime story about Sleepy Bear’s journey home from Grandma and Grandpa’s house. On his way, he...
Maileg Sleigh Mouse - Red
$24.00A lovely sleigh with a soft mattress to keep the passengers warm and comfortable during the ride. This sleigh fits the smallest friends and mice perfectly. It has beautiful hand-painted...
Slumberkins Slumberkins Snuggler and Book Bigfoot
$48.00Promotes: Self-Esteem As little ones grow and begin to explore the world around them, they will face new obstacles. Bigfoot supports children as they learn self-confidence and reminds them...
Slumberkins Slumberkins Snuggler and Book Dragon
$48.00Promotes: Creativity The possibilities are endless when it comes to creativity, and Dragon encourages children to explore its many forms. Whether it’s acting out stories, building cities with blocks, or...
Slumberkins Slumberkins Snuggler and Book Honey Bear
$48.00Promotes: Gratitude As children step out into the world and explore all the beautiful things it has to offer, Honey Bear reminds children to appreciate every bit of it. Create...
Slumberkins Slumberkins Snuggler and Book Lynx
$48.00Promotes: Self-Expression Children, especially girls, often grow up with messages to tame and quiet themselves. Lynx teaches children that using their voice to speak their truth is a gift to...
Slumberkins Slumberkins Snuggler and Book Narwhal
$48.00Promotes: Growth Mindset As little ones become more independent, asking for help can be a challenge. Narwhal teaches children how to make a difference in the world around them through...
Slumberkins Slumberkins Snuggler and Book Otter
$48.00Promotes: Building Connections We all have loved ones that we don't get to see very often. Otter teaches little ones that no matter how far apart we may be from our...
Slumberkins Slumberkins Snuggler and Book Sloth
$48.00Promotes: Routines As children grow, new experiences and challenges can sometimes feel overwhelming. Whether it’s addressing jitters on the first day of school, helping little ones wind down before bed,...
Slumberkins Slumberkins Snuggler and Book Sprite
$48.00Promotes: Grief & Loss Coping with grief and loss can be overwhelming, and finding the right words to talk to our children about it can feel impossible. Sprite helps you...
Slumberkins Slumberkins Snuggler and Book Unicorn
$48.00Promotes: Authenticity When children feel good about themselves, they feel empowered to try new things, master new skills, and build strong relationships. Unicorn knows she is different and lets her...
Plushies Slushy Plush Toy 28 Inch
$98.00The majestic Slushy Polar Bear lives in the arctic, sporting heavy fur and even being an excellent swimmer! Made in a simple yet elegant way with quality, care, and a...
Maileg Small Bunny Plush Dusty Brown
$29.00This bunny comes in very soft and unique plush fabric. It has a beautiful bow around the neck. It has a very sweet look and will soon be some ones...
Rubbabu Small Fidget Balls 3 Pack
$16.00Squishy palm-sized balls that are great for kids, adults, and seniors as fidget or play toys, stress balls, and rehab and therapy products. Includes 3 Small Fidget Balls Squishy, soft...
Smart Games Smart Game SmartMax My First Vehicles
$29.00My First Vehicles includes 13 pieces that are building blocks to create 4 different trucks. When clicked together the trucks move on their wheels, resulting in a truly creative and...
Brio Smart Tech Sound Rescue Action Tunnel...
$30.00“Oh no! There’s a fire!”. This Brio Rescue Action Tunnel Kit brings firefighting adventures to your BRIO World layouts. Join the fire brigade and put out the roaring fire using...
Smart Games Smartmax Basic Stunt
$78.00Smart Games Smartmax Start+ is the perfect construction set for your little one to use during play time for endless fun and creativity! This set is includes everything needed for...
Smart Games SmartMax Mega Ball Run
$134.00Get into magnetic excitement where building is just as fun as playing!With a click and magnetic snap, a sleek ball run is easily put together. From then on out, the...
Smart Games SmartMax My First Animal Train
$42.00Build your own traveling zoo with magnets! Magnetic rods fit inside the train engine and the three train cars while magnetic spheres connect them in a line and let them...
Smart Games SmartMax My First Dinosaurs
$29.00Travel back in time (to a land before time?) with Smartmax My First DInosaurs! This 14 piece set includes magnetic bars to connect the bright, flexible dinosaur parts together. Encourage...
Smart Games SmartMax My First Explorer
$29.00Mix and match your favourite vehicles! My First Explorers is a magnetic play set that seamlessly integrates into the SmartMax universe. Mix and match the car, plane, and rocket to...
Smart Games SmartMax My First Farm Animal
$29.00SmartMax My First Farm Animals is designed for kids ages 1 - 5 years, offering an early, safe, and fun introduction to magnetic discovery. Easily build and play with the...
Smart Games SmartMax My First Sounds and Senses
$29.00Smart Games My First Sounds and Senses includes 8 building pieces (4 bars and 4 balls) that feature different textures for a tactile experience, different sounds for an audible experience, and...
Smart Games SmartMax My First Tractor Set
$34.00The fun factor is guaranteed with the SmartMax My First Tractor Set, as children start creating their own stories with the farmer and his horses! With the My First collection...
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.