Play Time
Fat Brain Toys Stacking Tobbles Neo
$30.00Fat Brain Toys Tobbles is the perfect toy for your creative & curious little one! Tobbles is multi-use a toy with limitless possibilities; this toy can stack, spin, wiggle, and...
Ooly Standing Sketchbook Awesome Doodles
$12.00Sharks, spaceships and rockin’ guitars make an inviting cover to a stand-out sketchbook. The Awesome Doodles sketchbook not only has room for plenty of sketching, it will display it too!...
Le Toy Van Star Beauty Bag
$40.00The Star Beauty Bag is a set of fabric beauty bag complete with wooden accessories. Inside the cosmetics bag, you'll find an assortment of wooden accessories including a vintage perfume bottle...
Abrams Appleseed Star Wars Block: Over 100 Words Every...
$17.99Visit a galaxy far, far away with Star Wars Block and discover all the words every star warrior should know. Star Wars Block includes die-cut shapes on every spread and the bright, charming...
DAM Starlight Torch Projector Dino
$18.00Scratch Classics: PROJECTOR & ; LIGHT / DINO diam.1,6x4,7 in, contains 3 interchangeable discs, each with 8 pictures, in small storage box, requires 2xAA batteries (not included), in box, 3+
DAM Starlight Torch Projector Jungle
$20.00With this cool torch you can go on thrilling adventures in the dark. The torch comes with three interchangeable dome-shaped covers to project a variety of scenes: starry sky, space...
Steiff Starly Unicorn Plush Toy 28 inches
$295.00Steiff Starly Unicorn will take your little one on countless flights of fantasy. She’s entirely handmade in the workshops of Steiff, the legendary German toy company known for its outstanding...
Great Pretenders Starry Night Dragon Cape
$36.00This gorgeous cape is fearless with its spectacular fiery blue eyes, dramatic golden spikes and horns, and a stuffed head with great design details. This cape will get your little...
Great Pretenders Starry Night Wizard Cape & Hat
$30.00This premium quality Wizard Cape and Hat is sure to cast the magic spell on all around! Soft and comfortable, designed to look like the mysterious midnight sky with stars...
Guidecraft Starter Triangle Fractions
$30.00Developing minds increase their understanding of numbers and one-to-one correspondence sorting the tactile fraction shapes of Starter Triangle Fractions. Colorful rubberwood shapes are in the quarter, third, half and whole...
Hape Stay Put Rattle Set
$16.00Babies will be enchanted by the Stay-put Rattle Set’s differing sounds, bright colors, and aquatic animals. Moreover, with their handy suction cups, playtime is possible anywhere, anytime! Age: 0+ Months...
Brio Steam Train and Tunnel
$30.00The BRIO World Steam Train & Tunnel is beautifully crafted with a classic design and wooden details. The golden age of the toy train is back as this handsome steam...
Steiff Steiff Jimmy Teddy Bear Plush Toy 12 ...
$28.95Meet the modern stuffed bear your kid will adore all day and night. Jimmy is a 12-inch Teddy bear made of soft, snuggly, machine-washable, plush fabric. Jimmy Teddy Bear Details:...
Steiff Steiff Leo Lion Plush Toy 18 inches
$164.00The king of the jungle is ready to rule your playroom! This magnificent creation from Steiff sets a new standard for quality toys. He’s sewn from the finest woven plush,...
Steiff Steiff Musical Pull Toy Hoppie Rabbit
$46.00Hoppie Rabbit is one of the best-selling styles for children, and she’s now available in a music box version for infants. Pull her string, and delight your baby with a...
Steiff Steiff Musical Pull Toy Jimmy Teddy Bear
$46.00Jimmy, one of our most popular Teddy bear designs for children, now comes in styles that are designed with babies in mind. Pull the string on our musical version of...
Steiff Steiff Rocking Animal Riding Toy Fran...
$625.00Steiff Rocking Animal Riding Toy Franzi Pony is beautifully designed from valuable woven plush, each with intricate hand-airbrushed accents, our Rocking Animals withstand up to 330 pounds because the toy...
Steiff Steiff Rocking Animal Riding Toy Leo ...
$625.00Steiff Rocking Animal Riding Toy Leo Lion is beautifully designed from valuable woven plush, each with intricate hand-airbrushed accents, our Rocking Animals withstand up to 330 pounds because the toy...
Steiff Steiff Rocking Animal Riding Toy Star...
$625.00Steiff Rocking Animal Riding Toy Starly Unicorn is beautifully designed from valuable woven plush, each with intricate hand-airbrushed accents, our Rocking Animals withstand up to 330 pounds because the toy...
Steiff Steiff Unica Unicorn Plush Toy 14 inches
$48.00Steiff Unica Unicorn is a fantasy animal that makes fun a reality for all ages! The newly redesigned version of this favorite animal is handmade from superior-quality white plush fabric....
Grapat Stick Gnomes Set
$46.00These sticks can be gnomes, goblins, fantastic creatures, trees, animals, or anything else the child imagines because the open-ended toys give children the chance to become what is necessary according...
Omy Design & Play Inc Sticker & Coloring Poster - Solar System
$22.00OMY SCHOOL, A PLAYFUL LEARNING CREATIVE ACTIVITY! Did you know? The solar system consists of the Sun, 8 orbiting planets, satellites, dwarf planets and other celestial objects (asteroids, comets,...
Laurence King Publishing Stickyscapes at the Museum Sticker Book
$10.99Take a sticky trip to the museum! Stickyscapes at the Museum includes an 8-page sticker booklet, brimming with over 100 stickers; and a huge, double-sided fold-out panoramic scene for you...
Laurence King Publishing Stickyscapes London Sticker Book
$14.95Sticker, learn, and play! Create your own real and imaginary London with over 100 stickers that will bring this panoramic play scene to life.One side represents actual, present-day London, while...
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.