Play Time
Stockmar Wax Crayons Combo Standard Tin Case 8...
$40.00Stockmar Wax Blocks, are made from the same materials and available in identical colors to the stick crayons, have outstanding drawing properties and appeal to the senses. Their size and...
Stockmar Wax Stick Crayons in Waldorf Tin Case...
$20.00Elegant design with an attractive packaging and pleasant fragrance, Stockmar Wax Crayons appeal to the child's senses. How the colors shine and how versatile they are! Whether drawing, painting, generously...
Penguin We Are Family Book
$17.99Through illness and health, in celebration and disappointment, families stick together. Some families are made up of many people, and some are much smaller. Sometimes family members look like each...
Chronicle Books We Are the Change Words of Inspiratio...
$17.99This beautiful book illustrates the civil rights quotations that will inspire its readers. Featuring an introduction by Harry Belafonte, words from Eleanor Roosevelt, Maya Angelou, and Dr. Martin Luther King,...
Penguin We Are Together Book
$17.99Celebrate the power of love and friendship in this beautiful book by Britta Teckentrup. With vibrant artwork and peek-through pages, this is a picture book to treasure. Age: 3-7...
Wee Gallery Wee Galley Art Cards For Baby Jungle ...
$16.00Babies are fascinated with black-and-white designs. Right from the start, these art cards begin developing a baby’s visual perception. Printed on sturdy board, these cards will stand up to baby’s...
Penguin Welcome to Florida Book
$10.99Welcome to Florida! We’re glad you’re here! Introducing a new series of picture books about each US state.Children from Florida and those who’d like to visit Florida one day will...
Wee Gallery WGY Lacing Cards - Jungle Animals
$20.00Dress up these adorable baby animals with your own creative style! Our fun and educational Baby Animals Lacing Cards feature our signature hand illustrated friends - bunny, fox, bear, cat,...
Knitted World Whale Hand Crochet Rattle
$16.50This wee little 'whale of a rattle' is lovely and adorable! Our crochet whale rattle features a crochet technique that creates a bumpy texture that is perfect for little hands to grasp...
Tikiri Whale Natural Rubber Rattle
$18.00This rubber rattle from the ocean buddies collection. Easy-grip for smaller hands. Each marine animal character has an enclosed rattle that creates a soft sound when shaken. Sound Toys, like...
Tender Leaf Toys What's Up Wooden Face Playset
$40.00This set includes a wooden face shaped base, 2 hair buns and 28 magnetic facial parts to convey lots of emotions, from happy to sad, sleepy to excited! Encourages Social...
Ooh Noo Wheelbarrow Toy
$180.00Made in Europe, entirely out of wood from European forests, the ooh noo Toy Wheelbarrow helps kids develop important gross-motor skills in a complex process that requires strength, coordination, balance,...
DAM Wheely Bug Bee
$96.00Wheely Bugs are ultra-sturdy ride-on toys in the shape of a friendly animal. They can make 360˚ turns and roll forwards, backwards, left, right and diagonally. Children can ride on...
DAM Wheely Bug Ladybug
$96.00Wheely Bugs are ultra-sturdy ride-on toys in the shape of a friendly animal. They can make 360˚ turns and roll forwards, backwards, left, right and diagonally. Children can ride on...
DAM Wheely Bug Mouse
$96.00Wheely Bugs are ultra-sturdy ride-on toys in the shape of a friendly animal. They can make 360˚ turns and roll forwards, backwards, left, right and diagonally. Children can ride on...
DAM Wheely Bug Tiger
$96.00Wheely Bugs are ultra-sturdy ride-on toys in the shape of a friendly animal. They can make 360˚ turns and roll forwards, backwards, left, right and diagonally. Children can ride on...
Chronicle Books When I Am Big A Counting Book from 1 ...
$18.99A Walk in the Forest introduced the enormously talented Maria Dek, and When I Am Big is a beguiling follow up to her first success. Charming illustrations and text encourage...
Penguin Where's the Astronaut Book
$10.00Celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the moon landing with little ones by lifting the felt flaps to discover four hidden space-themed friends. Then find the mirror under the final flap!...
Penguin Where's the Bear Book
$10.00Five beautifully illustrated spreads show a series of friendly animals hiding behind bright felt flaps. A mirror on the final spread makes for a satisfying ending to the book’s search-and-find...
Penguin Where's the Chick Book
$10.00Five beautifully illustrated spreads show a series of friendly animals hiding behind bright felt flaps. A mirror on the final spread makes for a satisfying ending to the book’s search-and-find...
Penguin Where's the Doctor Book
$10.00Five beautifully illustrated spreads show a series of people you might see in a hospital including a nurse, a paramedic, an orderly, and a doctor all hiding behind bright felt...
Penguin Where's the Dog Book
$10.00Five beautifully illustrated spreads show a series of friendly animals hiding behind bright felt flaps. A mirror on the final spread makes for a satisfying ending to the book’s search-and-find...
Penguin Where's the Duck Book
$10.00Five beautifully illustrated spreads show a series of friendly animals hiding behind bright felt flaps. A mirror on the final spread makes for a satisfying ending to the book’s search-and-find...
Penguin Where's the Fire Truck Book
$10.00Five stylishly illustrated spreads show a series of friendly characters hiding behind bright felt flaps. A mirror on the final spread makes for a satisfying ending to the book’s search-and-find inquiries. (Where...
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.