Play Time
Magformers XL Cruisers 32 Piece Toy Car Set
$62.00Build super quick cars with Magformers lightweight XL Cruisers Car Set! Let your imagination run wild and utilize and combine hexagons, triangles and squares to build unique cars! Includes 32...
Magformers XL Cruisers Emergency 33 Piece Toy Set
$69.99Extinguish fires with the MAGFORMERS® XL Emergency set. Construct fire engines and add a siren and firefighter to save the day! Use 5 geometric shapes and attach wheels, racing to...
Magformers XL Neon 30 Piece Toy Set
$54.99With the Magformers 30-piece XL Neon Set, your imagination can run wild! Build anything from penguins to houses; the possibilities are endless! A great set for any beginner builder! Each...
Sonria Slime You Make My Heart Jump! Valentine's D...
$19.99An artistic yet enjoyable activity for your little ones. This Unicorn Ice Cream Slime is infused with vanilla essential oil for ultimate calmness. Scent: Pink Frosted Sugar Cookies Texture: Cloud Cream Slime Size: 7...
Mon Ami Yowie The Yeti
$48.00Meet Yowie. This mythical creature is ready for the coldest of weathers in his super long curly fur coat. Supersoft and snuggly, this one-of-a-kind yeti plush toy is a must-have for any...
Jellycat Yummy Duckling
$20.00Yummy Duckling is the happiest hatchling in scrambled-egg yellow fur. Our waddling wonder has a golden beak and feet, tickly tum and waggle wings. This diddy duck is too little...
Jellycat Yummy Lamb
$20.00Yummy Lamb is so baby-friendly, in tufty custard-cream fur! A gentle chum with a curious face, this mini lamb is just the right size to snuggle. With little leaf ears,...
Alimrose Yvette Unicorn Doll Rose Garden
$58.00Yvette is back in our beautiful soft rose garden floral with gold magical horn and shoes & blush tulle. Product Features: Untreated pure cotton outer Cotton feature bodice Soft blush...
Tikiri Zebra Natural Rubber Rattle
$18.00Zebra: One of the Tikiri My First Zoo animals, the cute zebra is ever so squeezable and ready for curious minds. Take him in the bath, or as a teething...
Jellycat Zeus Great Dane
$42.00As mighty as his name, meet Zeus Great Dane! This leggy pup has blue-grey fur, standout brows and soft, floppy ears, with a huge black nose for sniffing out fun....
Janod Zigolos Giant Multi Color Train
$40.00Zigolos Giant Multicolor Train keeps a preschooler busy and active for hours! When assembled, and connected the all-wooden choo-choo measures 20 (51cm.) long and approx. 6in. (15cm.) tall with fully...
Lalaboom Zippered Tote Set 48 Pieces
$44.00A transport bag with 48 educational beads and accessories different colors and shapes to develop the first notions of fine motor skills of children. 5 evolutionary stages: the child will...
Scrollino Zoo by Dots
$18.00Scrollino® ZOO by Dots is part of the beautifully illustrated IN THE ZOO Collection connected by the topic kids love the most – the ANIMALS. By pulling down the paper tab little by...
Mima Zoom Balance Bike White
$249.99The New Mima Zoom Balance Bike is arriving just in time for the holidays. Having started as a solution to the everyday needs of modern parents in the child mobility...
Small World Toys Zoom Zoom Vehicles
$68.00The Zoom Zoom Vehicles are just right for the smallest little drivers. These tiny soft-stuffed vehicles are just the right size for tiny tots. You get 6 soft, squishy fabric...
Mon Ami Zuri Floppy Lion
$34.00uri Floppy Lion plush toy is ready to accompany a child on all his or her adventures thanks to freely moving legs and arms that are easy to grab. As...
Chronicle Books ¡Mézclalo Bien! (Spanish Edition) Book
$15.99Accept Hervé Tullet's invitation to mix it up in a dazzling adventure of color and tones. Follow the artist's simple instructions, and suddenly colors appear . . . mix ....
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.