Play Time
Little People, Big Dreams Book Earth Heroes
$39.99Meet three inspirational Earth Heroes whose love of the natural world inspires them to make a difference: Jane Goodall, Greta Thunberg, and David Attenborough! In these remarkable true stories,...
Gibbs Smith Book El Chapulin Colorado: Sounds/Son...
$10.00Latin America’s beloved superhero El Chapulin Colorado introduces your baby to the natural sounds around them in both English and Spanish. For many years, children all over Latin America have...
Little People, Big Dreams Book Ella Fitzgerald
$15.99Ella Fitzgerald grew up near Harlem, in New York, where she was surrounded by music and dance. After winning first prize in a talent competition at the Apollo Theater, she...
Little People, Big Dreams Book Elton John
$15.99As a child, Elton started playing his grandmother's piano in Harrow, London. He could pick tunes out by ear and was soon attending lessons at the Royal Academy. After answering...
Little People, Big Dreams Book Elvis Presley
$15.99In this book from the critically acclaimed, multimillion-copy bestselling Little People, BIG DREAMS series, discover the life of Elvis, the King of Rock 'n' Roll.Elvis was born into poverty in...
Abrams Appleseed Book Farmblock
$17.99It’s time to plant some crops, harvest the veggies, and make jam to take to the farmer’s market! In this follow-up to Alphablock, Countablock, Dinoblock, Cityblock, Buildablock, and Marvel Alphablock,...
Gibbs Smith Book Frankenstein: A BabyLit Anatomy ...
$12.00A BabyLit® Anatomy Primer BabyLit® is a fashionable way to introduce your toddler to the world of classic literature. With clever, simple text by Jennifer Adams, paired with stylish design...
Little People, Big Dreams Book Freddie Mercury
$15.99Meet Freddie Mercury, the trailblazing musician who rocked the world! Born on the tiny island on Zanzibar off the coast of modern-day Tanzania, young Farrokh dreamt of having a fabulous life. When...
Little People, Big Dreams Book Frida Kahlo
$15.99In this international bestseller from the critically acclaimed Little People, BIG DREAMS series, discover the inspiring story of this international style icon.When Frida was a teenager, a terrible road accident...
Gibbs Smith Book Good Morning Buenos Dias
$11.00A bilingual slide-the-tab board book, with text in English and Spanish. Cleverly introduce basic ideas about what happens in the morning when you wake up, including a rooster crowing, an...
Gibbs Smith Book Good Night Buenas Noches
$11.00A bilingual slide-the-tab board book, with text in English and Spanish. Cleverly provides a number of gentle good night wishes for baby at bedtime, as baby along with the cat,...
Rebel Girls Book Good Night Stories for 2
$35.00This sequel to the sensational New York Times bestseller, Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls, showcases 100 brand-new bedtime stories of incredible women throughout history and around the world.In this book, readers will...
Rebel Girls Book Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls
$35.00The New York Times bestselling Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls is a children's book packed with 100 bedtime stories about the life of 100 extraordinary women from the past and the present, illustrated...
Rebel Girls Book Good Night Stories: 100 Immigran...
$35.00Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls: 100 Immigrant Women Who Changed the World is the third book in the New York Times bestselling series for children. Packed with 100 all-new bedtime stories about...
Gibbs Smith Book Green/Verde
$10.00Did you know that colors can tell stories? The illustrations in this charming board book introduce your brilliant baby to all kinds of things that are green, including yummy spinach,...
Abrams Appleseed Book Happy Llamakkah
$8.99Celebrate Hanukkah with the Llama family in this joyful, rhyming picture book Follow along with the Llama family’s Hanukkah traditions as they light their menorah, spin the dreidel, fry latkes,...
Little People, Big Dreams Book Harriet Tubman
$15.99Little Harriet was born into slavery on a plantation in Maryland. Though life was hard, Harriet persisted. She used all of her strength and bravery to escape slavery and journey...
Abrams Appleseed Book Hello in There!
$16.95Celebrate the wonder and excitement of waiting for a new sibling to arrive in this charming picture book from the bestselling creators of In My Heart A sister-to-be is so eager...
Abrams Appleseed Book How to Talk to a Tiger And Other...
$24.99A quirky compendium of animal chatterboxes Ever wanted to talk to a tiger? Or chatter with a cheetah? Or yak with a yak? This book brings together a babble of...
Abrams Appleseed Book I Am Ready for School!
$8.99Prepare your little one for their first day of preschool or kindergarten with this uplifting board book from the Empowerment series from Stephen Krensky and award-winning illustrator Sara Gillingham. I...
Abrams Appleseed Book In My Room (A Book of Creativity...
$16.95In her room, one little girl can be anything she wants to be and go anywhere she wishes to go, all with the power of her imagination (and paper, markers,...
Abrams Appleseed Book In Your Cozy Bed
$9.99From Jo Witek and Christine Roussey, the team behind In My Heart and the Growing Hearts series comes this soothing bedtime board book, In Your Cozy Bed. Told from the point of view...
Abrams Appleseed Book Incredible You
$17.99An inspiring picture book to help each child remember: you are unique and amazing! Ever had a bad day and wished that you were someone else? Perhaps a mountain gorilla?...
Little People, Big Dreams Book Iris Apfel
$15.99In this book from the critically acclaimed, multimillion-copy best-selling Little People, BIG DREAMS series, discover the life of Iris Apfel, the vivacious (and accidental) fashion icon.Growing up in Queens, New...
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.