Play Time
Little People, Big Dreams Book Jane Goodall
$15.99When Jane was little, her father gave her a toy chimpanzee named Jubilee. This inspired her lifelong love of animals, and she went to study them in the wild as...
Little People, Big Dreams Book Jesse Owens
$15.99Meet Jesse Owens, the historic and barrier-breaking track and field star.The youngest of ten children, Jesse grew up working in the cotton fields of Alabama. Discovered by his high school...
Little People, Big Dreams Book John Lennon
$15.99From the critically acclaimed Little People, BIG DREAMS series, discover the life of John Lennon, the boy from Liverpool who dreamed of peace. When John Lennon formed a band while...
Abrams Appleseed Book Kindness Rules (A Hello!Lucky)
$8.99Manners don’t come naturally to everyone! But did you know that elephants are known for their impeccable etiquette? It’s true! This hilarious guide to good manners offers many fun teaching...
Little People, Big Dreams Book King Charles
$15.99Discover the life of King Charles! Little Charles always knew that one day, he would have a big job to do. As the son of Queen Elizabeth II, he was a prince,...
Little People, Big Dreams Book Kylie Minogue
$15.99From the critically acclaimed, multimillion-copy bestselling Little People, BIG DREAMS series, discover the life of Kylie Minogue, the Australian princess of pop!Little Kylie grew up with her parents and her younger...
Little People, Big Dreams Book Lenny Henry
$15.99Published in partnership with Comic Relief, Lenny Henry tells the inspiring story of the talented British comedian determined to make the world laugh. Ever since he was small, Lenny Henry wanted to be...
Little People, Big Dreams Book Leo Messi
$15.99In this book from the highly acclaimed Little People, BIG DREAMS series, discover the incredible life of Leo Messi, one of the world's most skilled and celebrated footballers. Little People, Big...
Gibbs Smith Book Little Poet William Shakespeare:...
$10.00Introduce clever babies to classic poets with Gibbs Smith’s new Little Poet series. “I do love nothing in the world so well as you.” Little Poet William Shakespeare: I Love You pairs...
Abrams Appleseed Book Love is a Ball
$13.99From the creators of Love Is a Tutu and Love Is a Truck, an ode to toy balls of all kinds A bouncy and bright ode to toy balls big and small—from beach...
Abrams Appleseed Book Love is a Truck
$13.99Graphically appealing two-color illustrations pair perfectly with a spare, rhythmic ode to beloved trucks of all kinds - from fire trucks to dump trucks to ice cream trucks, the sweetest...
Abrams Appleseed Book Love is Tutu
$13.99This beautifully designed and playfully illustrated novelty board book is the perfect starting point for tiny ballerinas and parents alike. Sweet and spare rhymes prance across the pages, engaging the...
Abrams Appleseed Book Loveblock
$18.99Learn how animals around the world show their love in this interactive board book. Animals show their love in so many ways! This interactive board book, with its chunky,...
Little People, Big Dreams Book Mahatma Gandhi
$15.99New in the Little People, Big Dreams series, discover the life of Mohandas Gandhi, the father of India, in this true story of his life. As a young teenager in India,...
Little People, Big Dreams Book Maria Montessori
$15.99Maria grew up in Italy at a time when girls didn't receive an equal education to boys. But Maria's mother was supportive of her dreams, and Maria went on to...
Little People, Big Dreams Book Marie Curie
$15.99In this international bestseller from the critically acclaimed Little People, BIG DREAMS series, discover the inspiring story of this international style icon.When Marie was young, she was unable to go...
Little People, Big Dreams Book Marilyn Monroe
$15.99In this book from the critically acclaimed, multimillion-copy best-selling Little People, BIG DREAMS series, discover the true story of Marilyn Monroe, the iconic movie star.Little Norma Jeane grew up between...
Little People, Big Dreams Book Martin Luther King, Jr
$15.99Little Martin grew up in a family of preachers: his dad was a preacher, his uncle was a preacher, his grandfather was a preacher…so maybe he’d become a great preacher...
Little People, Big Dreams Book Maya Angelou
$15.99Maya Angelou spent much of her childhood in Stamps, Arkansas. After a traumatic event at age eight, she stopped speaking for five years. However, Maya rediscovered her voice through wonderful...
Abrams Appleseed Book Meet the Artist: Andy Warhol
$12.95Abrams Appleseed Meet the Artist: Andy Warhol Book is packed with make-and-dos and inspiring activities for budding young artists Experiment with printing and blotted line drawings, design your own disco outfit, be...
Little People, Big Dreams Book Megan Rapinoe
$15.99Meet Megan Rapinoe, the world record-breaking soccer player and activist. Growing up in Redding, California, Megan discovered her calling chasing a ball on the school playground. Even if she didn’t...
Little People, Big Dreams Book Michael Jordan
$15.99In this book from the critically acclaimed, multimillion-copy bestselling Little People, BIG DREAMS series, discover the life of Michael Jordan, one of the greatest basketball players of the time.Little Michael...
Little People, Big Dreams Book Michelle Obama
$15.99Meet Michelle Obama, the iconic first lady, advocate, lawyer, and author. Young Michelle grew up on the South Side of Chicago in a close-knit family. She loved school, achieving A’s,...
Little People, Big Dreams Book Mindy Kaling
$15.99In this book from the critically acclaimed, multimillion-copy best-selling Little People, BIG DREAMS series, discover the life of Mindy Kaling, the actor, writer, producer, and director.When Mindy was a little...
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.