Play Time
Abrams Appleseed Book Montessori: Letter Work
$10.99Learn letters the Montessori way! Based on the proven Montessori teaching method, Montessori: Letter Work introduces readers to letters by their sounds and shapes first! Featuring textures for readers to touch and...
Abrams Appleseed Book Montessori: Number Work
$10.99Learn numbers the Montessori way! Based on the proven Montessori teaching method, Montessori: Number Work introduces young readers to numbers first as quantities to count before showing them as numerals. Brightly stylized...
Little People, Big Dreams Book Mother Teresa
$15.99Part of the critically acclaimed Little People, BIG DREAMS series, discover the incredible life of Mother Teresa, along with her message of love and charity.Agnes (later to become Mother Teresa) was...
Little People, Big Dreams Book Muhammad Ali
$15.99When he was little, Muhammad Ali had his bicycle stolen. He wanted to fight the thief, but a policeman told him to learn how to box first. After training hard...
Abrams Appleseed Book My Brother Is the Best!
$7.99From Hello! Lucky—Sabrina and Eunice Moyle, the bestselling creators of My Mom Is Magical!, My Dad Is Amazing!, My Grandma Is Great!, and My Grandpa Is Grand!—comes this joyful tribute to everything that makes...
Abrams Appleseed Book My Dad Is Amazing
$8.99My Mom Is Magical, featuring a magical unicorn, and My Dad Is Amazing, featuring a mythical yeti, are joyful tributes to just how amazing parents (and their kids!) are. ...
Abrams Appleseed Book My Grandma Is Great!
$7.99Is your grandma more fabulous than a flock of flamingos?More magical than a million mermaids?More adventurous than a pack of pirates? Celebrate all the things that make Grandma great with...
Abrams Appleseed Book My Grandpa Is Grand!
$7.99Is your grandpa more fun than a ton of treehouses?More adventurous than a sea of sailors?Smarter than a school of fish? Celebrate all the things that make Grandpa grand with...
Abrams Appleseed Book My Mom Is Magical
$8.99A joyful tribute to moms to celebrate all the things that make Mom magical with this joyful board book! Is your mom more amazing than a billion butterflies?More sparkly...
Abrams Appleseed Book My Sister Is Super!
$7.99From Hello! Lucky—Sabrina and Eunice Moyle, the bestselling creators of My Mom Is Magical!, My Dad Is Amazing!, My Grandma Is Great!, and My Grandpa Is Grand!—comes this joyful tribute to everything that makes...
Abrams Appleseed Book My Tree and Me (A Book of Season...
$16.99One little girl has a very special friend, the tall ancient tree in her backyard. Through the seasons, she grows along with the tree, playing in its branches and basking...
Little People, Big Dreams Book Neil Armstrong
$15.99In this book from the critically acclaimed, multimillion-copy bestselling Little People, BIG DREAMS series, discover the life of Neil Armstrong, the first person to walk on the moon. Little Neil’s dreams...
Little People, Big Dreams Book Nelson Mandela
$15.99In this book from the critically acclaimed, multimillion-copy bestselling Little People, BIG DREAMS series, discover the incredible life of Nelson Mandela, South Africa's first Black president, and his fight for...
Little People, Big Dreams Book Pablo Picasso
$15.99In this book from the critically acclaimed, multimillion-copy best-selling Little People, BIG DREAMS series, discover the life of Pablo Picasso, one of the world's greatest artists in the 20th century. Little...
Little People, Big Dreams Book Pele
$15.99With a sock full of rags for a ball, Pelé honed his skills in a poor neighborhood in Brazil. He believed that, one day, he would lead his country to...
Little People, Big Dreams Book Prince
$15.99Meet Prince, one of the most iconic performers in music history. From a young age, Prince was obsessed with music. Even though he couldn’t read it, his talent—whether on piano,...
Little People, Big Dreams Book Princess Diana
$15.99Discover the life of Princess Diana, the world’s most loved princess. Known for her kind-hearted nature from a young age, Diana touched the hearts of many. She was working as a primary school...
Little People, Big Dreams Book Queen Elizabeth
$15.99In this book from the critically acclaimed Little People, BIG DREAMS series, discover the life of Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning monarch of modern times. Little Elizabeth loved dogs and...
Wide-Eyed Edition Book Queer Heroes
$18.39This beautiful, bold book celebrates the achievements of LGBTQ+ people through history and from around the world—featuring dynamic full-color portraits of a diverse selection of 53 inspirational role models accompanied...
Little People, Big Dreams Book Rafa Nadal
$15.99Learn about the incredible life of Rafa Nadal, the dedicated sportsperson who’s tenacity and drive has inspired young athletes across the world. Little Rafa was born in Majorca, Spain. Encouraged...
Gibbs Smith Book Red/Rojo
$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 red, including a clanging...
Little People, Big Dreams Book Rosa Parks
$15.99Rosa Parks grew up in Alabama, where she learned to stand up for herself at an early age. Rosa went on to become a civil rights activist. In 1955, she...
Little People, Big Dreams Book Rosalind Franklin
$15.99In this book from the critically acclaimed, multimillion-copy best-selling Little People, BIG DREAMS series, discover the life of Rosalind Franklin, the scientist who was crucial to the discovery of the...
Little People, Big Dreams Book Rudolf Nureyev
$14.99Rudolf fell in love with dance as a child. But he was not allowed to go to ballet school until he was 17. There, he had to make up for...
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.