Play Time
Chronicle Books Finger Puppet Book Little Giraffe
$7.99With a plush finger puppet permanently attached to the book and peek-a-boo holes in every page, this charming board book is a fun way for parents and children to play...
Chronicle Books Finger Puppet Book Little Lamb
$7.99With a plush finger puppet permanently attached to the book and peek-a-boo holes in every page, this charming board book is a fun way for parents and children to play...
Chronicle Books Finger Puppet Book Little Lion
$7.99With a plush finger puppet permanently attached to the book and peek-a-boo holes in every page, this charming board book is a fun way for parents and children to play...
Chronicle Books Finger Puppet Book Little Love Bug
$7.99Little Love Bug Finger Puppet Book is a sweet, entertaining board book with a finger puppet built right in. In this feel-good finger puppet book, a parent and their little...
Chronicle Books Finger Puppet Book Little Monkey
$7.99With a plush finger puppet permanently attached to the book and peek-a-boo holes in every page, this charming board book is a fun way for parents and children to play...
Chronicle Books Finger Puppet Book Little Moose
$7.99Tiny tots will enjoy going for a dip in a mountain lake with an adventurous calf in Little Moose. These simple, comforting stories feature a permanently attached plush finger puppet and...
Chronicle Books Finger Puppet Book Little Mouse
$6.99With a plush finger puppet permanently attached to the book and peek-a-boo holes in every page, this charming board book is a fun way for parents and children to play...
Chronicle Books Finger Puppet Book Little Panda
$6.99With a plush finger puppet permanently attached to the book and peek-a-boo holes in every page, this charming board book is a fun way for parents and children to play...
Chronicle Books Finger Puppet Book Little Penguin
$7.99With a plush finger puppet permanently attached to the book and peek-a-boo holes in every page, this charming board book is a fun way for parents and children to play...
Chronicle Books Finger Puppet Book Little Polar Bear
$7.99With a plush finger puppet permanently attached to the book and peek-a-boo holes in every page, this charming board book is a fun way for parents and children to play...
Chronicle Books Finger Puppet Book Little Puppy
$7.99With a plush finger puppet permanently attached to the book and peek-a-boo holes in every page, this charming board book is a fun way for parents and children to play...
Chronicle Books Finger Puppet Book Little Sea Turtle
$7.99With a plush finger puppet permanently attached to the book and peek-a-boo holes in every page, this charming board book is a fun way for parents and children to play...
Chronicle Books Finger Puppet Book Little Shark
$7.99With a plush finger puppet permanently attached to the book and peek-a-boo holes in every page, this charming board book is a fun way for parents and children to play...
Chronicle Books Finger Puppet Book Little Zebra
$6.99With a plush finger puppet permanently attached to the book and peek-a-boo holes in every page, this charming board book is a fun way for parents and children to play...
Babalu Finger Puppet Fairy
$8.99This adorable finger puppet brings the much loved story to life. The puppet is beautifully designed with wooden head and bright fabric bodies and skilfully hand made to bring the...
Babalu Finger Puppet Set 5 Peter Pan
$38.00This adorable set of finger puppets brings the much loved story to life. Supplied in a stunning presentation gift box it includes Finger puppets for each of the main story...
Babalu Finger Puppet Wizard
$8.99This adorable finger puppet brings the much-loved story to life. The puppet is beautifully designed with wooden head and bright fabric bodies and skilfully hand made to bring the favorite...
Tender Leaf Toys Fire Engine
$70.00This bright fire engine has an unrolling hose and a natural wood extending arm to take the 4 firefighters to dizzying heights to fight fires or rescue a kitten! Includes...
Hape Fire Truck
$22.00Make way! This geared-up wooden fire truck can put out any flame with an expandable ladder and one ready-for-action firefighter. Age: 3 years+ Size: L: 7.9, W: 4.6, H: 5.9 inch...
Rubbabu Fireman Rubba Engine Toy
$29.00The Rubbabu Fire Truck in red and black is a unique toy truck for ages 0+. Soft, simple, and safe, it's perfect for long hours of pretend play. Supports the...
Banwood First Go Kids Balance Bike Coral
$195.00Banwood® FIRST GO! Kids balance bike is a safe and durable training bicycle without pedals, chain or training wheels. It is the perfect choice for a first bike, as it...
Banwood First Go Kids Balance Bike Green
$195.00Banwood® FIRST GO! Kids balance bike is a safe and durable training bicycle without pedals, chain or training wheels. It is the perfect choice for a first bike, as it...
Banwood First Go Kids Balance Bike Marest All...
$229.00Banwood x Marest First Go Balance Bike has been wrapped in a typical Marest print full of vibrant colors. The Vintage bike for kids is created to last and are...
Banwood First Go Kids Balance Bike Navy
$195.00Banwood® FIRST GO! Kids balance bike is a safe and durable training bicycle without pedals, chain or training wheels. It is the perfect choice for a first bike, as it...
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.