Play Time
Banwood First Go Kids Balance Bike Pink
$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 Red
$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 Sky
$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 White
$195.00Banwood® FIRST GO! Kids balance bike is a safe and durable training bicycle without pedals, chains or training wheels. It is the perfect choice for a first bike, as it...
Miniland First Senses: 6 Cubes Set
$32.00Miniland First Senses: 6 Cubes Set, chunky cubes of spongy texture that rattle when shaken. The cube design allows infants to exercise their hand grip and arm strength while shaking...
Hape Fix It Tool Box Toy
$22.00Give your little tinker Hape’s Fix-It Tool Box and help them learn what each tool is to develop their building skills! Includes Nuts, bolts, hammers and more! Suitable for children...
N&L Exclusive Flamingo Plush Toy 15"
$68.00Meet the charming and elegant Flamingo! This stunning bird is known for its striking pink feathers, long neck, and distinctive curved beak. The perfect cuddly companion for both children and...
Mobi Games Flipsee Alphabet Flip-Board
$36.00A is for alligator in an airplane and Z is for zebra on a zig-zag! Discover the wonderful world of letters and animals with Flipsee Flip n' Fun Alphabet Board....
Oli & Carol Flo Floatie The Duck Mint
$18.00Flo the Floatie is a baby toy for teething, bath time and sensory play. Handmade in 100% natural rubber and hand painted with natural pigments. Inspired in a classic lifeguard...
Oli & Carol Flo Floatie The Duck Red
$18.00Flo the Floatie is a baby toy for teething, bath time and sensory play. Handmade in 100% natural rubber and hand painted with natural pigments. Inspired in a classic lifeguard...
Oli & Carol Flo Floatie The Duck White
$18.00Flo the Floatie is a baby toy for teething, bath time and sensory play. Handmade in 100% natural rubber and hand painted with natural pigments. Inspired in a classic lifeguard...
Oli & Carol Flo Floatie The Duck Yellow
$18.00Flo the Floatie is a baby toy for teething, bath time and sensory play. Handmade in 100% natural rubber and hand painted with natural pigments. Inspired in a classic lifeguard...
Wee Gallery Floor Puzzle - Night Life
$27.00Our 24 piece Wild Life Floor Puzzle celebrates the diversity of nature while encouraging learning through play! Our signature illustrations help support motor skill development and sensory stimulation for...
Wee Gallery Floor Puzzle - Wild Life
$27.00About this product Our 24 piece Wild Life Floor Puzzle celebrates the diversity of nature while encouraging learning through play! Our signature illustrations help support motor skill development and sensory...
BlaBla Flower Rattle Green
$18.00This handmade BlaBla Flower Rattle is made from the softest cotton. A toy that your little one will enjoy while helping their 5 senses develop. BlaBla Flower Rattle Details: 100%...
Maileg Flowers Rug - Medium
$6.00Every home needs small interior items to complete the setting. This rug comes with a beautiful flower print placed in the middle of the rug. It can be used where...
Maileg Flowers Rug - Small
$4.00Every home needs small interior items to complete the setting. This rug comes with a beautiful flower print placed in the middle of the rug. It can be used where...
Papoose Toys Forest Summer Trees
$64.00Handcrafted felt and wood trees can be used as imaginative play toys or unique decor items. These eco-friendly toys are just what environmentally aware customers are looking for. Age: 3...
Tender Leaf Toys Forest Table and Chairs
$220.00Make playtime or study time more exciting! A sturdy plywood and rubberwood children's table with a removable chalkboard central panel. When the panel is removed it reveals a hidden compartment...
Plushies Fox Plush Toy 18 Inch
$28.00A sleepy time pals who will make the perfect nap time companion for anyone in need of a good rest This Snoozle Fox is a soft red fox with a...
Tender Leaf Toys Foxtail Villa Dollhouse
$245.00Tender Leaf Toys Foxtail Villa is a perfect town-style doll house. The subtle colors and top-quality plywood fascia make this a beautiful mid-size doll house for any little girl or...
Plushies Frederick Dreidel 5 Inch
$14.00Amongst all the flashy lights and colorful decorations is Frederick, a dreidel who likes to keep things simple and traditional. To make the holidays spinning with joy, Frederick is filled...
Kid O Free Draw Magnatab Toy
$29.00The Original Magnatab was designed with the Montessori learning style in mind, creating a sensory-based creative play experience. Using the magnetic stylus, children pull the beads up to the surface...
Little Chew Freezer Teether - Chamomile Speckled ...
$20.00Our Chamomile teether is made from a soft silicone, freezer toy that will help to soothe sore and itchy gums as much as it will entertain your baby. The simple...
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.