Play Time
Mudpuppy 1000 Piece Puzzle Cool Cats A Z
$16.99Put together this 1000 piece family puzzle to reveal a series of "Cool Cats" that represent letters of the alphabet. This fun and eye-catching puzzle feature art by Carolyn Gavin....
Mudpuppy 1000 Piece Puzzle Hot Dogs A Z
$16.99Put together this 1000 piece family puzzle to reveal a series of playful "Hot Dogs" that represent each letter of the alphabet. This fun and eye-catching design are by Carolyn...
Mudpuppy 1000 Piece Puzzle The United States
$16.99The whole family can put together this 1000 piece puzzle of the United States. The completed puzzle features a colorful map of the U.S. including illustrations of the attributes of...
Mudpuppy 1000 Piece Puzzle Your World
$16.99Put together this 1000 piece family puzzle to reveal "Your World." The completed puzzle features a vibrant and playful assortment of animals on a world map. The pieces come packaged...
Omy Design 12 Piece Neon and Metallic Art Pastels
$22.00Let your creativity express itself with this palette of 12 oil pastels in bright, fluorescent, and metallic colors.This new Beaux-Arts quality graphic tool completes our writing range and promises you drawings in...
Hape 2 in 1 Kitchen and Grill Toy Set
$46.00Role-play cooking a delicious meal together with your child with this realistic 2-in-1 Kitchen & Grill Set that includes metal accessories, clicking, turnable knobs, and an adjustable clock. Product size...
Fat Brain Toys 24 Piece Squigz Starter Building Set
$30.00Fat Brain Toys 24 Piece Squigz Starter Set is the perfect toy to give to your little one to use in any environment, to stick on everything from walls, to...
Lalaboom 3in1 Shape Sorter and Balance Game
$30.00The Lalaboom 3-in-1 shapes sorter box is a step-by-step toy. It promotes sensory discoveries and develops essential cognitive and fine motor abilities. The shaped box contains an activity board...
PicassoTiles 56 Pieces Magnetic Building Set with ...
$36.00The 56pc magnetic building tiles feature 56 unique educational and fun creative design graphics from 28 click-in cards to teach about Alphabet reading or writing, Animals, Fruits, Numbers, Number matching...
PicassoTiles 60 Pieces Glow in The Dark Magnetic B...
$48.00Picasso’s 60-Piece Tiles Glow in the Dark is the perfect toy for your little innovative builder! This set is an easy construct, and also features simple storage. Suitable for children...
Mudpuppy 70 Piece Puzzle Geography Map of USA
$16.99Learn all 50 states by name, capital city, shape, location, and even state nickname with Mudpuppy's Map of the U.S.A. Geography Puzzle! This double-sided 70 piece puzzle includes puzzle pieces...
Mudpuppy 78 Piece Puzzle Geography Map of The...
$16.99Learn about animals, landmarks, vehicles, and more by location with Mudpuppy’s Map of the World Geography Puzzle. This 78 piece puzzle includes 17 special puzzle pieces that are shaped like...
Tonies A Christmas Carol and Tales Audio Pla...
$19.99One of the greatest Christmas classics of all time comes to the Toniebox... and brings a few other favorites. These timeless stories written by world-renowned writers such as Charles Dickens,...
Moon Picnic A Dozen Bird Eggs in a Box Toy
$56.00This beautiful toy set is perfect for little hands to hold to feel the warmth of the wood, different sizes and curves, to roll, sort and count. Observe the lovely...
Workman A Photicular Book Dinosaur
$26.95Journey a hundred million years back in time, and see 8 amazing dinosaurs in motion. A New York Times bestseller! Using unique Photicular® technology that’s like a 3-D movie on the page, DINOSAUR brings...
Workman A Photicular Book Outback
$26.95Embark on an eye-opening adventure in the land Down Under, and see eight creatures in astounding motion. From the New York Times bestselling series.Using Photicular® technology that’s like a 3-D...
Workman A Photicular Book Polar
$26.95Take a stunning journey to the ends of the earth through the colorful, fluid motion of Photicular® technology. A phenomenon first seen in the bestsellers Safari and Ocean, Photicular technology...
Workman A Photicular Book Safari
$26.95A New York Times bestseller, Safari is a magical journey for the whole family. Readers, as if on African safari, encounter eight wild animals that come alive using never-before-seen Photicular...
Kid O a to z Lowercase Magnatab Toy
$38.00Help your little one learn to write the curves of the lowercase alphabet with the sensory-reinforced Kid O’s a to z Lower Case Magnatab! Included: Magnatab board, & the magnetic...
Chronicle Books A to Z Menagerie Alphabet Book
$24.99A to Z Menagerie is a multisensory alphabet book unlike any other. This unique reading experience features a die-cut letter to trace and a satisfying pull-tab reveal for each letter of...
BeginAgain A to Z Puzzle Animal Parade
$35.00From letters to colors to animal names to storytelling, BeginAgain Animal Parade A-Z Puzzle game for toddlers is a wooden puzzle with a world of possibilities. Age: 2 years+ Measures...
BeginAgain A to Z Space Puzzle
$40.00The Space A to Z Puzzle is an out-of-this-world science adventure. The chunky durable pieces teach the alphabet through space-related objects, from A is for Astronaut Armstrong to Z is...
Kid O A to Z Uppercase Magnatab Toy
$38.00Let’s learn our letters! With easy-to-follow arrows, playful colors, and multi-sensory engagement, The Original Magnatab makes learning a fun and satisfying experience. Practice over and over with the magnetic stylus...
Cottage Door Press ABC and 123 Learning Songs Book
$19.99Singing is learning and learning is fun! Toddlers and preschoolers can sing along with these popular learning songs in this fun songbook. Featuring a wooden inlay and sturdy construction, this book is...
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.