Play Time
Holztiger Holztiger Wooden Animal Penguin
$14.00Holztiger’s penguin is a great toy animal for entertaining your little one, perfect for endless hours of imaginative play! Made of hardwood Colored with water-based acrylic paint Dimensions: 5 x 2.3...
PlanToys PlanToys Fruit and Vegetable Play Set
$30.00PlanToys Fruit & Vegetable Play Set is the perfect toy for your growing little chef! Let them explore the world of cooking with 5 colorful fruits and veggies! PlanToys Fruit...
PlanToys PlanToys Baby Walker
$126.00Cruise through early developmental stages with the PlanToys Baby Walker! This toy can help develop fine and gross motor skills while encouraging children to walk on their own two feet....
PlanToys PlanToys Tie Up Shoe
$12.00Learn how to tie your shoes! The laces on this wooden shoe can help little ones develop their hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills so they can tie their shoes...
Hape Toddler Beat Box Musical toy Set
$49.00Everything needed for an afternoon Jam session! this music set of 4 different instruments is perfect for young musicians to explore and discover their talents. Ages 12+ months
Grimm's Authentic Grimm's Stacking Tower Boat
$79.00Grimm’s Stacking Tower Boat is the perfect stacking toy for your little one! Your toddler can have endless fun stacking the boat to create different forms and lovely colorful structures...
Maileg Maileg Best Friends Doll Bunny
$38.00Every bunny needs a best friend. This friend will hop out of the beautiful gift box to greet you. They arrive wearing a stripped frosted orange top but you can...
Holztiger Holztiger Wooden Animal Fox Running
$14.00Holztiger’s Running Fox is a great toy animal for entertaining your little one, perfect for endless hours of imaginative play! Made of hardwood Colored with water-based acrylic paint Dimensions: 5.7...
Grimm's Authentic Grimm's Fire Flames
$32.00Grimm’s Fire is a versatile toy perfect for your growing little one. Toddlers can use the rainbow for stacking and sorting, and as they get older your children can use...
Holztiger Holztiger Wooden Animal Dalmatian
$12.00Holztiger’s Dalmatian is a great toy animal for entertaining your little one, perfect for endless hours of imaginative play! Made of hardwood Colored with water-based acrylic paint Dimensions: 11.5 x...
Holztiger Holztiger Wooden Animal Farm Dog
$14.00Holztiger’s farm dog is a great toy animal for entertaining your little one, perfect for endless hours of imaginative play! Made of hardwood Colored with water-based acrylic paint Dimensions: 5...
PlanToys PlanToys Banjo Musical Toy
$36.00PlanToys Banjo is the perfect toy to inspire your little ones' musical creativity, PlanToys Banjo Details: Age: 3 years+ Strum to hear the music! Features various sounds Dimensions: 12.52 x...
PlanToys PlanToys Ice Cream Set
$36.00Create your own ice cream combo! The set includes 3 different ice cream scoops, 1 topping, 2 cones, and 1 scooper. This toy helps enhance fine motor skills and hand-eye...
PlanToys PlanToys Bakery Stand Set
$32.00The PlanToys Bakery Stand Set consists of 1 two-tier cake stand, 1 sandwich, 1 slice of Swiss roll, 1 chocolate cake, 2 biscuits, and 2 cupcakes. PlanToys Bakery Stand Set...
Hape Shape Sorter Xylophone Musical Toy
$34.00Is it a piano or a puzzle? Well, the multifunctional Shape Sorter Xylophone is a piano, xylophone and shape sorting game all rolled into one! Product size L: 11.81, W:...
PlanToys PlanToys Birthday Cake Set
$30.00The PlanToys Birthday Cake Set consists of a two-sided play of cake with different toppings, a plate, a knife, a dark chocolate bar, and 6 removable candles. This toy is...
Hape Mighty Echo Microphone Toy
$14.00Do you dream of being a famous singer? With the high-quality, battery-free Mighty Echo Microphone, everyone can sing like a pop-star! Age:12+ Months
PlanToys PlanToys Lacing Sheep
$26.00Give your little one a whole new way to learn to lace, with the PlanToys Lacing Sheep. This delightful little sheep is made of concentric wooden disks; preschoolers can lace...
PlanToys PlanToys Musical Band
$70.00Is your little one ready to take center stage? The PlanToys Musical Band includes 2 differently-sized drums, a pair of drumsticks, a cymbal, and a guiro. The set stands over 13...
PlanToys PlanToys Oval Xylophone Musical Toy
$30.00PlanToys Oval Xylophone features five colorful panels that help with hand-eye coordination. Please note this xylophone is made for fun and may not be musically accurate. PlanToys Oval Xylophone Details: Age: 12...
Grimm's Authentic Grimm's Rainbow House
$33.00A five-piece nesting house by Grimm's in rainbow colors. Stagger the pieces to create a deep chamber, or use them separately to create a house and outbuildings. Authentic Grimm's Rainbow...
Holztiger Holztiger Wooden Animal Pony
$16.00Holztiger’s Pony is a great toy animal for entertaining your little one, perfect for endless hours of imaginative play! Made of hardwood Colored with water-based acrylic paint Dimensions: 11.5 x...
Fat Brain Toys Stacking SpinAgain
$38.00It's a stacking toy with a spin—literally!Drop the vibrant discs onto the threaded corkscrew pole and go ooooh as they spin fast and smooth to settle onto the reversible base....
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.