Play Time
BlaBla BlaBla Knitted Doll Wooly The Sheep
$66.00 – $78.00WOOLY likes to sleep upside down with his feet on his pillow. He dreams in green and yellow. Handmade doll made from the softest Peruvian cotton. 100% cotton with poly...
Plushies Black Panther Plush Toy 25 Inch
$98.00Step into the jungle with the Black Panther plush, a stunning and lifelike representation of one of nature's most mysterious creatures. Made with luxurious black plush fabric, this panther embodies...
Mudpuppy Board Book Set Little Artists
$14.99Mudpuppy's Little Artist Board Book Set is comprised of colorfully illustrated portraits of visual and performing artists who have made a historical impact on the world. Illustrations by Lydia Ortiz and words...
Abrams Appleseed Book 365 Words for Clever Kids!
$19.99Discover a new word for every day of the year with this fully illustrated compendium of big words Help young readers discover a new and exciting word every day of...
Abrams Appleseed Book Bananas For You!
$7.99From the superstar creators of My Mom Is Magical! and My Dad Is Amazing! comes this vibrant, humor-filled board book—the perfect way to tell your loved ones you're bananas for them. Do you...
Abrams Appleseed Book Be a Tree!
$19.99A lyrical, gorgeously illustrated look at the majesty of trees—and what humans can learn from them. Stand tall.Stretch your branches to the sun.Be a tree! In this gorgeous and poetic...
Abrams Appleseed Book Cityblock
$16.95Cityblock explores city life in an exciting and unique way, from up in a high-rise building to down in the subway. Divided into three sections—things that go, things to see, and...
Abrams Appleseed Book In Your Cozy Bed
$9.99From Jo Witek and Christine Roussey, the team behind In My Heart and the Growing Hearts series comes this soothing bedtime board book, In Your Cozy Bed. Told from the point of view...
Abrams Appleseed Book Loveblock
$16.99Learn how animals around the world show their love in this interactive board book. Animals show their love in so many ways! This interactive board book, with its chunky,...
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 Sharkblock
$16.99In keeping with the rest of the series, Sharkblock features the charming art of British design team Peski Studio (formerly Peskimo), pages with die-cuts readers can peek through, and special flaps that...
Abrams Appleseed Book Spaceblock
$17.993 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . . Blast off! Readers will experience the historic moon landing and learn about what modern astronauts do in space,...
Rubbabu Bouncy Ball Toy Torpedo Aqua
$6.00 – $10.00A soft, velvety ball that bounces well on floors and carpets. Made from foamed natural rubber it's squishy and safe for babies and toddlers. The tactile texture makes it fun...
Jellycat Bucky Bigfoot Plush Toy
$32.50Forget what you've heard: Bucky Bigfoot isn't shy! This buttercream character loves meeting new people! Wonderfully scruffy from rambles in the forest, Bucky's got big ears, a big fanged grin...
Bear Company Bunny Hugs
$44.00Bunny Hugs is a plush, stitched attached, soft toy bunny and chick duo.Bunny has been sewn from a luxuriously soft and dense white faux fur plush, with pink smooth inners...
N&L Find Bunny Plush Toy Blue with Gray Ears
$33.00 – $106.00Bunny in Blue with Gray Ears! Looking for a tiny, loving person to cuddle with and can be your child's best friend, or companion in sleep, on a journey, and in playing....
N&L Find Bunny Plush Toy Gray with Gray Ears
$33.00 – $106.00Bunny in Gray with Gray Ears! Looking for tiny, loving person to cuddle and can be your child's best friend, companion in sleep, on a journey, and in playing. Perfect as a...
N&L Find Bunny Plush Toy Pink with Gray Ears
$33.00 – $106.00Bunny in Pink with Gray Ears! Looking for tiny, loving person to cuddle and can be your child's best friend, or companion in sleep, on a journey, and in playing. Perfect as...
N&L Find Bunny Plush Toy White with Dots
$33.00 – $106.00Bunny in White with Dots Ears! Looking for tiny, loving person to cuddle and can be your child's best friend, or companion in sleep, on a journey, and in playing. Perfect as a gift...
Cali's Book Cali's Book Bedtime with Mozart
$29.00Children go through their bedtime routine with the help of gentle classical music. Cali's Books Bedtime with Mozart Animal Sound Musical Book excerpts from six magical melodies accompanies text and illustrations...
Cali's Book Cali's Book Chinese Nursery Rhymes
$29.00Cali's Books Chinese Nursery Rhymes entertains with favorite Chinese tunes, including Pull up carrots. Singing in several languages is enriching for children and adults alike. Cali's Books Chinese Nursery Rhymes Details:...
Cali's Book Cali's Book Count With Nursery Rhymes
$29.00Counting songs in Cali's Books Count with Nursery Rhymes include such favorites as Five Little Monkeys and One, Two, Three, Four, Five. Learning numbers has never been so much fun! Cali's Books...
Cali's Book Cali's Book Greek Nursery Rhymes
$29.00Singing in different languages is enriching for children and adults alike. The six Greek-language nursery tunes in Cali's Books Greek Nursery Rhymes include English lyrics, giving budding linguists great exposure...
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.