Play Time
Penguin Where's the Bear Book
$10.00Five beautifully illustrated spreads show a series of friendly animals hiding behind bright felt flaps. A mirror on the final spread makes for a satisfying ending to the book’s search-and-find...
Penguin Where's the Dog Book
$10.00Five beautifully illustrated spreads show a series of friendly animals hiding behind bright felt flaps. A mirror on the final spread makes for a satisfying ending to the book’s search-and-find...
Penguin Who's Hiding at the Beach Book
$9.99There are lots of creatures at the beach. Where are they hiding and what are they doing? In this innovative lift-the-flap book, little ones can pore over the beautiful collaged...
Penguin Who's Hiding in the Rain Forest Book
$9.99There are lots of animals in the rain forest. Where are they hiding and what are they doing? In this innovative lift-the-flap book, little ones can pore over the beautiful...
Penguin Who's Hiding on the River Book
$9.99There are lots of creatures by the river. Where are they hiding and what are they doing? In this innovative lift-the-flap book, little ones can pore over the beautiful collaged...
Penguin Who's Hiding on the Savanna Book
$9.99There are lots of animals on the savanna. Where are they hiding and what are they doing? In this innovative lift-the-flap book, little ones can pore over the beautiful collaged...
Manhattan Toy Wimmer Ferguson Clip and Discover Shapes
$28.00Help little ones recognize shapes and entertain them while they're on the go. In true Wimmer-Ferguson fashion, each shape has simpler black-and-white graphics on one side and more complex color...
Manhattan Toy Wimmer Ferguson Double Feature Mirror
$50.00One side features a mirror for self discovery, while the other side has high-contrast black & white graphics that help baby with visual & multi-sensory development. This toy has ribbon...
Bajo Wood Action Figure Triceratops
$60.00This is the Triceratops, a 3-horned herbivorous dinosaur that looks a bit like a rhino. Is that His ancestor? We do not know this, but the Triceratops and rhinoceros have...
Janod Wood Essentials Fractions
$22.00An early learning toy that is ideal for becoming familiar with fractions, a simple mathematical concept, while having fun. Once the child places 1, 2, 3 or 4 pieces on...
Bajo Wooden Action Figure T-Rex
$60.00It's the T-Rex! A powerful, two-legged creature. The former inhabitants of the planet remind us of the animals that are currently endangered, thanks to which we become sensitive to them...
Bajo Wooden Animal Gorilla
$64.00This adorable wooden Gorilla is lightweight and easy to play with. Their limbs can be moved so your child can imitate the real movements of the living endangered species. They...
Bajo Wooden Animal Panda
$64.00This adorable wooden Polar Bear is light weight and easy to play with. Their limbs can be moved so your child can imitate the real movements of the living endangered...
Bajo Wooden Animal Polar Bear
$64.00This adorable wooden Panda is light weight and easy to play with. Their limbs can be moved so your child can imitate the real movements of the living endangered species. They...
le toy van Wooden Baker's Basket Crate
$23.00A crate of wooden breads including a pretzel, an iced bun, a croissant, a pain au chocolate and a swirl bun. Age: 2 years+ Encourages creative interactive play Material: Ethically made...
Bajo Wooden Breakdown Lorry
$28.00This adorable Lorry is one of a kind and comes with three parts; a sweet little blue car, the cute Lorry, and a blockade/ramp. This toy is great fun for...
Indigo Jamm Wooden Casey Camper Van
$70.00Indigo Jamm Casey Camper Van is a retro camper van complete with a wooden mom, dad, two children, and a wooden dog. Made from durable rubberwood and plywood with an...
Sabo Concept Wooden Castle Building Blocks Light Pink
$125.00Let your child's imagination run wild with this beautiful Castle Building Blocks Set that features all the shapes needed to build their own castle, city, race track, or whatever their creative minds...
le toy van Wooden Cheese and Dairy Crate
$23.00The Cheese & Dairy set features fresh milk, a block of butter, a pot of yogurt, a pot of cream and 3 delicious kinds of cheese for all the cheese...
Bajo Wooden Classic School Bus Yellow
$22.00This bright yellow bus is perfect for playtime and its little windows provide a comfortable grip for little hands! Made for ages 1+ years and up Size: 5"x2"x3"
Indigo Jamm Wooden Colin Camper Van
$70.00Indigo Jamm Colin Camper Van is a retro camper van complete with a wooden mom, dad, two children, and a wooden dog. Made from durable rubberwood and plywood with an...
Sabo Concept Wooden Cubes 24 Pieces Set Green
$54.00These 24 pieces of wooden cubes set are made out of linden tree covered with water-based paint that you can see the structure of wood through. Together with deep unconventional...
Goose Grease Wooden Doll King Arthur's Court
$40.00King Arthur's Court doll set includes four 3.5" dolls. King Arthur, Lancelot, Merlin, and Guinevere Hand-chiseled from Urapán wood on an electric lathe, these classic wooden peg dolls are finished with USA-made non-toxic water-based paints. Each doll is unique and safe...
Goose Grease Wooden Doll The Organic Family II
$36.00The Organic Family set includes a gender neutral family, perfect for a new baby gift or nursery. Hand-chiseled from Urapán wood on an electric lathe, these classic wooden peg dolls are finished with USA-made non-toxic water-based paints....
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.