Play Time
Jellycat Jellycat Gilbert The Great Blue Whale
$85.00Curvy and cheery with the biggest balleen grin, it's Jellycat Gilbert the Great Blue Whale! Beautifully blue, with a combed grey belly, half-moon tail, and flappy fins, Gilbert's a jolly...
Grimm's Authentic Grimm's Color Charts Rally
$85.00Limitless designs! The 29 color chart pairs open up a world of creativity and help children develop a new appreciation for color. The children can test the domino effect, match...
Maileg Maileg Rabbit Size 5 Plush Toy in Pan...
$84.00This rabbit is dressed in a beautiful striped knitted sweater and soft pants made of soft natural linen & cotton fabric - which gives a lovely hand feel and look. Material:...
Grimm's Authentic Grimm's Natural Wooden Cars
$82.00This Cars work quite well off-road and are suitable for rides in the countryside. Vehicles don’t need a full car wash after that, but can easily be cleaned with a...
Grimm's Authentic Grimm's Colored Wooden Cars
$82.00This Cars work quite well off-road and are suitable for rides in the countryside. Vehicles don’t need a full car wash after that, but can easily be cleaned with a...
Maileg Maileg Gantosaurus Large
$80.00Look at this funny friend! A Large Gantosaurus with big teeth has arrived and is ready to play with all of us. It is made in a soft mix of...
Bear Company Cuddly Spot Puppy Dog Plush Toy
$80.00A magical gift for little girls, tweens, teens, kids, and of all ages. This soft plush provides comfort and play activity for your little ones. Measures 30 inches
Bear Company Cuddly Dreamer Unicorn Plush Toy
$80.00A magical gift for little girls, tweens, teens, kids, and unicorn lovers of all ages. This soft plush Dreamer provides comfort and play activity for your little ones. Measures 30...
Grimm's Authentic Grimm's 60 Colored Geo Blocks
$80.00From easy to challenging, these building block sets are a constant companion throughout childhood! Due to the non-varnished surface, young children are able to stack the blocks easily and the...
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 Set of 3 Micro Rabbit Doll
$78.00This sweet rabbit in micro size is dressed in a striped suit knitted in a soft linen/cotton blend. It fits all the micro size furniture and will secure many hours...
Maileg Maileg Set of 3 Micro Bunny Doll
$78.00This sweet bunny in micro size is dressed in a striped suit knitted in a soft linen/cotton blend. It fits all the micro size furniture and will secure many hours...
BlaBla BlaBla Knitted Doll Balthazar The Bunny
$78.00Handmade doll made from the softest Peruvian cotton. 100% cotton with poly fill. Approximately 18"in Hand or machine wash in cold water on gentle cycle Lay flat to dry.
Maileg Maileg Bunny Doll Size 4 Checkered Dress
$75.00This Maileg Bunny Size 4 wears a beautiful dress and underwear. To keep her warm she wears a soft wool cardigan with a beautiful knit pattern. Maileg Bunny Size 4...
Tegu Magnetic Wooden Blocks Tints 24 Piece...
$75.00Tegu’s Magnetic Wooden Blocks 24pc are the perfect toys for your little builder to create any structure by connecting the colorful blocks, the ideal set for imaginative play! Dimensions: 14.2...
Jellycat Jellycat Smudge Large Elephant
$75.00Smudge Elephant loves naptime, and keeps falling asleep on the march! Flop this supersoft silly down to sit on those squishable trumpet paws. With warm grey-brown fur, bright black eyes...
Cuddle + Kind Cuddle + Kind Hand Knit Doll Dylan th...
$74.00 – $95.00I am an energetic kitten who loves to laugh, leap and chase sunbeams. Luckily, I’m very good at landing on my feet! Friends say I’m an optimist - if things...
Cuddle + Kind Cuddle + Kind Hand Knit Doll Daisy th...
$74.00 – $95.00Friends always call me a curious little kitten, because my mind is as quick as my paws trotting through the meadow to discover new things! I love admiring every flower...
Cuddle + Kind Cuddle + Kind Hand Knit Doll Henry Th...
$74.00 – $95.00I‘m a carrot connoisseur and love munching on them wherever I go. Would you like to share? They’re super delicious! I love hopping as fast as I can and working...
Cuddle + Kind Cuddle + Kind Hand Knit Doll Hannah T...
$74.00 – $95.00I’m always hopping from one big dream to another. There’s so much I want to accomplish in this beautiful world, and I know I can do it if I don’t...
Grimm's Authentic Grimm's Slimline Wooden Cars
$74.00Whether the sports car, pick-up, van, bus, or limousine, these slim classic wooden cars travel comfortably over narrow bridges (10684, 10686) and are perfectly sized for easy grasping by small...
Grimm's Authentic Grimm's Handpainted Small H...
$74.00Grimm’s Hand-painted Small Houses is the perfect toy set for your little builder to create cities or villages with houses, barns, towers, and more! Authentic Grimm's Handpainted Small Houses Toy...
Paola Reina Paola Reina Baby Gordis Doll Ruby
$72.00Here are the Paola Reina, the most beautiful dolls in the world! They come from Spain and they have beautiful faces. And they smell like vanilla! Meet Baby Gordis...
Paola Reina Paola Reina Baby Gordis Doll Lily
$72.00Here are the Paola Reina, the most beautiful dolls in the world! They come from Spain and they have beautiful faces. And they smell like vanilla! Meet Baby Gordis...
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.