Play Time
Bear Company Big Ben the Brown Bear
$68.00Designed with ultra soft plush and is extra floppy for cuddling. This charming bear is more than a toy, it's a cuddly companion for your little ones.
Tender Leaf Toys Birdie Afternoon Tea Stand
$50.00A two tier stand full of delicious treats ready to serve! A ham or cucumber sandwich, a lemon meringue pie, a chocolate roll, a slice of Victoria sponge, an apple...
BlaBla BlaBla Knitted Doll Andiamo The Dog
$66.00 – $78.00Andiamo is a dog from Italy. He is always in a hurry, and is a little forgetful. He has a Vespa and likes spaghetti. Handmade doll made from the softest...
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.
BlaBla BlaBla Knitted Doll Lionel The Lion
$66.00 – $78.00Lionel is our coolest little feline who loves to nap in the sunshine and play reggae on rainy days. Without a shadow of a doubt, he will become your mane...
BlaBla BlaBla Knitted Doll Luigi The Frog
$66.00Handmade doll made from the softest Peruvian cotton. 100% cotton with poly fill. Approximately 12"in Hand or machine wash in cold water on gentle cycle Lay flat to dry.
BlaBla BlaBla Knitted Doll Pearl The Dog
$66.00 – $78.00Handmade doll made from the softest Peruvian cotton. 100% cotton with poly fill. Hand or machine wash in cold water on gentle cycle Lay flat to dry. Size: Mini: 12"...
BlaBla BlaBla Knitted Doll Pepper The Cat
$66.00 – $78.00Pepper, the purrfect grey kitten with a pocket purrfect for the tooth fairy! Handmade doll made from the softest Peruvian cotton. 100% cotton with poly fill. Hand or machine...
BlaBla BlaBla Knitted Doll Pierre The Bunny
$66.00 – $78.00Pierre likes long walks in the country. He distributes letters with stamps, and loves radish marmalade. He would like to learn English to enlarge his horizons. Handmade doll made...
BlaBla BlaBla Knitted Doll Rivier The Elephant
$66.00 – $78.00Rivier sailed the Nile all the way to the ocean. His heard the water whisper and made a promise to keep it blue. Handmade doll made from the softest...
BlaBla BlaBla Knitted Doll Sandwich The Cat
$66.00This giant doll is the perfect size for toddlers, is perfect to cuddle and play everyday. Irresistibly soft and cuddly Hand-knit 100% cotton, eco-friendly 3 feet tall *Smaller doll in...
BlaBla BlaBla Knitted Doll Socks The Fox
$66.00 – $78.00Socks is writer for a local newspaper, a dreamer and an airplane enthusiast. He has beautiful handwriting. Handmade doll made from the softest Peruvian cotton. 100% cotton with poly...
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...
Mercurius Blackboard Pastel Chalk 12 Colors
$20.00Mercurius Blackboard Chalk is soft, highly-pigmented pastel chalk used to create beautiful blackboard drawings. It has great coverage and blends easily. The square pieces are covered with paper to help...
Bling2o Bling2O Swim Goggles Carnivore Brown
$24.00These swim goggles are unique, fun, and perfect for those days out in the water. Bling2O Swim Goggles Carnivore Brown Details: Adjustable strap Antifog polycarbonate lenses with UV protection Silicone....
Guidecraft Block Mates Safari
$28.00Building upon the wonderful foundation of unit blocks by providing children with a themed exploration set, Block Mates are designed to enhance the original principles of block-building. They are engineered...
Tender Leaf Toys Blue Bird Service Station Set
$136.00This magnificent Bluebird garage and service station with its unique clear acrylic central panel has lots of play from all sides that your kids will surely enjoy. Age range: 3...
Tender Leaf Toys Blue Water
$28.00Perfect for displaying your sea creatures, three blue solid wood waves can be used as part of open-ended play. Including a little sailboat. Age range: 3 Years And Older Product...
Janod Bodymagnet in 12 Languages
$38.00Learn the human body while having fun. 76 magnets and 1 magnetic board to learn and assemble the different parts of the human body. 4 maps with detailed explanations on...
Lucky Boy Sunday Bon Bon Blue Doll
$120.00Lucky Boy Sunday Bon Bon Blue the loveable doll plush. He has a splendid blue and cream knitted design, Bon Bon was carefully hand crafted by Bolivian knitters. Complete with a...
Little People, Big Dreams Book Ada Lovelace
$15.99Meet Ada Lovelace, the British mathematician, and daughter of poet Lord Byron. Part of the beloved Little People, BIG DREAMS series, this inspiring and informative little biography follows the colorful...
Little People, Big Dreams Book Agatha Christie
$15.99When Agatha was young, she read books every night, but always had her own idea for how they should end! As an adult, her crime novels, with their twists and...
Little People, Big Dreams Book Albert Einstein
$15.99In this book from the critically acclaimed, multimillion-copy bestselling Little People, BIG DREAMS series, discover the life of Albert Einstein, the legendary scientist. Little Albert grew up in Germany,...
Little People, Big Dreams Book Alexander von Humboldt
$15.99In this book from the critically acclaimed, multimillion-copy bestselling Little People, BIG DREAMS series, discover the life of Alexander von Humboldt, the botanist, and adventurer.As a kid, Alexander wasn’t a...
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.