Play Time
PlanToys PlanToys Bread Set
$40.00Are you hosting a family brunch, or are you preparing for a picnic in the park? Bring the PlanToys Bread Set along with you to complete your meal! PlanToys Bread...
PlanToys PlanToys My First Phone Orchard
$16.00Get a call with the PlanToys My First Phone Orchard! A magnifier screen and a colorful beaded dial pad make a wonderful toy for interactive play and help to develop...
PlanToys PlanToys Cupcake Set
$40.00Decorate cupcakes and host a party with the PlanToys Cupcake Set! Complete with 2 cupcakes that can be removed from their PlanWood cups, whipped cream, a piping bag for icing,...
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...
Kiko+ & gg* Ofune Hinoki Wind-Up Boat
$30.00"Ofune", a wind-up boat made from Japanese hinoki wood. To set "Ofune" to sail, first wind the rotating knob. Then, place in the bath or small pool and watch...
Bajo Wooden Sheep Sorter
$58.00Little animal lovers will truly appreciate this beautiful and natural puzzle featuring chunky sheep. Age: 18 months+ Set of 7 playful sheep of varying sizes down to the smallest Dimension: 17...
Bajo Wooden Fire Engine with Hose
$30.00The Wooden Fire Engine is made of child-safe wood and has a jolly driver, moving ladder, spinning wooden hose, and a delightful jingling bell. Perfect for little hands, this toy encourages...
Bajo Wooden Dachshund Puppy White
$36.00This Dachshund wooden puppy is waiting to be your child's best friend and ready to play! Push these little pups along and you can watch their little tails wag...
PlanToys PlanToys Oval Xylophone Orchard
$30.00The PlanToys Oval Xylophone - Orchard Series 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...
PlanToys PlanToys Upper Case Alphabet
$50.00Develop your kid's language skills with this alphabet set! 26 Upper case letters and 5 vowels are included to encourage communication and language practice. The red color is used for...
PlanToys PlanToys Stacking Rocket Orchard
$26.00Build the rocket by stacking and matching the pieces, set the astronaut on the seat, and start the countdown 3..2..1, lift-off! Age: 18 months+ Dimension: 4.02 x 4.09 x 6.97 inch...
PlanToys PlanToys Assorted Vegetables Set
$30.00The set includes a cutting board, knife, and 5 sliceable veggies - tomato, mushroom, shallot, bell pepper, and cucumber. Tactile details offer realistic play. Age: 18 months+ Dimension: 7.48x5.31x1.22 inch Weight: 1.147...
Bajo Wooden Classic Fire Engine
$30.00This wonderful wooden firetruck has a little ladder that goes up and down with a cute bell that jingles when it drives. The vibrant red color will be sure to...
Tender Leaf Toys Citrus Fractions
$26.00Teach your little ones the concept of fractions using our juicy Citrus Fractions! Use the knife to cut the round fruits in halves, quarters, or fifths! The fractions are printed...
Bajo Wooden Formula 1 Racing Toy Car
$45.00These beautifully painted racing cars will bring any child joy and keep them well entertained. The vibrant paint will keep anyone's attention and the colorful rubber ring around the wheels...
PlanToys PlanToys Shape N Sort
$50.00PlanToys Shape and Sort helps to develop your child's hand-eye coordination, manipulation skills, and color recognition. They will love matching the shapes to the correct holes. The blocks are the...
Uncle Goose Uncle Goose ABC Blocks Classic with W...
$59.00This Michigan basswood wagon provides sturdy storage and transportation for 28 ABC blocks. Tote, sort, and store your blocks in this clever little wagon. Includes four full alphabets, colorful numbers,...
PlanToys PlanToys Sushi Set
$40.00Pretend to play as a sushi chef with the PlanToys Sushi Set! Complete with salmon roe made from PlanWood™, Tamago, shrimp with a rubber tail, tuna, and salmon – 2 sheets...
PlanToys PlanToys Bread Loaf Set
$40.00Roleplay as the owner of a bakery with the PlanToys Bread Loaf Set! Made from PlanWood™, a realistic loaf of bread can be cut with an included bread knife. Teach little...
PlanToys PlanToys Stand Mixer Set
$60.00Let’s bake something yummy with the Stand Mixer Set! Roleplay as a famous chef or homemaker while developing creative thinking and communication skills, fine motor skills, and hand-eye coordination. ...
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"
Kiko+ & gg* Tsumiki Building Blocks House
$110.00Tsumiki means "building block" in Japanese. This doll-house-shaped wooden block set has beautifully soft colors. A magnetic cover conceals a magical world of shapes just waiting to be piled up,...
Haba Haba Coburg Building Blocks
$60.00Calling all master builders! Here is a chance to show what you can do as an architect. Block by block, a magnificent city arises. There are no limits on your...
Haba Haba Bad Rodach Building Blocks
$46.00Haba Bad Rodach Building Blocks allow you to recreate the town with its characteristic skyline. The different turrets, roofs, and staircases allow young builders to vary their constructions. At the...
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.