Play Time
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...
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...
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...
Wee Gallery Wooden Stacker Panda
$28.00This sweet panda is ready to stack like this and stack like that! These Wood Stackers are designed to help the baby's hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, and imagination with the added...
Wee Gallery Wooden Stacker Bear
$28.00This sweet bear is ready to stack like this and stack like that! These Wood Stackers are designed to help the baby's hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, and imagination with the added...
Grimm's Authentic Grimm's Large Convertible C...
$28.00Grimm's Large Convertible Car and the two Rainbow Friends will become loyal companions of your child and over time inspire many adventures both big and small, going beyond the boundaries of...
Grimm's Authentic Grimm's Large Convertible C...
$28.00Grimm's Large Convertible Car and the two Rainbow Friends will become loyal companions of your child and over time inspire many adventures both big and small, going beyond the boundaries of...
PlanToys PlanToys Oval Xylophone Musical Toy
$30.00PlanToys Oval Xylophone 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 Oval Xylophone Details: Age: 12...
PlanToys PlanToys Dancing Alligator
$30.00PlanToys Dancing Alligator is a great push & pull toy for your active little one! When pulled along, the alligator moves his head and tail up and down making a click-clack...
PlanToys PlanToys Cooking Utensils
$30.00PlanToys Cooking Utensils is the perfect toy for fun pretend to play to encourage your little chef’s imagination and creativity! PlanToys Cooking Utensils Details: Suitable for infants 2 years+ Includes...
PlanToys PlanToys Concertina
$30.00PlanToys Concertina is the perfect toy to inspire your little ones' musical creativity! As it is squeezed in and out, different notes and pitches play. PlanToys Concertina Details: Age: 18...
Tegu Pocket Pouch Prism Magnetic Wooden Bl...
$30.00Tegu’s Pocket Pouch Prism is the perfect travel toy for your little builder to create any structure by magnetically connecting the colorful blocks, the ideal set for imaginative play! Dimensions:...
Tegu Original Pocket Pouch Magnetic Wooden...
$30.00Tegu’s Pocket Pouch Prism is the perfect travel toy for your little builder to create any structure by magnetically connecting the colorful blocks, the ideal set for imaginative play! Dimensions:...
Guidecraft Starter Triangle Fractions
$30.00Developing minds increase their understanding of numbers and one-to-one correspondence sorting the tactile fraction shapes of Starter Triangle Fractions. Colorful rubberwood shapes are in the quarter, third, half and whole...
PlanToys PlanToys Bunny Racing Car
$30.00Get in the racing car with this fast bunny! This vehicle comes with a vintage race car theme and features a turning wheel that gives the same movement as a...
PlanToys PlanToys Chicken Racing Car
$30.00Get in the racing car with this fast chicken! This vehicle comes with a vintage race car theme and features a turning wheel that gives the same movement as a...
Grimm's Authentic Grimm's Mini Rolling Wheel Toy
$30.00Mini rolling wheel with wooden beads and a bell inside. This colorful wheel inspires children to crawl and walk after it: the beads and the bell inside make a nice...
Bajo Wooden English Double Decker Bus
$30.00This wonderful English Double Decker gives your children double the fun and and lets them work their imagination twice as hard! This sweet English car has twice the windows to support...
Bajo Wooden Toy Car Camper with Surfboard
$30.00This camper with its little cute surfboard is ready to it the beach. For all those budding beach babes, this sweet little camper will bring hours of creative play, as...
Janod Wooden Pure Push Along Toy
$30.00A lovely push-toy in very soft and contemporary colors featuring cute animals to support children as they learn to walk. When rolled, the balls inside become animated and jingle as...
Janod Wooden Pull Along Hens and Chicks Toy
$30.00An adorable pull-along Hens and Chicks toy. A superb early-learning toy that will help develop your child's motor skills. This toy will motivate your child to develop his learning to walk from...
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...
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...
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...
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.