This 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...
The Bajo Brooklyn School Bus is a simple replica of the local yellow school bus, just the perfect way to get the little ones excited for school! The size of the car...
These Grimm's wooden building boards are the perfect complement to the 12-piece rainbows, tunnels, and semicircle. So many wonderful balancing and skill games, as well as new construction projects, can be created,...
Clear the way at the building site! This Bulldozer has a special handle so that children can direct it left or right. They can move, haul, lift, and pull. Bulldozer Details:...
Ready to get on the bus and go for a ride around town? The Lubu buses offer space for one driver and two passengers and come with three wooden figures....
This cute piece is built perfectly for tiny hands, it comes with a detachable horse carriage. Great for role-playing and hand coordination. The back part can be disassembled and the horse...
Indigo 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...
Let 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...
Discover the exciting world of forest animals! Your child will have fun putting the animals in the right place and playing with the pieces that stand up just like real figures...
Discover the exciting world of farm animals! Your child will have fun putting the animals in the right place and playing with the pieces that stand up just like real...
Discover the exciting world of zoo animals! Your child will have fun putting the animals in the right place and playing with the pieces that stand up just like real...
This 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...
This 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"
One of each animal in a display shelf. (Sea Turtle, Dolphin, Flying Fish, Seal, Puffin, Hermit Crab, Crab, Whale, Penguin, Seagull) Age range: 3 Years+ Product size: 14.25 x 2.95...
Every little mouse home needs the perfect place to gather — and this wooden coffee table is just right for the job! Designed to fit Maileg mice-sized sofas and furniture,...
Indigo 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...
The wooden rocket is ready to be launched! The Cosmic Rocket set has everything your child needs to explore the galaxy. Prepare to land on a new planet with space...
An educational staple, this counting set supplied with small wooden balls is a terrific tool for children to learn simple mathematics. All Qtoys are made with ethically sourced materials under...
These 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...
This 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...
One of each dinosaur in a display shelf. (Tyrannosaurus Rex, Velociraptor, Parasaurolophus, Triceratops, Pterodactyl, Stegosaurus, Ankylosaurus, Brachiosaurus) Age range: 3 Years+ Product size: 14.17 x 2.95 x 12.8” Weight: 2.82...
King 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...
The 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....
6 cute little solid wood eggs in an authentic egg carton. Age range: 3 Years And Older Product size: 6.10 x 4.53 x 3.35” Weight: 0.35 lbs
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.