Play Time
Abrams Book Super Pooper and Whizz Kid
$9.99Introducing two new potty pals kids and parents will adore, Super Pooper and Whizz Kid: Potty Power! is a humorous potty-training book with a hip sensibility and a playful take on...
Little People, Big Dreams Book Taylor Swift
$15.99Inspire kids with the glittering story of pop superstar Taylor Swift! This talented singer–songwriter started as a little country girl with a big dream to become a star. Little...
Little People, Big Dreams Book Tenzing Norgay
$15.99From the critically acclaimed, multimillion-copy bestselling Little People, BIG DREAMS series, discover the life of Tenzing Norgay, one of the first two people to reach the summit of Mount Everest in 1953....
Gibbs Smith Book The Life of La Vida de Pele
$10.00Known to the world as the greatest soccer player of all time, Pelé's career started at age 15. He soon helped the Brazilian national team to three world championships. Your...
Gibbs Smith Book Un Elefante: Numbers/Numeros
$10.00A Lil' Libros Bilingual Counting Book Inspired by one of the most beloved nursery rhymes in Latin America, “Un Elefante se Balanceaba,” is a traditional children's song in Spanish that...
Abrams Book Un Pajaro En Casa
$17.99Un Pajaro En Casa - Bird House Spanish Edition Inspired by an experience from her childhood, the story Blanca Gomez creates is seemingly simple, but emotionally and morally intense....
Little People, Big Dreams Book Usain Bolt
$15.99Discover the life of Usain Bolt. Growing up in a rural town in Jamaica, Usain was a standout cricketeer and sprinter from a young age. His speed was noticed by...
Abrams Book Vegetables in Pajamas
$7.99In this latest outing in the hilarious Vegetables in Underwear series, the vegetables go where they've never gone before—to bed! What’s the best part of getting ready for bed? Picking...
Little People, Big Dreams Book Vivienne Westwood
$15.99When Vivienne was a young woman, she wasn't sure how a working class girl from England could make a living in the art world. But after discovering her passion for...
Abrams Book When I Smile
$18.99From author Jo Witek and illustrator Christine Roussey, the bestselling creators of In My Heart, When I Smile is a picture book about all the things a smile can do. Part of the Growing...
Gibbs Smith Book Where is?/Dónde Está? El Chavo
$10.00Inspired by the internationally acclaimed sitcom "El Chavo Del Ocho," this book will introduce little ones to their first English and Spanish words as they explore La Vecindad in search of the...
Little People, Big Dreams Book Wilma Rudolph
$15.99Wilma was born into a family with 22 brothers and sisters, in the segregated South. She contracted polio in her early years and her doctors said she would never walk...
Abrams Book With My Daddy (A Book of Love an...
$18.99A little girl honors her dad and all the fun they have together in this sweet companion to In My Heart. The spunky heroine loves spending time with her dad....
Little People, Big Dreams Book Yoko Ono
$15.99Discover the inspiring true story of Yoko Ono, the artist. When Yoko was little, she had everything she could dream of in Japan, except time with her busy parents....
Abrams Book You Are Fantastic! (A Hello!Lucky)
$7.99From Hello!Lucky, the creators of My Mom Is Magical! and My Dad Is Amazing!, comes a joyful tribute to all the things that make YOU one of a kind! You are more lovable...
Little People, Big Dreams Book Zaha Hadid
$15.99Meet Zaha Hadid tells the inspiring true story of the visionary Iraqi-British architect.Zaha Hadid grew up in Baghdad, Iraq, surrounded by music. She was a curious and confident child, who...
Gibbs Smith Book Zoolympics
$10.00See who finished first, second, third, and more in the Zoolympics while learning both cardinal and ordinal numbers. This fun board book teaches toddlers both cardinal and ordinal numbers...
Trendy Tech Boombox Rainbow Bling
$88.00Listen to your favorite songs in style with this Rainbow Bling boombox! With LED speaker lights, this boombox is perfect for any occasion that calls for some fun music Led...
Tiny Harlow Bottled Milk and Juice Set
$12.00Feed your doll just like in the good old days! These Tiny Harlow Magic Bottles bring a sprinkle of nostalgia and tons of fun. Tip the bottle and watch the...
Rubbabu Bouncy Ball Toy Bubble Green
$10.00A soft, velvety ball that bounces well on floors and carpets. Made from foamed natural rubber it's squishy and safe for babies and toddlers. The tactile texture makes it fun...
Rubbabu Bouncy Ball Toy Naval Mine Orange
$10.00A soft, velvety ball that bounces well on floors and carpets. Made from foamed natural rubber it's squishy and safe for babies and toddlers. The tactile texture makes it fun...
Rubbabu Bouncy Ball Toy Small
$10.00A soft, easy-to-grip bouncy ball designed especially for little hands. Made from natural rubber foam with a smooth, velvety finish, this lightweight ball is safe, flexible, and fun for active...
Rubbabu Bouncy Ball Toy Torpedo Aqua
$10.00A soft, velvety ball that bounces well on floors and carpets. Made from foamed natural rubber it's squishy and safe for babies and toddlers. The tactile texture makes it fun...
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.