Play Time
Ooly Chunkies Paint Sticks Variety Pack 24...
$32.0024 colors and no mess! Little artists love painting, but while parents love the pictures, they don’t always love the mess. With easy to grip Chunkies Paint Sticks, kids have...
Hape Chunky Puzzle Alphabet Educational Toy
$28.00A, B, C, D! Learning the alphabet is great fun! Can you learn the letters right through to Z? This colorful puzzle provides children with an introduction to capital letters...
Hape Chunky Puzzle Math Educational Toy
$28.00One, two, three! Counting is great fun! But can you count all the way up to 20? This colorful puzzle provides children with their first introduction to numbers and includes...
Janod Chunky Puzzle The Farm
$24.00A cow, rabbit and even a horse... there are animals a plenty to discover on the farm! This adorable chunky wooden puzzle will help children learn to recognize the different...
Olli Ella Circus Tent Basket
$69.00Bring the magic of the big top into your home with this Woven Rattan Circus Tent Basket – a whimsical storage solution that doubles as a charming play space. Whether...
Candylab Citron Macaron Van Toy Car
$20.00Oh la la! Get ready for the cutest addition to the toy collection - the Candylab Macaron Van. This handcrafted beech wood toy is perfect for little pastry chefs in...
Tender Leaf Toys Citrus Fractions
$28.00Teach 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...
Cuddle + Kind Claire the Koala
$80.00 – $100.00I live in a beautiful treehouse perched high in the sky. Won’t you come to visit me? We can go on adventures in the magical treetops, take long, delicious naps,...
Cuddle + Kind Claire the Koala Mint
$80.00 – $100.00I live in a beautiful treehouse perched high in the sky. Won’t you come to visit me? We can go on adventures in the magical treetops, take long, delicious naps,...
Manhattan Toy Classic Baby Beads
$22.00Keep baby stimulated and occupied with Classic Baby Beads. The wood beads are strung together with an elastic cord and can be manipulated into an endless number of configurations making...
Manhattan Toy Classic Baby Beads Natural
$22.00Manhattan Toys Classic Baby Beads go natural. The wood beads are strung together with an elastic cord and can be manipulated into an endless number of configurations making it a...
Magnatiles Classic Clear Colors 100 Pieces
$126.00Welcome to the big time. The Magna-Tiles Classic 100-Piece Set gives children next-level building opportunities with even more magnetic tiles in bright, vivid colors for their most incredible creations ever. Larger-than-life...
Rattan Classic Doll Pram
$230.00This Classic Doll Pram is beautifully woven by hand from natural rattan. Let your little one and their favorite doll or plush toy have a stroll and can also be a...
Brio Classic Figure Tain 8 Set
$80.00Brio’s Classic Figure Tain 8 Set is the perfect toy for your little conductor! This Set encourages creative play, as well as the use of both logic and imagination. Suitable...
Banwood Classic Helmet Stripes
$69.00Banwood children's bike helmet is a classic design! These helmets provide your children with the maximum protection and safety needed when joining you on the ride. Matte finish Suitable for...
Banwood Classic Pedal Bike
$399.00Your mini me cyclist is in for a ‘wheelie’ good time with the Banwood Classic.Inspired by vintage bicycles for adults and influenced by Scandinavian design, the Banwood Classic features a...
PlanToys Classic Tea Set
$46.00It's afternoon teatime! Pretend play is the perfect way to stimulate a child's imagination while also inviting them to practice their social and communication skills. Little ones improve their vocabulary...
Plantoys Classic Train
$36.00Choo, choo! The Classic Train is the ultimate addition to any rail set or transportation play scenario. Using the magnets, children can connect the trains for a more dynamic experience....
Le Toy Van Classic Wooden Toy Chest
$130.00This exquisitely hand-crafted wooden toy box is the perfect place for children to store their treasures and toy accessories. Keep the playroom or kids room tidy and stylish with this...
Plantoys Clatter Orchard
$28.00Using an alternating up and down motion with both hands, the Clatter colorful segments will create various click-clack sounds. Clatter Details: Age: 18 months+ Dimension: 2.36 x 12.6 inch Weight: 0.46 lbs...
Plantoys Clatter Toy
$30.00Clatter is a fun musical toy that makes a click-clack sound that changes with play and goes from a soft ripple to a clattering crescendo. Clatter Details: Age: 18 months+ To...
Moulin Roty Clay Rabbit Plush Toy
$50.00With its whiskered face and big, super soft ears, this adorable rabbit wearing clay dungarees is crying out to be cuddled! A little friend by day and a protective...
Magnatiles Clear Colors 32pc
$54.00Magna-Tiles® Clear Colors are translucent and brightly colored, like stained glass! Magna-Tiles® Clear Colors 32 Piece Set is the perfect starter set for any young Magna-Tect. All sets and styles...
Manhattan Toy Click Clack Ball Colorpop
$20.00The colorful Click Clack Ball features handles that click with every twist. Filled with tiny beads inside, this baby ball also rattles when shaken. Perfect for infant stimulation! Ages 0...
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.