Play Time
Janod Sound Telephone Wood
$22.00A ringing telephone just like the grown-ups! Telephone with sounds made from beech wood. It comes with 7 soft plastic sound keys: home key, email, alarm, ring, camera, settings, and...
Wide-Eyed Edition Sounds of Nature: World of Forests Book
$22.99The Sounds of Nature series brings the natural world to life with the sounds of real animals recorded in the wild. Travel the world with the Sounds of Nature series –...
Tender Leaf Toys Spa Retreat Set
$40.00Pamper yourself and your friends with a full spa experience! A drawstring bag with a beautiful mermaid illustration holds all the accessories that you need for a spa retreat. Included...
Magnatiles Space 32-Piece Set
$52.00Interstellar imaginations are over the moon with the MAGNA-TILES® Space set! Blast off into cosmic creativity and discover new ways to play with the one-of-a-kind Space Shuttle that conveniently stores all pieces after play. Enjoy the thrills...
Crocodile Creek Space Explorer Puzzle
$26.00Blast off into fun with the Space Explorer 36-piece floor puzzle, featuring bold, colorful outer-space illustrations that young adventurers will love. Printed with soy-based inks on recycled cardboard, this large,...
Moulin Roty Spaceman Suit
$72.00Fine Souza costume depicting an astronaut in silver with blue and red details. The Souza astronaut suit comes with an attached hood as well as long sleeves and legs. The...
Phaidon Press Spaghetti!: An Interactive Recipe Book
$22.95Cook pasta from scratch inside this interactive recipe book – fry, simmer, boil, drain, grate and more! A simple but accurate recipe takes young readers through the steps of cooking...
Tonies Spanish Lullabies Audio Play Figurine
$19.99Enjoy this beautiful and soothing collection of traditional Spanish lullabies as you are gently lulled to sleep. Tonies Spanish Lullabies Audio Play Figurine Details: Age: 3 years+ Includes 15 Songs...
Tonies Spanish Playtime Songs Audio Play Fig...
$19.99It’s time to dance! These vibrant songs will get you up and moving as we hear some of the best traditional Spanish playtime songs! Tonies Spanish Playtime Songs Audio...
Great Pretenders Sparkle Wizard Cape and Hat
$39.00Bring the magic to life with the ultimate wizard costume set! The Merlin’s Beard! Magician Wizard Set features dazzling silver glitter-printed stars and moons on rich midnight blue velour—perfect for...
Playforever Speedy Le Mans Yellow Car
$50.00Mini Speedy Le Mans is a toy car in its simplest, most organic form. Taking its smooth, curved shape – a shape that conveys movement and fluidity even when parked...
Great Pretenders Spider Cape Set with Mask and Cuffs
$39.00A doubled, satin cape is perfect for scaling buildings and other heroic needs. Perfect for any arachnid-kid, this spider hero set includes a cape with a scalloped edge, mask with...
PlanToys Spinning Tops
$16.00The Spinning Tops set consists of 4 different tops and colors. Good for developing fine motor skills and bring fun time to you and your friends. Suitable from 3-99 years...
Itzy Ritzy Spiral Car Seat Activity Toy Pastel
$28.00Travel’s Abound! Endless adventures await with your babe’s new travel tagalong, the Spiral from the Bitzy Bespoke collection! Watch as your babe reaches for the dangling rings, smiles at their reflection...
Itzy Ritzy Spiral Car Seat Activity Toy Rainbow
$28.00Travel’s Abound! Endless adventures await with your babe’s new travel tagalong, the Itzy Bitzy Spiral from the Bitzy Bespoke collection! Watch as your babe reaches for the dangling rainbow rings,...
Saro Spiral Toy Cheetah
$46.00It's time to have fun with this spiral! Inseparable playmate that hides fun secrets to get the imagination going. You can roll it up in the crib, stroller or anywhere...
Saro Spiral Toy Crocodile
$46.00It's time to have fun with this spiral! Inseparable playmate that hides fun secrets to get the imagination going. You can roll it up in the crib, stroller or anywhere...
Madame Alexander Splash and Play Mermaid Princess Doll
$64.00The Splash and Play Mermaid Princess Doll will be your child's bestie at the beach or in the bath! Fully submersible, they float and drip-dry. This Mermaid Princess is dressed in a sea-themed swim...
Madame Alexander Splash and Play Seahorse Doll
$64.00The Splash and Play Seahorse Doll will be your child's bestie at the beach or in the bath! Fully submersible, they float and drip-dry. This soft and cuddly doll wears a striped seahorse...
Crazy Aaron's Sponge Putty - Thinking Putty Tin
$15.00Get ready to make a splash in your fidget routine! Inspired by the playful texture of the sea sponge, this unique bubbly Thinking Putty is as soothing as it is...
Le Toy Van Sports Cars Wooden Classic
$40.00This set features 7 beautifully crafted classic sports cars that are sure to ignite the imagination. Each car has been thoughtfully designed, with sturdy wooden wheels that are train track...
Phaidon Press Squares and Other Shape By Josef Albers
$12.95An introduction to shapes through the acclaimed art of Josef Albers the influential art of Josef Albers is used to teach shapes in this stylish read-aloud board book, which takes...
Guide craft Stackable Wooden Cylinder Steps
$50.00Stackable, colorful Cylinder Steps encourage fine motor and identification skills while exploring seriation and color gradients. Five rows of appealing, rubberwood cylinders in increasing size and transitioning colors are easy-to-grasp...
Tender Leaf Toys Stacking Coral Reefs
$50.00A wooden stacking under the sea rock with 18 wonderfully colored sea creatures including a shrimp, a squid, a crab, 2 eels, a sea urchin, a sea anemone, a starfish,...
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.