Play Time
Hachette Book Happy Llamakkah
$8.99Celebrate Hanukkah with the Llama family in this joyful, rhyming picture book Follow along with the Llama family’s Hanukkah traditions as they light their menorah, spin the dreidel, fry...
Little People, Big Dreams Book Harriet Tubman
$15.99Little Harriet was born into slavery on a plantation in Maryland. Though life was hard, Harriet persisted. She used all of her strength and bravery to escape slavery and journey...
Abrams Book Hello in There!
$18.99Celebrate the wonder and excitement of waiting for a new sibling to arrive in this charming picture book from the bestselling creators of In My Heart A sister-to-be is so eager...
Abrams Book How to Talk to a Tiger And Other...
$24.99A quirky compendium of animal chatterboxes Ever wanted to talk to a tiger? Or chatter with a cheetah? Or yak with a yak? This book brings together a babble of...
Abrams Book I Am Ready for School!
$8.99Prepare your little one for their first day of preschool or kindergarten with this uplifting board book from the Empowerment series from Stephen Krensky and award-winning illustrator Sara Gillingham. I...
Jellycat Book If I were a Bunny Beige
$16.00Exciting If I were a Bear Bunny is colorful and sturdy enough for your child to grip by themselves, perfect for interactive play. Product Details: Suitable from birth. Features...
Jellycat Book If I were a Duckling
$16.00If I Were A Duckling lets little ones dabble in fun creative play. This colourful board book asks readers to ponder what kind of duckling they would be. With feely...
Jellycat Book If I were a Elephant
$16.00Exciting If I were an Elephant Book is colorful and sturdy enough for your child to grip by themselves, perfect for interactive play. Product Details: Suitable from birth. Features...
Jellycat Book If I were a Sloth
$15.00If I Were A Sloth is a beautiful board book in search of curious readers! Discover a world up high in the trees, with feely panels and fabulous pictures! Fluffy,...
Jellycat Book If I Were an Octopus
$16.00Exciting If I were an Octopus Book is colorful and sturdy enough for your child to grip by themselves, perfect for interactive play.Product Details: Suitable from birth. Features different soft...
Abrams Book In My Room (A Book of Creativity...
$16.95In her room, one little girl can be anything she wants to be and go anywhere she wishes to go, all with the power of her imagination (and paper, markers,...
Abrams Book In Your Cozy Bed
$9.99From Jo Witek and Christine Roussey, the team behind In My Heart and the Growing Hearts series comes this soothing bedtime board book, In Your Cozy Bed. Told from the point of view...
Abrams Book Incredible You
$17.99An inspiring picture book to help each child remember: you are unique and amazing! Ever had a bad day and wished that you were someone else? Perhaps a mountain...
Little People, Big Dreams Book Iris Apfel
$15.99In this book from the critically acclaimed, multimillion-copy best-selling Little People, BIG DREAMS series, discover the life of Iris Apfel, the vivacious (and accidental) fashion icon.Growing up in Queens, New...
Little People, Big Dreams Book Jane Goodall
$15.99When Jane was little, her father gave her a toy chimpanzee named Jubilee. This inspired her lifelong love of animals, and she went to study them in the wild as...
Little People, Big Dreams Book John Lennon
$15.99From the critically acclaimed Little People, BIG DREAMS series, discover the life of John Lennon, the boy from Liverpool who dreamed of peace. When John Lennon formed a band...
Abrams Book Kindness Rules (A Hello!Lucky)
$9.99Manners don’t come naturally to everyone! But did you know that elephants are known for their impeccable etiquette? It’s true! This hilarious guide to good manners offers many fun teaching...
Little People, Big Dreams Book King Charles
$15.99Discover the life of King Charles! Little Charles always knew that one day, he would have a big job to do. As the son of Queen Elizabeth II, he was a prince,...
Little People, Big Dreams Book Kylie Minogue
$15.99From the critically acclaimed, multimillion-copy bestselling Little People, BIG DREAMS series, discover the life of Kylie Minogue, the Australian princess of pop!Little Kylie grew up with her parents and her younger...
Little People, Big Dreams Book Lenny Henry
$15.99Published in partnership with Comic Relief, Lenny Henry tells the inspiring story of the talented British comedian determined to make the world laugh. Ever since he was small, Lenny Henry wanted to be...
Little People, Big Dreams Book Leo Messi
$15.99In this book from the highly acclaimed Little People, BIG DREAMS series, discover the incredible life of Leo Messi, one of the world's most skilled and celebrated footballers. Little People,...
Gibbs Smith Book Little Poet William Shakespeare:...
$11.99Introduce clever babies to classic poets with Gibbs Smith’s new Little Poet series. “I do love nothing in the world so well as you.” Little Poet William Shakespeare: I Love...
Abrams Book Love is a Ball
$13.99From the creators of Love Is a Tutu and Love Is a Truck, an ode to toy balls of all kinds A bouncy and bright ode to toy balls big and small—from...
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.