Play Time
Chronicle Books Finger Puppet Book Little Lion
$7.99With a plush finger puppet permanently attached to the book and peek-a-boo holes in every page, this charming board book is a fun way for parents and children to play...
Chronicle Books Finger Puppet Book Little Love Bug
$7.99Little Love Bug Finger Puppet Book is a sweet, entertaining board book with a finger puppet built right in. In this feel-good finger puppet book, a parent and their little...
Chronicle Books Finger Puppet Book Little Monkey
$7.99With a plush finger puppet permanently attached to the book and peek-a-boo holes in every page, this charming board book is a fun way for parents and children to play...
Chronicle Books Finger Puppet Book Little Moose
$7.99Tiny tots will enjoy going for a dip in a mountain lake with an adventurous calf in Little Moose. These simple, comforting stories feature a permanently attached plush finger puppet and...
Chronicle Books Finger Puppet Book Little Mouse
$6.99With a plush finger puppet permanently attached to the book and peek-a-boo holes in every page, this charming board book is a fun way for parents and children to play...
Chronicle Books Finger Puppet Book Little Penguin
$7.99With a plush finger puppet permanently attached to the book and peek-a-boo holes in every page, this charming board book is a fun way for parents and children to play...
Chronicle Books Finger Puppet Book Little Polar Bear
$7.99With a plush finger puppet permanently attached to the book and peek-a-boo holes in every page, this charming board book is a fun way for parents and children to play...
Chronicle Books Finger Puppet Book Little Puppy
$8.99With a plush finger puppet permanently attached to the book and peek-a-boo holes in every page, this charming board book is a fun way for parents and children to play...
Chronicle Books Finger Puppet Book Little Sea Turtle
$7.99With a plush finger puppet permanently attached to the book and peek-a-boo holes in every page, this charming board book is a fun way for parents and children to play...
Chronicle Books Finger Puppet Book Little Shark
$7.99With a plush finger puppet permanently attached to the book and peek-a-boo holes in every page, this charming board book is a fun way for parents and children to play...
Babalu Finger Puppet Fairy
$8.99This adorable finger puppet brings the much loved story to life. The puppet is beautifully designed with wooden head and bright fabric bodies and skilfully hand made to bring the...
Babalu Finger Puppet Wizard
$8.99This adorable finger puppet brings the much-loved story to life. The puppet is beautifully designed with wooden head and bright fabric bodies and skilfully hand made to bring the favorite...
Tender Leaf Toys Fire Engine
$74.00This bright fire engine has an unrolling hose and a natural wood extending arm to take the 4 firefighters to dizzying heights to fight fires or rescue a kitten! Includes...
Plantoys Fire Fighter Play Set
$60.00Firefighters are our everyday heroes! The Fire Fighter Play Set invites children to explore the daily duties of a real firefighter. Tackle nearby emergencies, reduce local pets, and discover what it's...
Magnatiles Fire Rescue 27 Piece Set
$42.00Embark on exciting firefighting missions with Fire Rescue! Send the fire chief car and figure into action at top speed with the Pullback Chassis. Enhance the action with realistic Fire Tiles to...
Magnatiles Fire Station 50 Piece Set
$84.00Step into action with the Fire Station Set! Create custom rescue vehicles with the all-new modular Fire Truck, complete with an extendable ladder to tackle towering blazes. Bring playtime to life with...
Plantoys Fire Station Toy
$150.00Get ready and prepare for an emergency! Kids will enjoy pretending to be firefighters and creating a story. Age: 3 years+ This set consists of a fire station with 15...
Hape Fire Truck
$34.00Make way! This geared-up wooden fire truck can put out any flame with an expandable ladder and one ready-for-action firefighter. Age: 3 years+ Size: L: 7.9, W: 4.6, H: 5.9 inch...
PlanToys Fire Truck
$118.00This product is designed to excite your child's imagination and story-building capability. The Fire Truck is equipped with a rotating and extendable ladder, a fire hose, and a fire extinguisher....
Candylab Fire Truck Toy Car
$30.00The Waterville Fire Department has been serving the neighborhood since 2022. This Big Rig features stunning red paint and a removable wooden ladder. Clear the streets when you hear this engine nearby,...
Baghera Fireman Speedster Ride On Toy Car
$210.00Baghera Ride On Speedster is ideal for budding little firefighters. It is built to last with a sturdy metal body, a metal bell, wooden ladders, and rubber tires. The car can...
Banwood First Go Kids Balance Bike Marest All...
$229.00Banwood x Marest First Go Balance Bike has been wrapped in a typical Marest print full of vibrant colors. The Vintage bike for kids is created to last and are...
Hape Fix-It Tool Box
$30.00Give your little tinker Hape’s Fix-It Tool Box and help them learn what each tool is to develop their building skills! Includes Nuts, bolts, hammers and more! Suitable for children...
Candylab Flamingo Wagon Toy Car
$15.00Grab your floaties, it’s time for a swim! The first wagons with squishy toppers, Duckie and Flamingo are all about kicking back and having some fun in the sun. Materials: Solid...
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.