Play Time
Grimm's Grimm's Rainbow Bridge
$60.00An open-ended and versatile toy, this Wooden Nesting Bridge set can be used as a stacking and nesting toy, or as bridges for toy cars and scenic play. Each set...
Grimm's Grimm's Rainbow Dwarfs Dolls
$66.00The dwarfs are perfect inhabitants for all buildings build from the building blocks and fit all of the vehicles. Dwarf is also a fantastic companion and talisman for everyone. Age:...
Grimm's Grimm's Small Stacking Boxes Set Loll...
$60.00This Set of Boxes is a versatile toy for children: they can stack and sort the boxes by size and color, build with them, use it as dollhouses or carports,...
Grimm's Grimm's Small Stepped Counting Blocks
$65.00An exciting way for children to discover the world of numbers and learn the color sequence of the rainbow! Through tactile touch, each number can be counted by feeling with...
Grimm's Grimm's Wooden Building Boards Natural
$62.00These Grimm's wooden building boards are the perfect complement to the 12-piece rainbows, tunnels, and semicircle. So many wonderful balancing and skill games, as well as new construction projects, can be created,...
Grimm's Grimm's Wooden Building Rings Pastel
$44.00These pastel building rings along with the small and large solid wooden balls by Grimm’s enable amazing building and stacking possibilities and much more! This is how fir tree forests...
Grimm's Grimm's Wooden Building Rings Rainbow
$44.00These rainbow building rings along with the small and large solid wooden balls by Grimm’s enable amazing building and stacking possibilities and much more! This is how fir tree forests...
Grimm's Grimm's Wooden Pull Along Elephant Blue
$68.00If children have learned to walk, they like to pull something behind them. The blue Elephant is a great companion! Materials: lime wood, non-toxic water based color stain. Authentic Grimm's...
Le Toy Van Groceries Set and Scanner
$70.00Time to hit the market! A world of imaginative play awaits with this enchanting wooden grocery set. This award winning toy is crafted from sustainable rubberwood and painted in lovely bright...
Gibbs Smith Publisher GSP The Nutcracker A BabyLit Dancing ...
$11.99About this product With this colorfully illustrated board book version of the classic Christmas-time ballet, Jennifer Adams and Alison Oliver present a new holiday favorite, The Nutcracker: A BabyLit® Dancing...
Plushies Gusto Gator Plush Toy
$32.00Grand Flopsies is an expanding category for the Flopsies series - still as adorable as other Flopsies, but in a brand new, bigger size! Gusto Gator is a silly alligator...
PlanToys Hair Dresser Set
$40.00Pretend to be a hairstylist with this hairdresser set! Includes scissors, hair dryer, comb, straightener, hair clipper, and a waist bag. Kids will enjoy creating hairstyles on themselves, family members,...
Tender Leaf Toys Hair Salon
$100.00For all hair types, colors and styles, this hair salon offers a full range of hair treatment and styling opportunities. Finished in gender-neutral colors, a tabletop swivel mirror with a...
Candylab Hamburger Van Toy Car
$22.00Order Up! We’ve got a #1 and a side of fries! This Patty’s Van is complete with a bun and all the fixings. This squishy bun topper is absolutely too cute...
Sweden Plush Hamilton Bear with Robe
$56.00Your ultimate companion for relaxation! This charming bedtime buddy is accompanied by a plush robe and matching slippers, making her the ideal partner for unwinding after a long day of...
Plantoys Hammer Balls
$60.00Hammer Balls is a toy specifically designed for your baby’s small hands. It can help develop hand-eye coordination, improve dexterity and build physical strength. Hammer Balls Details: Age: 12 months+ Features a...
Plantoys Handy Carpenter Set
$66.00Whether you're building, remodeling or repairing, the PlanToys Handy Carpenter Set has every tool you'll need for your project! Use the hand drill for installations, the hand saw for shaping...
Cuddle + Kind Hannah The Bunny
$80.00 – $100.00I’m always hopping from one big dream to another. There’s so much I want to accomplish in this beautiful world, and I know I can do it if I don’t...
Crocodile Creek Hanukkah Lights Puzzle
$26.0036-piece Hanukkah Lights Puzzle features a vibrant, whimsical holiday scene brought to life with bold, colorful illustrations. Made with sturdy recycled cardboard and soy-based inks, this large floor puzzle comes...
Maileg Happy Camper Tent, Mouse
$46.00Take your mice for a sleepover in the fold-up tent. The wooden sticks can hold the tent door up and give shelter from the rain. The outer fabric has a...
Tender Leaf Toys Happy Folk Hotel
$56.00Meet the 9 folks who reside at the happy hotel. Made from solid wood, colored with a soft water-based stain, they can represent anyone you know. These little people are...
Hape Happy Grand Piano Black
$250.00Happy Grand Piano is the perfect toy for your growing little musician! This music-maker lets your child practice scales, encouraging musical expression, creativity. Suitable for children 3 years+ Includes shape...
Cottage Door Press Happy Hanukkah, Little Dreidel Finger...
$7.99Mazel tov! It’s time to spin the dreidel! Hebrew school is in session for little dreidels everywhere, and they’re hard at work learning all the game rules and practicing their...
Hape Happy Harp Musical Toy
$60.00Play a favorite tune on this sturdy strummer sized for small hands and big voices. Includes playing and tuning tips and 5 songs plus a blank page to write your...
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.