Play Time
Olli Ella Piki Picnic Basket Natural
$45.00Be it for a picnic, a pack of your little one's favorite crayons, a keeper of shells collected on the beach, the Olli Ella Piki Baskets will be a firm favorite of...
Olli Ella Piki Picnic Basket Straw
$45.00Be it for a picnic, a pack of your little one's favorite crayons, a keeper of shells collected on the beach, the Olli Ella Piki Baskets will be a firm favorite of...
Candylab Pink Cruiser Toy Car
$30.00The only pink Americana™ Vehicle! Built for work but mostly play. It’s all about cruisin’, catching waves, and turning heads with that popping paint job. Because when you drive a...
Candylab Pink Sedan Toy Car
$12.00Part of the Candylab new Candycar line, a cute 3 inches long. One of two of our racers, who said speed comes with size? Materials: Solid Beech Wood, water-based paint, and...
Tonies Pinocchio and Other Classic Stories A...
$19.99The littlest tall tale-teller of all time. Five timeless classics adapted for little listeners. These masterpieces have inspired generations of young minds -- and continue to do so today....
Candylab Pioneer Classic Toy Car
$40.00The iconic shape, wood sides, magnetic canoe on top, beefy new tires, everything screams adventure, camping, and good old times. Miniature learning tool on how to adventure properly. Materials: Solid Beech...
Plantoys Pirate Ship
$120.00Aye aye, Captain! Let's adventure across the sea with the PlanToys Pirate Ship! This playset comes with a variety of realistic features including a mast, sail, treasure chest, canon,...
Manhattan Toy Pirate Ship Floating Fill n Spill
$42.00A five-piece bath-time playset includes one neoprene floating pirate ship and four sea creatures. Quick-dry sea creatures include a shark, octopus, treasure chest, and squirt toy whale. Encourages cause and...
Hape Pixel Piano
$66.00The Hape Dynamic Pixel Piano is an interactive toy that introduces children to the world of music through a blend of vibrant pixel art and engaging play modes. With its...
Le Toy Van Pizza and Toppings with Slice Cutter
$26.00Serve up a slice of fun with this delicious wooden pizza set.Little chefs will get busy decorating their very own pizza, complete with removable toppings plus a handy pizza cutter,...
Candylab Pizza Van Toy Car
$22.00Pepperoni, Hawaiian, or just plain cheese – the new Candylab Pizza Van is cooking up the best pies in the CANDYCAR® World. Wood fired from a wooden van, Enzo’s can’t be...
Phaidon Press Pizza! An Interactive Recipe Book
$22.95Cook pizza from scratch in this fully interactive recipe book that allows readers to mix the ingredients, knead the dough, spread the sauce, and more! Simple yet accurate recipe text takes...
Plantoys Planworld Car Set
$60.00Take a ride around the city with the New PlanWorld Cars! Designed using a unique combination of solid wood and PlanWood, this plays set includes 5 different vehicles: a grey...
Cybex Platinum Footmuff
$149.95 – $249.95The elegant Platinum Footmuff offers a soft fleece lining that keeps your child warm. The leatherette fabric and metal accent logo fit perfectly with the stylish design of our Platinum strollers and...
Brio Play and Learn Action Racer Toy
$42.00Action Racer is at the line and ready to go. Press one of the four direction buttons on the car’s dashboard and then buckle up for a chase as...
KidDoughs Play Dough Dinosaur Fossil Dig Play Kit
$26.00Excavate the fun and dough-scover dinosaurs with the Dino Fossil KidDough Play Kit! Includes: 8 oz Textured Gravel Grey (Cookies & Cream) KidDough with Fossil Charms Buried Inside, Dinosaur Bone...
Snuggle Me Organic Play Gym
$166.00The Snuggle Me® Play Gym is thoughtfully designed to nurture your baby’s early development while complementing your home with its soft, modern aesthetic. Made from 100% organic cotton, it...
Kidiway Play House Full Coverage Soft Pink
This playhouse is perfect for kids to let their imagination getaway. Everybody needs a little place to call their own, and this is the place that they can call "my...
Kidiway Play House Toy Full Coverage Storm Grey
This playhouse is perfect for kids to let their imagination getaway. Everybody needs a little place to call their own, and this is the place that they can call "my...
Kidiway Play House Toy Top Coverage Soft Pink
All children dream of having their own playhouse. A 100% cotton fabric covers the roof of the wooden playhouse. Children will let their imaginations run free as they transform it...
Comfycubs Play Mat Round 60 inches
$59.99This soft, cozy thick play mat for baby is a great addition to any room where your baby or toddler loves to play. Made from plush polyester, our playmat for...
BlaBla Play Pad Swan Dream Oatmeal
$68.00Perfect for tummy time! Grab it by the handles and bring a piece of home wherever you go. Foldable with handles. Contrasting front and back prints. Dimension 30 x 39...
Brio Play Table Set Large
$649.00This highly comprehensive Brio Play Table Set Large is a colorful plate, a railway system, and many elements. The train tables are characterized by their timeless design and high quality. ...
Beyond123 Playable Art Ball
$36.00Design your own artistic display with this ingenious take on the classic stress ball. This wooden ART Ball features twenty multi-color interconnected spheres that can be turned, twisted, and scrunched...
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.