Play Time
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
$50.00It'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
$50.00It'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...
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,...
Tender Leaf Toys Stacking Forest
$48.00A wooden stacking tree trunk with 19 stylishly colored animals and plants including an owl, a bat, a wolf, a squirrel, a woodpecker, an acorn, a mummy pig with her...
Hape Stacking Music Set
$50.00Your little musician will create wonderful music and explore melody and rhythm with this Stacking Music Set by Hape! Children can stack differently sized blocks in any way they wish...
Plantoys Stacking Ring
$30.00Stacking Ring honors a tradition with this beautiful version of the classic stacking rings. This "old world" styled rendition reminds us that there is a virtue in simplicity. Stack the...
Fat Brain Toy Stacking SpinAgain
$40.00It's a stacking toy with a spin—literally!Drop the vibrant discs onto the threaded corkscrew pole and go ooooh as they spin fast and smooth to settle onto the reversible base....
Fat Brain Toy Stacking Suction Kupz
$26.00Stack, roll, stick, and sip! Each of these six colorful, squishy cups features a suction cup on the bottom, a suctioning brim at the top, plus endless creative-play possibilities all...
Fat Brain Toy Stacking Tobbles Neo
$36.00Toys Tobbles is the perfect toy for your creative & curious little one! Tobbles is multi-use a toy with limitless possibilities; this toy can stack, spin, wiggle, and more. Tobbles...
Plantoys Stand Mixer Set
$64.00Let’s bake something yummy with the Stand Mixer Set! Roleplay as a famous chef or homemaker while developing creative thinking and communication skills, fine motor skills, and hand-eye coordination. ...
Plushies Standing Acacia
$98.00Your favorite animals in plush form with a simultaneously realistic and cute design! With a golden brown body patterned with warm brown spots, standing ears, and a long neck. The...
Ooly Standing Sketchbook Cute Doodle World
$14.00About this product This standing sketchbook is perfect for showing off your artwork. When you're done, turn back to the cover to display the lively cover filled with cute doodles....
Abrams Star Wars Block: Over 100 Words Every...
$18.99Visit a galaxy far, far away with Star Wars Block and discover all the words every star warrior should know. Star Wars Block includes die-cut shapes on every spread and the bright, charming...
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.