However you slice it, the Cutting Food Box makes it fun -- and safe -- for kids to practice their culinary skills. Crafted of smoothly sanded and painted wood, the sectioned foods are linked by Velcro; when the dull wooden knife slices through, the sections come apart with a satisfying cutting sound. The set comes in a handy reusable wooden crate.

Made in China Cutting Food Box

Stage your own jam session with the Beginner Band Set. Up to six kids (and invited adults) can join in on the easy-to-play xylophone, two castanets, kazoo, harmonica, and jingle stick. The instruments are crafted of natural wood and finished with nontoxic colors and arrive in a reusable wooden crate.

Made in China Beginner Band Set

As your child enters the "do it myself!" stage, getting dressed and undressed can be a daily source of frustration. These six interactive puzzle pieces provide the hands-on experience needed to master the practical skills of lacing and tying, buttoning, snapping, buckling, and zipping.

Made in China Basic Skills Board

The large, smooth wooden peg on each of these three oversized, colorful pieces practically reaches out and says, grab me! to your baby's curious, developing hands. Matching pictures underneath make for easier placement and a sense of accomplishment every time. And because the pieces feature everyday objects from your child's world, they act as useful vocabulary builders.

Made in China Triangle Peg Puzzle

The large, smooth wooden peg on each of these three oversized, colorful pieces practically reaches out and says, grab me! to your baby's curious, developing hands. Matching pictures underneath make for easier placement and a sense of accomplishment every time. And because the pieces feature everyday objects from your child's world, they act as useful vocabulary builders.

Made in China Triangle Peg Puzzle

Your child will quickly learn to reach inside this see-through purse and retrieve the soft cell phone, coin pouch, key ring, and compact one by one. But that's only half the fun. Soon the time will come to stuff them all back in -- and start the whole process over again.

Made in China Purse Fill and Spill

No matter how you stack 'em, these blocks spell a good time. Each side presents a new word for sight-reading practice -- over 100 words in all. Your budding reader will soon learn that stringing together a red, yellow, green, and blue block forms a sentence, and that flipping even one block changes the meaning entirely.

Made in the USA Little Reader Blocks

Many an early childhood has been built upon a foundation of solid wooden blocks like these. Simple illustrations introduce letter sounds (E is for elephant, T is for train), and a plus, minus, and equal sign let you compose basic math equations.

Made in China Vintage ABC Blocks

Fitting each sea creature into place on this ocean-blue puzzle board will be your child's first step, but the real fun stems from the fact that each piece is studded with a shiny silver magnet. Watch him refine his dexterity and hand-eye coordination as he dangles the magnetic fishing line over the pieces, hoping to hook one on the line. When he aims just right, he'll catch one with a satisfying magnet-to-magnet click and the piece will lift right out.

Made in China Magnetic Fishing Game

If you want building blocks that will measure up to your child's super-sized imagination, you've got to think big. These oversized blocks have been popular for decades, and their possibilities have yet to be exhausted. They're the stuff of castles and forts, train tunnels and lemonade stands. And they're built to take a beating: Coated, crush-proof paperboard stands up to drooling and other routine forms of abuse -- even jumping on them won't make them cave.

Made in the USA 40-Piece Mixed Block Set