The Dog Days of Summer describes the 40-day timeframe between July 3 and August 11, the height of the summer season when temperatures generally tend to be the hottest.
Some people (like this blog author!) are NOT built for the heat, and simply prefer to avoid indulging in outdoor activities when it’s sweltering hot outside. Of course, there’s another reason to consider keeping kids indoors during heatwaves, heat domes, wet bulb effects, and other heat-related weather: unseasonably high temps and direct UV rays from the sun can be a threat to your child’s health and safety without the proper precautions.
If your kiddos need an at-home Coolcation during these summer dog days (and beyond), check out this coolly curated collection of toys from across the spectrum at Melissa & Doug—pretend play, arts & crafts, outdoor, puzzles, and more—designed to help children “think cool” and stay cool when the summer dog days get to be too much for the great outdoors.
NOTE: You might notice some of these curated products have "Skills at Play" icons…learn more about our Skills at Play initiative, designed to help parents identify which skills our toys help promote through play. Check out all the Coolcation Fun under the sun from Melissa & Doug!
Developmental Toys
Inspire imaginative oceanside adventures through kinetic play with this sturdy wooden ramp tower and three Rollables: the friendly crab, silly shark, and awesome octopus with chime. Drop Rollables into the removable funnel, and watch them tumble down the wavy slide and out the whale’s mouth. The Rollables Ocean Slide is an engaging way to introduce infants and toddlers to cause & effect while encouraging development of important sensory, fine motor, and problem-solving skills.
Make baby’s tummy time extra special with this engaging, double-sided folding cloth triangle toy! Includes colorful sea creatures with developmentally appropriate features, like a crab with a peek-a-boo mirror and squeaker, sensory tabs and ribbons on the jellyfish, and an attached tuck-away fish that stores in a pocket! The Tummy Time Triangle helps baby stay engaged and strengthen muscles during tummy play. It’s a great addition to registries and makes a great gift for newborns through 6-month-olds for screen-free, hands-on interaction and skill-boosting play.
The Melissa & Doug Ocean Easy-Fold Play Gym with Quick-Close™ storage is thoughtfully designed to encourage babies from birth to 9 months old to play and learn through multiple stages and ages! Sturdy, wide wooden arches are pre-assembled for easy set-up and offer caregivers easy access to baby. Press the innovative Quick-Close™ button to unlock the frame and easily fold for storage or to take the play gym on the go! The included Play Guide illustrates the many ways the play gym supports the powerful role play has in brain development, physical well-being, and creating connections!
Pretend Play Toys
Wooden Cutting Fruit Play Food
Who wants a piece of fruit? This beautiful wooden fruit set is ready for playtime. The Melissa & Doug Cutting Fruit set includes a wooden knife and seven pieces of sliceable fruit that can be cut into a total of 17 pieces. The pieces are held together with self-stick tabs, so the food makes a fun and satisfying "crunch" sound when sliced. Kids can have hours of pretend play as they imagine cutting up a delicious fruit salad, or serving up other juicy treats. Helps kids practice fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination, and with so many pieces, it's a great way to introduce counting, and the concepts of part, whole, and fractions.
Thirst Quencher Drink Dispenser
Quench a thirst for pretend play with this wooden ice and drink dispenser! Kids can order four different kinds of “juices” (orange, apple, fruit punch, or grape) on a reusable menu card. Load the durable plastic ice cubes and drink insert into the dispenser, turn the dial and press the lever, and voilà! “Chilled drinks” drop into the cups! Encourages imaginative play and helps kids develop fine motor and sequencing skills.
Whip up delicious playtime smoothies with this pretend play blender! Use the wooden knife to slice and wooden fruits and vegetables, choose other healthful ingredients, like kale or protein powder, and pop them in the blender. Add a dash of pretend milk, spin the dial to blend, pour into a cup with lid and straw, and serve! There's a double-sided reusable menu card for taking orders, and cup inserts to add realistic color to smoothies. Any time is a good time for a smoothie! A great way for kids to learn about nutrition, colors, counting, and to build fine motor and social skills.
Scoop & Serve Ice Cream Counter
Kids can scoop up some cool treats with this all-inclusive, 28-piece pretend play ice cream counter! The sturdy wooden tabletop counter holds eight wooden scoops of different-flavored ice cream, six assorted toppings, two cones, a plastic cup, an ice cream scooper, a wooden spoon, tongs, reusable menu card, and six pretend dollar bills. The scooper fits into a hole on top of the scoops so little ones can easily lift, stack, and release. Take orders on the reusable menu card and serve up delicious fun!
Arts & Crafts Toys
Sticker WOW!™ Ice Cream Bundle
Let the adorable, collectible Frosty the Ice Cream stamp, stamp, stamp its way through 24 pages of fun-filled, treats-themed counting, matching, and search-and-find activities. The refillable sticker stamper comes pre-loaded with a sticker stack of 300 assorted stickers. Convenient on-the-go format with built-in sticker stamper storage makes Sticker WOW!™ a great mess-free travel activity. Promotes fine motor skills, encourages creative play, and it’s satisfying, fidget fun!
Pretend Play Toys/Puzzle Play
Take imagination on the go and create deliciously fun ice cream treats anywhere, any time! The durable cup with a handle and attached lid is chock full of wooden and fabric play food for making ice cream cones, ice cream sandwiches, and fun milkshakes. Kids 3+ will love placing their orders on the pop-button fidget lid, following the instructions on the activity card, and serving up “cool” treats! All the pieces store in the take-along cup, made to fit in the car seat, stroller, and vehicle cup holders, making Play to Go an innovative and easily portable travel toy for preschoolers.
Wooden Magnetic Ice Cream Puzzle & Play Set - 16 Pieces
Piece together a deliciously cool puzzle and pretend play fun with this innovative combination wooden puzzle and magnetic pretend play set! For puzzle play, match the pieces to pictures on the sturdy wooden puzzle board. For pretend play, lift and arrange pieces with the magnetic scooper to create ice cream treats! The Melissa & Doug Ice Cream Wooden Magnetic Puzzle Play Set is an engaging, hands-on, creative way to encourage imaginative play, sorting, counting, color recognition, and fine motor skills
Round the Shore Tracks Floor Puzzle – 48 Pieces
Piece together playtime with this circular puzzle with built-in tracks for wind-up vehicles (no batteries required)! The 48-piece oceanside-themed cardboard jigsaw floor puzzle can be put together as three separate rings or as one complete circle. Sing along as the bus goes round and round! This fun, educational puzzle and vehicle play set measures 27 inches in diameter when complete. When kids work on floor puzzles, they are fine-tuning their gross motor skills, improving their hand-eye coordination, and strengthening their problem-solving skills.
Pretend Play Toys
Fun at the Fair! Snow-Cone & Slushie Play Set
Turn any day into Fair Day! Create pretend play cool classic carnival treats with this sturdy wooden snow-cone and slushie stand. Designed to amuse, surprise, and challenge kids 3+ to keep them laughing and learning through play, this icy treat pretend play set is an engaging, hands-on way to introduce colors, storytelling, and early math skills, and to encourage fine motor skills.
Outdoor Toys
Camo's striped tail is the handle and the branch he clings to is the spout of this durable, molded plastic child-sized watering can. The clever Camo Chameleon encourages outdoor exploration and an interest in the natural world. Just add water and watch children and gardens blossom and grow!
Seaside Sidekicks Squirters Water Toys
These adorable sea creatures are ready to entertain your little one with squeezing and squirting fun! The set includes an octopus, a crab, a fish, and a turtle, and each one is sized right for little hands. These are great water toys for kids to bring to the beach, the wading pool, or to use during bath time. These water toys not only add a splash of fun to playtime, they can help kids recognize different ocean animals, and offer opportunities for pretend play.
For more cool toy-themed content from Melissa & Doug, click the links below:
Shop Melissa & Doug Pretend Play
Explore Melissa & Doug Living Playfully Blog
Learn More About Melissa & Doug Skills at Play
Shop Melissa & Doug Toys by Age
Ice Cream Pretend Play to Keep Kids Cool This Summer
