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Dr. Toy's Best Products List - Summer 2007

Welcome to the second portion of the 2007 collection . . .

Dr. Toy’s Best Products: Summer 2007

Play Safe this Summer / Play for Real©

Dr. Toy warns that too much TV, computer, and video game use dulls the brain, diminishes creativity, degrades physical agility and health.

Dr Toy’s Rx for Summer: Balance

Check out Dr. Toy's Vacation Playtime Pointers

Summertime provides a perfect opportunity to unwind, stretch mind and muscles, explore new places, and enjoy a change of pace. This is an important season for children to continue learning, as they play with all their energy.

Children work hard in school and need balanced playtime for healthy development…activity for physical growth, creativity for expanding imagination, and learning to keep minds alert. School requires concentration and energy, so does playtime.

Through play, the work of children, they learn essential skills in every season, but especially so in the summertime. Summertime is best spent away from too much TV and focus on electronics. Time to use the child’s “circuits” for creativity, activity and learning.

A good portion of time should be spent outdoors in age-appropriate play. Outdoor activities can take the form of skating, jump rope, bike riding, swimming, hiking, nature walks, pretend and adventure play, ball throwing, tennis, golf, basketball, and other varied activities that allow for the development of physical skills and the coordination of minds and bodies.

Exercise is more important than ever before. Varied outdoor playtime is important for all children every day. Being safe and having fun outdoors give an essential balance that complements everything else they’re doing.

Indoor play can involve creative arts like painting, on a flat surface or with large sheets of paper on an easel, or making simple things, like cut-ups or cut-out stickers like Colorform sets and paper dolls, or engaging in a favorite hobby. Many creative activities can be easily combined with listening to music for added value.

Building projects are always fun and an extension of creative play. Consider some of the construction products suggested below, such as Kapla or Mega Blocks. Other excellent product choices are included to assist you as you select playthings for a very productive and fun-filled summer vacation.

Playing helps to support children’s outlook, imagination, and expand interests. They thrive if given a chance to develop stories with puppets and dolls, learn to make things, figure out new puzzles such as “Scramble Squares,” discover the fun of reading different books, playing games, or constructing something new.

A diverse list of suggested products is included here and on drtoy.com to assist you in finding just the right products. Children have plenty of questions; they want to have conversations; and, most of all, they want to play, discover, and explore to their fullest potential.

Here are Dr. Toy’s guidelines for wholesome summer vacation playtime to help you to make the time even more balanced and fun for your child:

• Locate a good variety of challenging products appropriate for age and interests.
• Arrange toys and playthings so they are easy to access and easy to store away.
• Create a variety of interesting and enjoyable activities.
• Be sure to create a good mix of indoor and outdoor play.
• Remind the children that they should drink plenty of water during the summer time to avoid dehydration.
• Children need rest, healthy snacks, safety awareness, instruction, and safe play. For example, children who cannot swim should not use floating devices in the water as these can slip away. Better to learn to float and swim.
• Children should play with age appropriate products and proper supervision to avoid accidents.
• Learning to prepare a simple recipe is practical fun for children including making sandwiches, scrambled eggs, or simple, healthy snacks.
• Encourage children to learn how to make something useful like a craft project, or to learn to assemble a puzzle.
• Express your admiration for each accomplishment. Children thrive when their talents are recognized and nurtured.
• Gather an assortment of creative projects and various materials in a storage box along with easy-to-follow directions. Arrange an assortment of paper, glue, safety scissors, and magazines to easily cut pictures for collage and scrapbooks in an accessible box. Take time to do creative and fun projects with your child.
• Projects that involve planting, making, or learning things have extra value.
• Plenty of great play ideas and products are available for all ages, interests, and skills.

The product assortment gives you a number of good suggestions available from many excellent companies.

Let's Play!