Dr. Toy's Best Vacation Products Main - 2006

Dr. Toy warns too much TV dulls brain, creativity, reduces physical agility and health

Dr Toy’s RX for Summer is 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 electricity. Time to use 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 gives 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 fun cut-ups, cut-out sticker fun like Colorform sets, 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:

1. Locate a good variety of challenging products appropriate for age and interests.
2. Arrange toys and playthings so they are easy to access and easy to store away.
3. Create a variety of interesting and enjoyable activities.
4. Be sure to create a good mix of indoor and outdoor play.
5. Remind the children that they should drink plenty of water during the summer time to avoid dehydration.
6. 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.
7. Children should play with age appropriate products and proper supervision to avoid accidents.
8. Learning to prepare a simple recipe is practical fun for children including making sandwiches, scrambled eggs, or simple, healthy snacks.
9. Encourage children to learn how to make something useful like a craft project, or to learn to assemble a puzzle.
10. Express your admiration for each accomplishment. Children thrive when their talents are recognized and nurtured.
11. 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.
12. 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 that follows gives you a number of good suggestions available from many excellent companies.

These are among other recent Dr. Toy’s Award winners.

1. Puzzles are fun on travel to engage interest- Scramble Squares Puzzles. Age 3 and up. $8.95 b. dazzle 800-809-4242
2. Learning is easy with word games-Nerdy Wordy Crossword Game Ages 6 and up. $14.99 Creative, fast word game helps build spelling skills while kids have fun!. Briarpatch. 800-232-7427
3. Stretch communication with card games- Pooh Tales of Adventure Card Game Ages 3 to 8 $6.99- Card game your child will enjoy playing “what’s different?” and “what’s missing?”characters. Briarpatch. 800-232-7427
4. Learn about the world with interactive globe-GeoSafari Talking Globe Ages 8- 12 $79.99 Educational Insights 800-995-4436
5. Puppets are valuable tools for language and emotional development-HARBOR SEAL 3 and up $30 Puppet engaging with workable mouth for added reality, fun and language development. perfect for travel. Folkmanis 510-658-7677
6. Building is creative fun with blocks- KAPLA Barrel 200-piece Set Ages 3-12 $66 Excellent creative construction blocks of high-quality wood have lasting value. Young builders will delight at the endless possibilities. KAPLA Toys 912-944-6296
7. Learn more about grammar and newspapers Go to Press!™ A Grammar Game Ages 7 up $ 21.95 Excitement of big-city newspaper captured in game that reinforces grammar as players find and correct errors in headlines. Learning Resources 800-222-3909
8. Learn about the world with map and game- World Treasure Hunt™ Ages 4 up $36.95. This large map brings in whole world and gets children interested in world geography. Learning Resources 800-222-3909
9. Creative Learning through Magnetic Play Magnetix™ Jr. Starter Set, Ages 3 and up. $19.99 Fast building trend in construction brings magnetic play to preschoolers. new system builds imagination and enriches problem solving, confidence, early math and science skills. Mega Bloks 800-465-6342
10. Build, create and race set is construction challenge- Speed Rally ProBuilder® Summit Turbo Ages 6-12 $14.99- Challenging construction toy your experienced builder will enjoy. Your child has fun building, detailing and styling new race car. Mega Bloks 800-465-6342
11. Create and enjoy silly fun Creature Mix™ Ages 5-8 $12.99 Creative, easy to assemble product invites your child to use their imagination. MGA Entertainment 800-222-4685
12. Expand language and reading skills Storytime Collection ages 3-8 Price: $15.99 As your child turns pages of books they build early reading skills. MGA Entertainment 800-222-4685
13. Silly fun is a summertime learning activity-Silly Faces Ages 3 and up $9.98 Be first to build silly face as players spin to see the feature to add with easy-to-learn game that encourages giggles with simple rules with large formats, fun graphics and sturdy components. University Games, 800-471-0641
14. Learning comes in different forms Magic Cauldron Ages 5-8 $14.98 Math becomes magical in easy to learn and fun to play game of bubbling cauldrons, wacky ingredients,. Players pick ingredient card, look at sum on the back, guess solution matching addition or subtraction card and be first to fill up cauldron. University Games. 800-471-0641
15. Travel is relaxing with a Tangle Tangle Jr. Ages 3 and up. $1.99 For children (and adults) playing with this toy helps to unwind on trips in the car, plane or anytime. Stimulates your brain as it helps exercise and increase finger dexterity. Tangle Toys 888-829-3808
16. Excellent creative product Monkey Magnets Puzzle Box Ages 4-7 $12 6 different monkey magnet puzzle boxes filled with 6 transparent templates and 16 printed pictures.. Pamela Drake/Woodkins 800-966-3762

Let's Play!