Dr. Toy's Smart Play: How to Raise a Child with a High PQ

by Stevanne Auerbach, Heather Jackson, Dr. Toy

We've all heard of IQ but do you know your child's PQ or Play Quotient?

A child's ability to play does more than provide for fund and diversion; it is critical for his or her emotion and intellectual growth, an teaches everything from social skills to analytical thinking. For the developing mind of a child, learning to play is paramount--but is your child getting the most out of playtime?
Stevanne Auerbach, Ph.D., more affectionately known as Dr. Toy has dedicated a lifetime to the importance of play and gives you specific advice on which toys to buy and what kind of games to play to emplower your child's overall development. You'll

How to become your child's play Tutor
How play can strengthen maturity levels and confidence
The pros, cons, and facts of gender specific toys
Guideance for the gifted and special-needs child

Plus practical advice on
Evaluatin a toy's safety, learn which toy manufacturers Dr. Toy recommends
Craft supplies you should always have on hand
Dr Toy's 100 Best Children's Products
And many more invaluable ways to make playtime a growing experience!

Genres: Parenting

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Dr Toy was a Teacher, Administrator with the federal government, and Founder/Director of the San Francisco International Toy Museum before focusing on the evaluation of toys and children’s products from around the world. Stevanne has written proposals, and books for parents and professionals covering subjects: counseling, parenting (The Whole Child) child care (Child Care a Comprehensive Guide-4 volumes, Confronting the Child Care Crisis and Choosing Childcare) toys and play (The Toy Chest. Toys for a Lifetime and Smart Play Smart Toys) a children’s book (The Alphabet Tree), first novel and screenplay (The Contest, a collection of poetry (Petals) and many hundreds of articles for newspapers and magazines. She writes a weekly column for The Huffington Post as Dr Toy. She was a long-time member of ASJA, the Author's Guild, and other organizations in play and toys.

Reviews

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this one cover to cover a few years ago. I recently checked it out from the library again and re-read the section for the 5-8 year old child. I was updating my 4 year old son's wish list and I wanted to be sure I had not forgotten anything important.

This book not only gives comprehensive lists of the the types of toys children need at different stages but also gives their developmental milestones.

I wouldn't mind having this book on my reference shelf.

[L Jung · Rating 5 out of 5]

Useful for parents, babysitters, teachers, and anyone who is about to buy gifts for babies/toddlers/children. Although really, books are the best gifts.. nothing's better than the gift of literacy. Don't know what books to buy for the kiddos? Ask librarians and those who teach that age group.

[Anna Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books to give to new parents!

[J Edelstein · Rating 1 out of 5]

Absolute rubbish! As an educator with over 40 years of experience, I'm am always looking for good books about childhood development and other related topics that can enhance my own view. Sadly, as is the case with this waste-of-time read, I find there are many people who write books but have no background to substantiate their work. Stevanne Auerbach is one such "writer". Anyone can crank out a collection of words, even my computer. But that doesn't make a writer or a thinker. I've perused other books by this same author, all of which are mediocre, mediocre, mediocre at the very best. Sad but true. I wouldn't waste my time on this one.

[Carla S. · Rating 1 out of 5]

The big problem with books is that their covers often sell great ideas but often don't deliver on that promise. Stevanne Auerbach's Smart Play/Smart Toys is just that: a lot of promise without any originality or core. I kept reading it hoping something original would reveal itself. But it was just a lot of junk pieced together as a book. A total disappointment and waste of my time.

[Penny Steinberg · Rating 1 out of 5]

One of or perhaps even THE worst book I've read on this subject, ever. I just read the other reviews on here also. I was mortified to read that the author believes homeless people are like feces. This is a new low! Garbage!!!!

[Lynne · Rating 1 out of 5]

Nothing special. Too bad no one hired a proper professional editor.

[Manal · Rating 4 out of 5]

لم يفاجئني الكتاب بالقدر الكافي من المعلومات التي كنت اطمح لها .. ربما بسبب تخصصي وعملي لسنين طويلة مع الاطفال .
لكن بالرغم من ذلك فأنا ارشحه لكل ام واب كمرجع لهم في كل مايخص اللعب وطرق اختيار اللعبة الجيدة من السيئة والامنة من الخطرة بالاضافةالي قوائم للالعاب المناسبة لكل عمر زمني وغيرها

ولكن الاهم .. ان الكتاب يساعد الوالدين او اي اشخاص قائمين على خدمة الاطفال على احترام دور اللعب في حياة الاطفال وتفهمه

[Alicia]

awesome activities...

[Mercy Rubenstein · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sadly, reading this book was painful at best: similar to swallowing gravel. It's repetitive, rambling and very cliched. Worse yet is that Stevanne Auerbach reviews her own book on here, which has to be a violation of the rules if not the height of arrogance. All of this, of course, portends what is on display here with this sub-standard read. I want my money (and the time I wasted reading this) back.

[Kayla Connell · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was hoping for something more but got a smattering of this and a smattering of that. Stevanne Auerbach has some fancy names for a lot of same-old-same-old that is tired and regurgitated theory that has been debunked a long time ago by several reputable sources. It's disappointing when so much of the stuff out there, like this book, is nicely packaged old information that is mediocre at best. But that's what Smart Play/Smart Toys is, sadly. It's equally deceptive when the author packages this information under the title of Ph.D., leading the reader to think that this is profoundly expert information when it's not. Nothing here to bother with if you are looking for ground-breaking or new information. Just sort of so-so, blah.

[Phyllis Marquesi · Rating 1 out of 5]

Was originally very excited to read this book. However it didn't deliver on the hype or promised info. Wanting to understand the disconnected logic, I Googled the author and found an article about an interview where she compares homeless people to feces! (https://tinyurl.com/y9otppzt or just google "dr. toy homeless" in quotes to find). It confirmed my suspicion that this book isn't worthy of any serious parent's attention. It's hard for me to take anything by this author seriously after reading that comment by the author, which echoes the current US President's policies of separation and discrimination. I tossed it into the recycle bin, once again having learned the lesson about the cover of the book vs the content of the book. Being a parent is serious business.