San Francisco, CA - (Sept. 30, 2011) - "Dr. Toy's Best Picks Children’s Products 2011" awards announced today is now available to parents, teachers and others in the online magazine, Dr. Toy's Guide, at http://www.drtoy.com.

“Dr. Toy’s Best Picks Children's Products” Awards Program 2011 was developed by noted play and child development authority, Stevanne Auerbach, Ph.D. (a.k.a. Dr. Toy) as a service to consumers who desire to purchase safe, affordable, educationally oriented, stimulating new toys and products for children.

"As a childhood specialist for over 40 years," says Dr. Toy, Director of the Institute for Childhood Resources, founded in San Francisco in 1975, "I have seen the continuous, essential need for more year-round resources for consumers to identify and choose the most appropriate, safe and engaging learning and developmental products for all children."

Dr. Toy reports that in the years the innovative on-line magazine, Dr.Toy’s Guide has been available “thousands of visitors daily from around the world have easily accessed information.” The site was the first on-line resource to evaluate toys and children’s products.

The report, “Dr. Toy’s 100 Best Picks Children’s Products for 2011”, is being released according to Dr. Toy to “encourage parents and teachers to focus on the value of play as essential to the learning process.” She adds, “Smart play products selected from many excellent companies across the U.S.A., Canada and other countries provide children with exciting new developmentally appropriate tools to help them do better in school, and also provide more constructive activities after school.”

Dr. Auerbach believes “parents and grandparents need help to gain a head start locating new, diversified products that children will enjoy while increasing skills, enhance instruction, and expand imagination.” The products balanced among large and small companies, range from low to high tech for “hours of active, creative, educational, and stimulating fun.”

“Children learn best through play,” says Dr. Auerbach, “and these smart new toys and products encourage children to maximize their potentials.”

“This is a good time to ‘take stock’ and do an inventory of what your child is playing with, what is not used and what they need next in their development.” adds Dr. Toy.” Dr. Toy’s Guide offers excellent ideas for choosing new products for use in learning, after school play and the holidays ahead.”

“Dr. Toy's Best Picks” were carefully chosen as worthy of attention from among thousands that she has reviewed at toy fairs, catalogs, and through many other sources, and by using extensive criteria she has developed over many years. Among the criteria used are: safety, age-appropriateness, design, durability, lasting play value, cultural and ethnic diversity, good transition from home to school, educational value, learning skills, creativity, improvement in the understanding of the community and the world, good value for price, and, naturally, fun.

Complete information about these smart toys and products are included in the full report www.drtoy.com).

Dr. Toy selects products that include Toys, Active Products, Audio/Visuals-Video Tapes/CDs/DVDs, Creative Products, Educational Products, Games, Socially Responsible Products, CD-ROM's/High Tech Products, culturally relevant, green toys and more.

Winning products are manufactured by new, small and large companies from around the world including: B. by Battat, b. dazzle, Blue Orange Games, Corolle Dolls, Educational Insights, Fashion Angels, Gamewright, Hasbro/Playskool, International Playthings, Leap Frog, Learning Materials Workshop, Learning Resources, Little Tikes/MGA Entertainment, Peaceable Kingdom, Pressman Toys, Spin Master, Think Fun, Wham-O, Yoshiritsu and many others.

Dr. Toy's annual report includes company customer service numbers, web site URL, age range, price, and full description of each product and more. The award-winning, on-line magazine, Dr. Toy’s Guide, features full color photos of each product, links to companies to learn more, interviews with and articles by Dr. Toy, plus hundreds of currently available Best Vacation and Best Green products. At this time over 4,500 products are included plus links direct to companies, toy stores online, toy history, “Ask Dr. Toy” feature, parent resources and much more.

Dr. Auerbach is the only Ph.D. evaluating toys and children’s products with extensive training, background and over 40 years of experience evaluating, writing and speaking about toys and children’s products. Dr. Auerbach is trained in education, child psychology, child development, and special education. She is a parent educator, consultant, parent and grandparent.

Obtain an easy access free copy of "Dr. Toy's Best Picks Children's Products 2011" at www.drtoy.com Dr. Toys Guide.

Additional Points:

• Dr. Toy’s Guide provides many useful sites and resources on play, toys and parenting.
• Dr. Toy presents newest products to parents and teachers around the world. Dr. Toy throughout the year writes, speaks and shares insights about the importance of learning through her book, Smart Play/Smart Toys. All toys are donated to the US Marines Toys for Tots, and presents product and guidance information at selected events and on line on www.drtoy.com and on other sites.
• Dr. Toy is the author of Dr. Toy's Smart Play/Smart Toys to provide useful tools to parents to enhance their child's P.Q (Play Quotient). The book, published in China, Croatia, Germany, Greece, India, Indonesia, Israel, Korea, Russia, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey and the USA will soon be available in Egypt.
• Interviews with and about Dr. Toy have appeared in newspapers, magazines, radio and TV across the country, in Canada, Germany, Japan, Spain and around the world.

Interviews regarding the book and/or the smart toys and products can be arranged with
Greg Walsh, 203- 292-6280, Greg@walshpr.com.

Full information on products on www.drtoy.com.

Alphabetical Listing of Award Winning Companies

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