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Toy Safety for Parents

What are "basic" toys?

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Rene Hackney
Parenting Playgroups
www.parentingplaygroups.com  
(703)922-0044

Originally a full-time preschool teacher, Dr. Rene Hackney now holds a Master?s in school psychology and a PhD. in developmental psychology from George Mason University. She trained at the Developmental Clinic at Children?s National Medical Center and for the public schools, teaching in parenting programs at each. She has also acted as a consultant to several area preschools.

For the last four years, Dr. Hackney has owned and lectured for Parenting Playgroups, Inc, a parenting resource center and preschool classroom in Alexandria Virginia. She has offered workshops to a wide

range of parent, teacher and social work groups during this time.

Workshop topics include eight hours on positive discipline techniques, five hours on early academic issues and common issues such as sibling rivalry and potty training. All workshops provide well researched lecture, in-class practice and open discussion time. Additionally she hosts a monthly parenting focused book club and fun play programs to introduce the preschool setting to young families.

Dr. Hackney is married and has two young children of her own.

What are "basic" toys?

In this video, parenting educator Dr. Rene Hackney addresses toy safety and guidelines for choosing toys well. This include chocking hazards, age guidelines and ride-ons. The benefits of ?true toys? are also discussed.

This expert: 375,193 views

This series: 21,611 views

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Host: What are basic toys?

Dr. Rene Hackney: Basic toys are toys that do less so children do more. Things like blocks and balls and cramps where the children are the active participants. As opposed to all these electronic gadgets and things that make noise and computer animated, those are not basic toys. The benefits of having basic toys is that children more actively participate, they also tend to use them in a wider verity of ways. A ball gets to be used playing all sorts of different games, as opposed to the computer game where the child just sits.

The benefit is that you get child who is active and participating, you get a child who is thinking and who is using their tools in more creative ways. You also may have longer shelf life of those toys. The set of blocks or balls, those kids make come back for years to those toys because they can grow with them.

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