Play with Less Toys
I grew up in Romania during some hard times. The communist era is long gone (I was a 6th grader when the revolution that freed the country happened) but memories of that period are still vivid in my mind. Some sound so incredible like scenes from a movie, not my life. Despite all the difficulties, people were still trying to make the most of it and enjoy life. One of the happiest times of the year was Christmas. We would decorate the Christmas tree, mom would cook a delicious traditional meal, we would eat oranges (the only time you would find them in stores) and wait for Santa. Kids would only get one present and that was the only time, besides birthdays, when they received toys.
Years later, when I moved to the US and had my first baby, I was grateful he could benefit from playing with so many interesting and colorful toys, especially created to help him discover the world. In time, our house was invaded by his and soon, his little brother's toys and by the time my oldest turned two I knew I needed to start looking for toy alternatives.
I have been trying to limit my kids' toys but despite my efforts it still feels like too much and I dread the idea of our home turning into a children's museum because of the abundance of toys my boys own. Besides, once kids go to bed I dream of a toy-free house but putting all those toys back where they belong is the last thing I want to do.
I decided to put an end to toy domination and started a little experiment about four months ago. One evening, after kids went to bed, I gathered all their toys, except for the big ones and some games, and boxed them. The plan was to take out one box per day. First day was for the box labeled "Trucks, Big Cars and Trains" as the kids hadn't played with those in a while. I must say I was nervous. What will the boys say when they find all their toy bins empty? Nothing!!! They were so excited to discover their wheel toys that they couldn't care less about the rest. I was surprised to see how quickly the boys adapted to the new rule and didn't miss the rest of their toys. Since then I altered the rules to fit us better and now the kids are in charge of choosing what they want to play with and they can take out two boxes in case they each want to play with different toys.
This play with less toys experiment works well for our family and here are some of the benefits:
- Kids learn to be more organized with their toys. Toys are still scattered all over the house but once the play is over the boys know they have to put everything back in the box in order to get new toys.
- It helps them to take decisions because out the 10 boxes they only can have one and they are stuck with those toys for the entire day until they can choose a new box the next day.
- I learned which are their most favorite toys and which are the ones they can live without. A few boxes have never been requested in 4 months so I started giving them a second life with other kids.
- The boys are given more opportunities to share and experience collaborative play. One time my toddler chose small cars and my preschooler magnetic tiles. The oldest made a couple of garages out of his magnetic tiles and handed one to his brother in exchange for a car.
Kids don't need tons of toys to play with and just because we can get them many doesn't mean that we have to. A few toys is just enough. After all imagination is our kids' most powerful tool that will help them turn anything into the most amazing toys ever.
This post is part of a series hosted by Encourage Play. Go check it out and see why play is the best way for children to learn.
Great advice. Too many toys results in more "I'm Bored" comments than when we only put a few things out.
Thank you for linking this up at #made4kids! Our kids have way too many toys. I have always intended to rotate our kids' toys, but have never done a good job it.
Great post! Pinned and tweeted. You always bring the most amazing creations to our party. Thank you! I hope to see you again, this Monday at 7 pm. It wouldn’t be a party without you! Lou Lou Girls
Great plan! We have way too many toys and now that we've moved into a smaller house, we don't even have room for them all! I may have to try this! Thanks so much for sharing at Share The Wealth Sunday!
xoxo
Lisa
This is such a great idea! I need to do this with my kids because they do have way too many toys and my bedroom starts to look like a play room by the end of the day. Thank you so much for sharing and linking up with us over at the Welcome Home Wednesdays Link Party.
Children do seem to have far too many toys these days (including mine). I would really love to down size the toys in this house, just not sure how to go about it. This is inspiring to know it can work.
Thanks for linking #LetKidsbeKids (Sorry I'm late in reading, I was away for the weekend).
This is oh so true... and I'll be first to *shamedly* admit that my kid has too much.
This system of toy rotation is amazing. Guess benefits both the adults and the kids. I'm on a clutter reducing spree at home and guess this is just what that needs to be done!
FarZain
@http://colorsofourrainbow.blogspot.ae/
What a lovely post, and what wisdom you put into play from your own childhood memories.
I was raised during a time when, even in the U.S.! -- there weren't a lot of toys and stuff, and my parents were Depression era people who didn't overdo things. I remember lots of pretend time with a few toys, and definitely got a lot out of it. When our kids were young, we tried to limit the toys -- which is difficult because they're easy to find, cheap and used -- and were glad to see our own kids use their imaginations to push the toys they had to the limit.
Good article.
Oh the toys!! I have four kids and I can so relate! I have scaled down to the timeless pieces like blocks and the kitchen and train tracks. But then they have birthdays and my family buys them toys. aaaagghhh! Or they have their own money to spend and they want toys. I've learned it is an ongoing discipline. Love the benefits you listed.
Sounds like a great idea for your family! Thanks for sharing with us at the #HomeMattersParty link party.
Old toys seem like new when I took them out again!!!!
I love this! We limit what toys we keep out for our boys, and it really is amazing how content they are and how creative they get with just a few things. And it's much less stressful for everyone when there isn't a huge mess to clean up.
Less is more. I need to be a bit more organised when it comes to rotating toys!
That is such a great idea! Unfortunately, we have so many toys in our house, I think we'd need to dedicate one room just to storing all the toys between rotation. It's crazy how toys can completely take over an entire house if you're not careful! I don't think there's a single area of our house that is free of kid clutter. It's crazy, but once our kids are older and the baby/preschool toys can all go, I think our house is going to look ridiculously empty. I'm looking forward to that day.
I love rotating my children's toys! That's exactly how I find out what they no longer want to play with, and then I can give it away for someone else to enjoy. I've also started to focus on having experiences instead of getting toys as gifts - like going to a museum or bowling together as a family. We still struggle with too many toys, but I think we're getting better at it. Thanks for being part of the Play Matters Blog Hop!