What are the benefits of simplifying kid’s toys, especially when it seems like kids get them from everywhere? Keeping toys at a minimum helps your child play with the toys they have for longer, it also helps with the clutter at home, and keeping toys that allow kids to create something is truly how they play with them the longest. It allows them to use their minds. They would much rather build something then be handed something already built.
Our son Silas is so good at designing and making things. This is a toy that he made all on his own with cardboard, wood, and glue. He truly loves to just make cool stuff. He also loves to help his Daddy when he is working on house projects. This allows him to feel truly needed, and creative.
Scarcity Breeds Creativity
There are studies from Germany and other places that talk about how scarcity breeds creativity not abundance. This is so true, because once we simplified our kids toys they played with their toys more. They suddenly had a clean space to play, and their toys were not overwhelming them.
Another study was done where they took all of the toys away from kids in a classroom, and the kids played with random objects. They had more fun, and had more imaginative play with the random items than they toys they had before. They played better with each other, and created more things.
One example of this for us has been if we go somewhere like the beach, and do not bring any toys, the kids inevitably start running around playing together. They are using their imaginations, and making up games to play. They share better, and are less likely to argue.
Kids love Household Objects or Things Outside
I have found that even my youngest son who is 19 months old barely plays with the toys he has been given. He plays with the kitchen pantry items, or wooden spoons, or random water bottles more than toys. In a video I recently watched someone put a toy in front of their baby, and a basic house hold item. The baby chose the house hold item every time. That is pretty much how every kid I have seen reacts.
We took our baby outside to play yesterday with his toy bunny, he ended up ignoring his bunny the whole time. He just wanted to play with a rock that he had found. This is just one example of the many experiences I have had over the years of my children choosing things that are not toys to play with. He was so content with that rock for a long time.
Toys are Kids Introduction to Materialism
Someone I follow on instagram @spaceforsimplicity said recently, ” Toys are the possessions that clutter up kids’ rooms and lives. Toys are their introduction into consumerism and materialism.” This is so true. I think that if we don’t want to be practicing consumerism and materialism then we need to teach our children to minimize their toys as well. Teaching our kids the discipline of having fewer more simple toys, also teaches them the value in having fewer possessions as adults as well.
When we had tons of toys in our house, all over the place, they did not want to play with them. They also were so overwhelmed with picking them up. Now that we have minimized their toys to a small amount, they can clean them up in a few minutes. They now want to play more.
The fewer and more simple the toys my kids have access to the more grateful they become. As adults if we practice gratitude, and being thankful when it comes to our stuff we are usually more content. The same is true of children. If they are able to see the true value in toys, and not have so many of them they are often grateful for what they do get. It has taken several years for our children to learn this over time. They are now so excited, and grateful when they do receive even the simplest of toys.
What Do Our Kids Have?
Our 19 Month Old
He has a basket full of toys, a basket of books, and a couple wooden toys that you can put balls, and cars in. He also has a horse that he rides on, it lights up and makes sounds. We do not buy toys that make noises or sounds anymore, but it was a gift.
The reason for this is that kids often get overstimulated very easily, and we want to only have toys that force them to use their mind. Researchers have also found that these types of toys lower the quality, and quantity of language compared to other toys. Also, our house is usually full of noise, and so anything we can do to minimize that is great. So noisy toys that light up are the first things we declutter, not to mention they are annoying.;)
Our 12 year Old
Our oldest son who is 12 has gotten to the point where he has outgrown a lot of toys. He will still play with legos, or action figures, or animals with his siblings. He has a very small amount of toys, because he is more interested in other things. His main interest is in bugs which he finds outside, but he has some acrylics that have real bugs in them as well.
Our 10 year Old
Our 10 year old daughter has some stuffed animals, and a couple American Girl dolls that she has had since she was little. She no longer plays with most of these, but she wanted to give her children her dolls. Also, she has a few fidget toys that have become popular in her age group. She has guinea pigs that she takes care of on her own, and this has been so fun for her. This is so much better than any toy. Having animals to take care of has also given her more responsibility.
Our 6 year Old
Our 6 year old has the most toys out of all the kids. He is at the age where he is attached to toys more, and feels as though he needs them all. He has a lot of legos, cars, and a few stuffed animals. I will say that we try to keep the container method in place for him. This means that we have a container for his toys, and if they do not fit in the container then he has to declutter some. This helps him to just prioritize which toys to keep.
Books
All of the kids also have books that they keep in baskets. We try to not have a huge amount of books, because that can also be overwhelming, but they have a decent amount. We try to encourage reading, because it is super healthy for them, and their creativity.
Outside Toys
The kids also have outside toys, which we prefer because it gives them exercise, and then they get outdoors more. We have a trampoline, which we got about 5 or so years ago. It was the best thing we have bought them actually. They have used it more than anything else.
Our Kids also have scooters which they enjoy riding around on, and buckets that they use to catch things like bugs. We have a blow up pool every summer where the kids can swim, and keep cool. This has been super fun, and the spend hours swimming.
I would highly recommend having open ended toys that can be used for all kinds of imaginative play, and not just one use. This helps a toy have many different uses, and example would be blocks. Animals can also be great open ended toys, cars, or balls.
Screen Time
We have had issues with screen time in the past, and are trying to improve it. Slowly reducing the time as we go. Our kids’ current screen time rule is: they can play on screens or watch something from when they get up until 9 am, then they can watch something from 6pm to bedtime. This gives them the entire middle of the day when it is nicer out to play, and enjoy the outside. They often do go outside, when not allowed to be on screens.
During school days of course they have an early start to the day, and so the morning screen time is eliminated. I have really enjoyed implementing this. Not only is is so much better for them based on tons of studies you can look up. It is also so much more peaceful during the day. There is not a constant buzz of noise in the background.
Outside Time
I have talked about before the importance of kids being outside. It is important for adults as well, but we try to encourage this as much as we can. We try to do activities outdoors such as hiking, swimming, walks, trampoline time, scooters, going to the park with friends, camping, going to the lake, hunting for bugs, climbing trees, and making fires.
The Benefits of Simplifying Kids Toys
Children do not need any toys I would say based on the research. With the experience we have had with our 4 children having a very little amount of toys has been so beneficial. They are so much happier when they are spending time with you, and outdoors. They really do figure out things to do all on their own, when allowed to have free play.
As parents it is our job to teach our children to value people, and our relationships with people more than things. Above all of this, God should be more important than things. I truly believe that if God is first in your relationship, and with your kids then it makes the value of material things diminish. This is all truly the reason for simplifying in the first place.
Proverbs 22:6
Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.
Here is the link to a great book that will offer you more information on this topic: https://amzn.to/3Kc4D59
https://biblehub.com/proverbs/22-6.htm
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