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Do our children really need so many toys?
If your house is anything like mine, my kids have far too many toys. There are toys in every bedroom, and a lot of them have pieces or parts missing. We also have a ‘random’ box for all random toys and bits that we pick up, which are lying around during clean up times.
Once in awhile we have to haul out all the toy sets and repack the random pieces back into the right places. I am so often tempted to throw out all the extra toys, the ones that have missing bits, or the ones that are never played with.
Do our kids really need so many toys?
4 REASONS HAVING FEWER TOYS IS BETTER FOR YOUR CHILDREN
1. VALUE
If a child has a few treasured toys, they’re more likely to value them and treasure them. It won’t be as easy to discard them in light of a new toy-distraction. It’s better to have a few favored toys than masses of toys that a child will lose interest in quickly.
2. RESPECT
Learning to take care of a few toys first, is a great test run for children. If they show respect for the toys they do have, and show that they can be responsible in taking care of them, then that could lead to a few more toys being bought. Teaching children to respect the toys they do have is a valuable lesson.
3. FAMILIARITY
There’s beauty in the familiarity of a favorite toy – in returning to it often and building on concepts and designs and ideas each time your child plays with it. Having a few toys helps a child focus well and develop ideas as they play with their toys often, as opposed to touching on many toys infrequently.
4. MONETARY VALUE
When a child has a few toys, and wants another, it’s a good opportunity to take them to the store, pick a new toy and explain the value of that toy. Let him/her help count out the money to pay for it. Better yet, have the child earn it by doing chores or extra jobs around the home, or as a reward for a goal or good behaviour.
Alternatively, if your child does break a toy or refuse to take good care of it, you could work out a system where they need to replace the toy and pay for it. This will help them realise the practical monetary value of the toy, as opposed to a vague idea that it’s just something mom or dad will replace in a flash if broken or misused.
What do you think about the number of toys a child should? Do you think it’s good to have many different toys to be entertained by? Or fewer toys to really get into and develop well with? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
[…] Decreasing toy quantity decreases stress and increases attention span and care. It’s not some crazy parenting technique. It’s science. Too many choices make us less able to choose. Decision Fatigue is a real and growing problem. […]