I have long suspected that kids do better with fewer toys. I vividly remember before I had kids, my friends’ son showing me his rock collection, organized in a wooden box with little dividers and just thinking – this kid really values what he’s playing with. I also really liked the idea of rotating a few toys so that it constantly feels new and keeps their interest once again. I just feel like toys become background noise so quickly especially if kids are saturated with them, in a way that nature and activities never will.
It makes sense right? If we teach kids (by our actions) that toys are dispensable they won’t care for them like they are invaluable. We just bought a new house that is bordered by a large community garden and this summer we are hoping that it becomes the kids’ main playground as they plant things, watch them grow, learn the names of different plants… it’s constantly new and changing, even if you can visibly see the growth happening. And eventually, edible things appear! I’m excited and I’m not even a kid. Hopefully they do more good than damage too. 
There are so many benefits to less toys and I think the article above has captured it well. We have an art table in the corner of our living room and our daughter has already been at it this morning (mind you, she was learning to wash the markers off the table she decided to color on after we talked about it!) but that table has so much room for sparking creativity in a way that toys don’t – especially toys with a specific narrow purpose rather than open-ended.
Here are the headers – the article goes on to explain each thought but I really thought these rang true and I’m excited to discover them along with the kids as the weather warms.
1. Kids learn to be more creative.
2. Kids develop longer attention spans.
3. Kids establish better social skills.
4. Kids learn to take greater care of things.
5. Kids develop a greater love for reading, writing, and art.
6. Kids become more resourceful.
7. Kids argue with each other less.
8. Kids learn perseverance.
9. Kids become less selfish.
10. Kids experience more of nature.
11. Kids learn to find satisfaction outside of the toy store.
12. Kids live in a cleaner, tidier home.
I am so excited about this idea – I look through all the headers and just think – this truly does represent my values. Our kids will probably answer the issues of their time differently and have different values but this represents the answers to the ones I really want to meet head-on. I think of the potential this could have on how my kids grow up and become adults in the world and I’m excited.
pear / 1565 posts
Love all the benefits you mentioned! Living next to a community garden sounds amazing too!
I think I feel much better about toys most baby/young toddler stage where everything seems to just be huge, loud and crazy. We def don’t have that much toys b/c of space constraints. We have 2 main play areas so I rotate the toys between the 2. Lately, with girls 4 and 2, I’ve concentrated on not buying toys that are like a one time use or only has one purpose. I do buy them a ton of stuff for arts and crafts and I mostly don’t mind buying lego’s, magnatiles, kinetic sand and playdoh stuff.
Your post is def motivating me to do another toy purge!
guest
It’s amazing how fewer toys seems to be so beneficial! We’re packing everything up in the hope to move soon, including about half of the toys so far, and my almost 3 year old kid doesn’t miss anything. He knows things are packed away and has helped me do so, but instead of asking to get them out again, he’s being more creative (for example I packed all his play food, so now so many other things are becoming “food”, rocks, baby toys, plastic eggs from Easter…). I love having less stuff around too. Maybe we won’t be unpacking some of it…
wonderful pea / 17279 posts
I so needed this blog post today.
LO has toys and if you ask me a lot of toys yet whenever I search for “best for…” lists I find so much more he could have. He gravitates to certain toys/toy category each time he plays. Recently, I had to put his action figures in time out (going on 3 days now) and he took out his usually little-played-with crayons and stamps instead. What I do like about the toys he plays with his creative spin for instance his action figures use his activity cube as a space ship. I resisted the urge to buy him a toy medical bag and he uses wood chips at the playground to give himself and me check ups.
All for fewer toys and toy rotation- even when everyone is behaving.
blogger / grapefruit / 4836 posts
Love this
We try to limit toys but they totally accumulate despite best efforts! We love toy rotation and keep almost everything put away, but even that gets overwhelming sometimes. My kids could literally survive with just our giant bin of legos and some baby dolls.
persimmon / 1467 posts
My kids could definitely live with just duplos and a few trucks. I recently let my 5 year old sell some old toys at a consignment sale. He used the money for more toys but in the end we still would up with less toys total.
pomelo / 5621 posts
I feel like we have so many toys! I told DS this morning that on the weekend we are going through all his toys and he can decide what he is selling in our garage sale.
He mostly plays with legos and not much else. We grow a big garden and he loves to help with that.
For DS2 first birthday I’m asking for only books. With hand me downs and new gifts he already has too much.
pear / 1718 posts
I love this post. I often have mom guilt because DD has so few toys. Don’t get me wrong, she has more than plenty. However, compared to my friends kids, she has 1/4 to 1/2 the toys. I refuse to buy things that are single purpose/don’t allow for significant creative play. I’m happy to invest in building toys (Duplos, Magnatiles, lincoln logs, etc.) Also, educational tools (counting bears, dry erase markers, letters, etc) and endless open-ended craft supplies.
She’s only 4 so hasn’t had any crazy requests foe hunks of loud plastic. We will certainly accommodate a token gift per holiday within reason once she asks.
pomelo / 5084 posts
Yes and no. I do agree with the theory but I watch my son, who has WAY too much, and he loves each and every toy! He plays with them all. He rotates them himself. He mixes different categories to make new games, and he really just enjoys them. So far we have not experienced the phenomenon of him ditching older toys for something new. He takes good care of and values everything – at least so far. I was the same way so maybe it’s just personality!
blogger / apricot / 275 posts
@wrkbrk: sounds like a cool kid
blogger / apricot / 275 posts
@SweetCaroline: open-ended toys are so great
blogger / cherry / 138 posts
This is great. Snowy has way too many toys and hardly plays with any of them. She loves those little surprise toys like LOLs and Hatchimals where the joy is really in the opening them.