Minimize toys, for your kids’ sake

The other day I read the statistic that the US has 3% of the world’s children and 40% of the world’s toys. 

At first I was surprised at how out of proportion this statistic was. But after a second though, and a second look around our home, I believed it. How many toys did our girls have? And how did they all get here?

I first decided to simplify our toy collection for my own sake. To promote peace in the house. And to avoid stressed out Mama moments because I was yet again picking up toys or, worse, accidentally stepping on them. 

Looking at a room overflowing with toys made my head spin. If it made me feel that way, then how was that environment affecting my girls?

While I knew toys were important for play, I couldn’t help but wonder about the way ours toys were managed. Could fewer toys promote more peaceful, deeper, and meaningful play? Could a manageable amount of toys facilitate my 5 year old’s role in caring for her own toys? 

The research, as it turns out, says yes. Absolutely, yes. 

Before diving into toy-minimization mode, I consulted the book “Simplicity Parenting” by Kim John Payne for guidance. In Payne’s book, I found an explanation – and a solution – for our situation. 

We have the best intentions for our children – we want to encourage play. And so we (or well-meaning family members or friends ) buy more toys and these “tools of play” accumulate.  If left unregulated, the toys soon take over.

This is detrimental not only to a child’s ability to play but also to their emerging world view. Too much stuff leads to too many choices, a sense of overwhelm, and reduced attention during play. A mountain of toys creates so many choices that children can learn to undervalue them all – always holding out for the next best thing and always wanting “more.” 

I wanted our home environment to foster an appreciation for what we have and an opportunity for creative, meaningful play.  That was enough motivation for me to take toy simplification seriously.  

And I have taken it seriously – for our girls’ sake and my own. We now have two, 12 gallon plastic totes that hold our toys. We used to have enough toys to fill 10 of those containers. The 2 containers of toys stay in our storage unit, while about one fourth of the toy collection stays in our home. We rotate new toys from storage into our home every couple weeks, while toys that have become less played with return to storage. 

This system has taken time to put in place and is working for now. My goal is to keep it flexible and simple. I’m continuing to experiment with our optimal number of toys in our home as I observe our daughters’ play.

 
So far, my observations have been positive. I’ve seen play become is more imaginative and toys that are more cared for. Toys are picked up each evening and all have their own “home.” I still help with clean up sometimes if needed, but it only takes us 5 minutes tops. 

Our daughters love it when we rotate toys and get so excited about seeing old toys again. And I get excited about not having to step on or over toys that were strewn around the house but not actually played with. 

The sense of calm and creativity in the home has increased. And I have peace knowing that our girls are learning to value their things and not just looking to accumulate more. Minimizing toys had been a win-win for our family. 

What’s holding you back from experimenting with fewer toys in the home? It might be just what your family is needing.