Minimal toys | Imamother

Raisin

Tue, Oct 13 2020, 5:43 am

I've never heard that. I think there is a balance between minimilism and happy kids. I have a huge shelving unit with 20 of the medium sized trofast buckets for lego, clics, trains, etc16 of the tiny ones for crayons, markers, mentchies, toy animals etc. The rest of the shelves have board games which I am constantly paring down. Whatever doesn't fit gets tossed so if we get a new game or toy I figure out what my kids don't use. If it is something I don't want to get rid of I store it in the attic.

Rappel

Tue, Oct 13 2020, 6:44 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Not what am I missing in terms of toys. What am I missing in my ability to pair down my toys. How is it that ppl find their kids playing more with less toys. My kids are just the opposite

Minimalism is not about not having toys. It's about having enough toys to enjoy, and not so much that the children can't even focus on playing.

So what you're looking for is the sweet spot where everyone has interesting toys, the storage area you have for the toys is appropriate and inviting, and the quantity of toys doesn't overwhelm you.

So think about what you want to have in your toy closet, and why. Think about what will wear well, and will be very versatile (your example of Legos, menchies, and cars is a good one), and what will be most used. And then sort your toy closet from there.

lilies

Tue, Oct 13 2020, 9:31 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Most are out of reach up on shelves. The ones barely used are either away in boxes, in the shed or in back of the closet.

What would be criteria for eliminating a toy completely (besides for broken toys, cheap toys never used)

That's really a personal choice, between yourself and your family style.
I prefer only having one building toy, 2 board games, some card games, mentchies and cars. That's all I can fit in here. For me, it was about picking the ones they play with the most, even if other toys would be comparable, there just isn't space.
Because of the limited choices, the kids get very creative. Cards are used as roads, Lego is used as fortresses for hiding the better playable cards, stratego is used as bombs when playing with mentchies..

amother

Peach

Tue, Oct 13 2020, 9:38 am

lilies- are your kids out of the house all the day all year long? I keep my kids home in the summer, keep them home as toddlers.

we play games with them on a regular basis like it's not unusual for one or both of us to play a game with a kid even on a regular school night, I think I would become so bored...we are also particular about our board games, I would think using pieces for other purposes would be a recipe for losing pieces?

amother

Cyan

Tue, Oct 13 2020, 9:43 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

As much as I try to pair down my toys I find it not working. Contrary to all minimalists, the more toys my kids have the more they play. For example my daughter will play with a bucket of Legos and build a house and put in doll house toys, mentchies etc..the more toys, the more to spread around the family and for friends. What am I missing (besides for the neat home. Lol)

If you have the time/energy/will to clean up a mess on that scale, or live with it, then there is no problem and enjoy the piles and piles of toys.

I agree that kids like to mix things up and be creative - not just sit and play legos, then put away and only play blocks, then put away and only play cars....

Even when I had toys pared down and hyper organized my kids found ways to be mix things up and be creative that made me crazy. My girls would do things like take an empty box from an Amazon shipment and make it into a "clubhouse" and decorate it by gluing all of their jewelry to it. If my kids were only allowed to have legos out and no other toys, they'd just go raid my kitchen for other things to use. Kids are like that. Even my kids who went to Montessori and were trained to only have one thing out at a time.

But I still didn't give in and just allow everything to pile up at once because the reality is that I couldn't deal with it. If you can, your kids are lucky!

amother

Tue, Oct 13 2020, 10:39 am

amother [ Cyan ] wrote:

I love my kids too much Very Happy

But really, I want them to be happily occupied. It actually takes less energy to clean up than to entertain. I do have systems that help. Only one play at a time. So I don't let clics and magna tiles out at once. But I let them play with toys that enhance play (I.e. mentchies) Also I have a bucket with a few dolls and doll accessories. If they want more I get a few things down for them (I have about 30 doll clothes and 25 doll lotions, bottles, food, 10 dolls..If it was all out at once it would be a mess). Erev shabbos a few hours before shabbos all toys need to be away. Also I rather they play with toys than mess up my kitchen..

amother

Tue, Oct 13 2020, 10:39 am

amother [ Amethyst ] wrote:

I agree with you. My kids have A LOT of toys! And Baruch Hashem they play beautifully! When my first was a toddler, my mom said "Wow, what a pleasure to buy a toy for a kid who will actually PLAY with it!" They have cousins who don't have a lot of toys in their house because all they do with them is throw them around. We definitely have a whole bunch that don't really get played with very often, but it's worth it to me to keep it in the closet for those days when the kids are bored and I can't go out and I can pull out one they haven't seen in months and they'll play for the afternoon.

That was very helpful. Thanks!

groovy1224

Tue, Oct 13 2020, 10:54 am

I think when people refer to minimalist toys, they don't necessarily mean very few, because obviously- what can you do with 10 magnatiles? It just means paring it down to what your kids actually use and play with.
The toys I find easiest to declutter are the 'stand alone' toys that get used for a brief stint and then forgotten about- the bop its, the random fisher price/vtech toys that make 900 noises in English and Spanish, the flip slides..
But with open ended toys, the more the merrier really. Figures, train tracks, blocks, legos, play kitchen, dollhouses..these things have so many fun ways to play with them and appeal to both genders and many ages. So those are the items I rarely dispose of, unless they're broken.

lilies

Tue, Oct 13 2020, 12:55 pm

amother [ Peach ] wrote:

Yep and no toddler at the moment, and that's why I said it's really an individual personal decision. On a school night they'd play together or we'd all play monopoly or card games. We don't get bored as we do other things that don't classify as toys - painting, music, reading, and listening to stories..
What works for me won't work for someone else.