Aspirational toys | Imamother

amother

Sun, Nov 01 2020, 11:49 am

We have a lot of aspirational toys; toys that I want my kids to play with, but they dont seem to enjoy. The most common would be puzzles, clics...I think they are great for the mind, however, my kids dont generally enjoy playing with them. I don't have lots of room and they have sufficient toys without them.

Whats your opinion? Keep or donate?

amother

Sun, Nov 01 2020, 11:55 am

Rappel wrote:

Donate, or put away in storage. Children seem to play best when there are just a few, well organized toys.

(If you put them away, then you can cycle them in, a new one each week, to keep things interesting.)

Right now I don't really have much storage space either.

I want them to strengthen their fine motor skills and problem solving skills. Am I the only one? I am an educator at heart.

amother

Cerise

Sun, Nov 01 2020, 11:58 am

Did you sit down and show your kids how to play with these toys? Or did you have other kids who enjoy the toys come and play and show your kids how to play with them? Somtimes that's all that's needed to get your kids into playing with a toy.

If yes and their still not interested -

How old are your kids? Some toys have a wide range of ages that enjoy it so if it's a toy that it's possible they'll "get into" even if they aren't now, it may pay to save it.

Also do you have younger kids? Just bec the older ones don't like it, doesn't mean the younger ones won't when they get up to it.

If you don't have alot of space though, even if the above applies I'd only save if it's a more expensive toy and I have nothing else similar to it. Size also makes a difference - something big, if you don't have alot of space you should be quicker to give up, then something smaller.

(A side note - if you do give away clicks, live in NY and are looking for someone to give it to, my kids would love to have them, they've been asking for that toy for awhile)

Edta - I get what it feels like because I don't have a ton of space and have to get rid of stuff to somtimes and find it really hard. But the truth is once I get passed that and get rid of stuff I hardly ever miss it and enjoy the space I now have. The few time I had to rebuy things I got rid of, I found it worth it to spend on that one thing in exchange for all the extra room I had by getting rid of stuff.

amother

Brown

Sun, Nov 01 2020, 12:11 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Right now I don't really have much storage space either.

I want them to strengthen their fine motor skills and problem solving skills. Am I the only one? I am an educator at heart.

I’m the opposite. I encourage whatever play they’re interested in. Imaginary play is big in my house and though not my thing I know is great for creativity and interpersonal skills.

amother

Aubergine

Sun, Nov 01 2020, 12:14 pm

Im definitely sympathetic to this issue. I buy open ended toys that are recommendes by physical and occupational therapists/montessori educators/'play' specialists. I follow blogs and Facebook groups and email blasts. I don't have any battery operated toys in my house. And all my kids want to do is coloring books with crayons. They'll spend maybe an afternoon with one of the aspirational toys and then ignore it.
No good answer, because I haven't run out of space yet. But I've stopped buying these toys because it's so frustrating.

zaq

Sun, Nov 01 2020, 1:04 pm

amother [ Ivory ] wrote:

if they're not interested, whats the point. Its in the category of clutter, then

This. Just because some experts with strings of letters after their names decided that this toy or that gizmo is 'educational' doesn't mean your kid is going to like it. And play should be...well...PLAY. It's supposed to be fun. Would you appreciate going on vacation with a group leader who tried to stuff your ears full of 'inspiring insights and educational experiences' when what you really wanted to do was soak up some rays, replenish your wardrobe, gawk at celebrities, see the countryside, or whatever else it is you do to relax?

amother

Sun, Nov 01 2020, 1:13 pm

zaq wrote:

I actually would LOL

amother

Sun, Nov 01 2020, 1:18 pm

amother [ Aubergine ] wrote:

Since it seems you have done your research what is your opinion on puzzles? (According to comments here I will keep the clics)

pause

Sun, Nov 01 2020, 1:23 pm

Our clics came with many step by step instructions on how to construct various objects, such as car, airplane, house. My kids love to follow them and create these "professional"-looking items. If you don't have them, maybe you can print out some from online?

Once they got the hang of it, they began creating their own stuff, like jails and shuls and guns and crowns and castles and and...

zaq

Sun, Nov 01 2020, 1:35 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

I actually would LOL

But evidently your children wouldn't. Give up a little of your schoolteacher obsession with control and let your children play the way THEY want to, not the way YOU want them to. If a plaything is a dud for your kids, give it away to someone who will appreciate it. Surely you have some 'aspirational clutter' of your own--maybe those dumbbells that you were going to use to tone your arms, the bag full of scraps for the patchwork quilt you will never make, the CD of conversational Swahili you gave up on after the second lesson, or the six-volume set of Gibbons' Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire that you haven't yet cracked open?

Acknowledge that sometimes a given plaything is just not bashert for your kids and give it away.

amother

Sun, Nov 01 2020, 1:45 pm

zaq wrote:

I have a huge dictionary that I keep on thinking to get rid of. It is the size of an encyclopedia Smile

zaq

Sun, Nov 01 2020, 3:54 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

I have a huge dictionary that I keep on thinking to get rid of. It is the size of an encyclopedia Smile

I had the Random House Unabridged--it weighed about 15 lbs. I have no recollection what I did with it--probably passed it along to a niece or nephew-- but I got rid of it around the time that my ds started acquiring gemaras. I had no intention of moving to a bigger place just to accommodate our possessions (to accommodate added people, yes; possessions, no) so something had to give. I kept the modestly-sized Webster's, which I still use when I'm not at a computer. I do miss the foreign-language sections of the Random House, but a handful of paperback foreign-language dictionaries takes up less space, and is way easier to handle, than that tome. It would have made a dandy riser for my laptop, but several slimmer volumes are ergonomically sounder than one boat anchor.

ra_mom

Sun, Nov 01 2020, 4:47 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Right now I don't really have much storage space either.

I want them to strengthen their fine motor skills and problem solving skills. Am I the only one? I am an educator at heart.

Some kids won't play with these things. Maybe because they have low fine motor skills and it's work and not play for them. Find things that they like that can also strengthen them. Maybe they enjoy cutting and pasting better. Punching and rolling dough. Etc. Don't let the toys sit there if they bother you each time you look at them.

Last edited by ra_mom on Sun, Nov 01 2020, 6:34 pm; edited 1 time in total

avrahamama

Sun, Nov 01 2020, 5:08 pm

ra_mom wrote:

Some kids wong play with these things. Maybe because they have low fine motor skills and it's work and not play for them. Find things that they like that can also strengthen them. Maybe they enjoy cutting and pasting better. Punching and rolling dough. Etc. Don't let the toys sit there if they bother you each time you look at them.

This and also I hate puzzles. if we lose just one piece I get annoyed and toss it. So I just don't buy puzzles.and they don't ask for them.

Every toy has the opportunity to help a child grow and develop in different ways.

zaq

Sun, Nov 01 2020, 6:33 pm

avrahamama wrote:

Including things the toy companies don't want you to consider toys at all--like cardboard boxes, paper, string, and other household objects. A child's imagination is the best toy there is.