Why Your Kids Are Better Off With Fewer Toys

Dec 11, 2018 by apost team

Children are imaginative explorers and love to learn about the world around them. Toys and games serve a much larger purpose in a child's life than sole entertainment. They can be amazing tools for your child to grow and interact with the world in new and exciting ways.

As a wise parent, you can adopt a less is more strategy that reduces the clutter of too many toys that accumulate in many children's bedrooms.

Reducing the amount of toys while still satisfying your children's playtime can:

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German health workers Strick and Schubert did an experiment where toys were removed from a children's schoolroom for a few months. The children, after moving past the initial boredom, began to create imaginative games with whatever they could find in the classroom.

Fewer toys help children focus more fully on what they have. Too many toys can overwhelm and decrease attention with too many options.

Children gain increased social skills. Having fewer toys helps children gain stronger interpersonal skills and better relationships with other children and adults. Studies have shown that better childhood friendships lead to more success in academics and socializing in adulthood for many children.

Kids value fewer toys instead of more. Having fewer, more meaningful toys teaches children to value and care for them more. A lot of toys makes it easier to break or show less concern for a toy's condition as there is always more to move on to. Decreasing the amount will develop a sense of value for possessions in your children.

Children engage in more creative pursuits such as painting, reading, singing and writing when they have fewer toys. This, in turn, cultivates a deeper love of beauty and communication within the world around them.

Children become more resourceful. Fewer toys mean kids rely on what they have on hand. This can lead to more resourceful approaches in all areas of their adult life. In school settings, answers aren't provided, but the tools to find those answers are. This principle can be applied to playtime as well with great benefit.

Children fight less when they have less. On the surface, this may seem to be the opposite of what you may think, but the reality all too often is that it actually creates more collaboration and sharing when there are fewer toys. More toys just mean there are more possessions to defend and become territorial with.

Having many toys and games means, if your children are challenged, they can simply abandon it in favor of easier ones. Fewer toys and games force children to work through problems. Patience and determination are fantastic qualities to carry into adulthood.

Fewer toys mean fewer reasons to be selfish. Having a ton of toys can lead to more selfish behavior in your children. This can lead to unhealthy lifestyles later on in life.

Playing outside has numerous benefits and is more likely to happen when your children don't have mountains of toys. Appreciation of nature and engagement in physical activity are among the benefits that stimulate healthier bodies and minds.

If kids are always looking to buy satisfaction in stores, they may find themselves to be less happy, always looking for the next possession that can be bought without finding long-lasting joy. It is a powerful choice for you as a parent to encourage children to find joy and happiness outside of material possessions.

Anyone with children knows what chaos and clutter ensue when you are faced with toys and games strewn about the house. Even worse--when they don't have a place to go. Your child having fewer toys means a tidier and cleaner home. When it comes down to it, who wouldn't want to have that?

The benefits are great when you adopt a "less is more" approach to your children and toys. What are ways you can think of to add to this list? Your opinions are welcome in the comments below. Pass this along to friends that would be interested in learning how to live in a more joyful, minimalist way.