Big move means let’s get rid of it all.
Okay, that’s a little dramatic, but I definitely felt like it most days.
Toys especially.
They don’t bring me joy when I’m stepping on or having to pick them all up. Most days they got dumped out of their bins without really ever being played with. Put away, dump out, repeat.
Even after getting rid of about 40% of our toys, we found we still had boxes of them. And it was somehow decided along the way that we would keep a lot of them packed, since we’re renting and looking forward to moving again.
Here’s what we’re down to:
- a boxful of magna-tiles
- some small cars
- a kitchen set
- play cookies and a play pizza
- a few bags full of legos
- outdoor toys and bikes
Plus some books, crayons and paper, which I don’t tend to include in the toys.
That’s it.
I’m telling you, this is down from way too many race cars, monster trucks, puzzles, stuffed animals, two train tracks and trains, more and more blocks, play sets, sand toys, and a million little bits and pieces that don’t ever make a full set of anything.
The toys pretty much stay where we keep them – the magnatiles and some small cars in the boys’ rooms; the kitchen, play food, and more small toys in the living room; and the outdoor toys in the garage.
And here’s what I’m noticing.
It’s way easier to clean up.
Less toys that stay in one area means it’s a lot easier to put them away, whether it’s me or the boys.
The toys seem to be a lot more absorbing.
Instead of dumping out a bin full of toys, playing with something, getting distracted by something else, and eventually leaving the room entirely with a mess in their wake, the boys sit down and play with one toy or set of toys.
They actually stay focused for longer. Like 30 minutes to an hour longer.
They’re not even missing what we got rid of.
Maybe one toy has come up in the past few weeks, and that one was a birthday gift, because we were talking birthday parties.
Otherwise, they haven’t taken any notice of the missing toys. In fact, I’ve forgotten what many of them even were.
There is some sensitivity to the concept of giving things away.
Even though they don’t remember what we gave away, they know we did. My oldest keeps bringing up the fact that “we can’t give anything else away, or we won’t have ANY toys!”
Minimalism is hard to embrace for them. It’s something we’re still navigating.
They seem just as hungry for new things as ever.
I wish I could say their desire for new things has disappeared with their stuff. Nope. A hot topic in our house is what they’re getting for birthdays or holidays, even ones months away.
Again, minimalism isn’t quite embraced at this point. But they’re kids. New toys are big and exciting for them. We’re figuring out how to keep it at bay, but not stressing about it. In the day to day, they are really content with the toys they have.
Ultimately?
We’re not missing what we got rid of. The toys we do have provide plenty of entertainment, and there’s enough options without being too many. And I am enjoying not having to do the constant pick-up.
We still have to do the work of keeping them from going overboard about all the things they want, and we’re still talking through why it’s okay to have less. They aren’t as easily sold on that. But practically, they are happy with what they have, and I call that a win.
Okay, now it’s your turn.
How do you steer your kids away from materialism?
Photo 1 by Vanessa Bucceri on Unsplash
Photo 2 by Jason Leung on Unsplash
I can confirm that this is all true!! When we packed up to move, I slowly packed away the kids’ toys and IF they asked about something (which they rarely did, because like you said, they didn’t notice the toy was gone), I told them “it was getting ready for the new house.” In the weeks before our move, they were totally fine playing with 10% of the toys they originally owned!
Now that we’re in our new space, we have really organized “systems” (all trucks in one bin, all train tracks in another, etc.) and it helps them decide, what type of thing do I want to play with?
I’m alllll about not owning too many toys!
It seems so counterintuitive, because more is better, right?? Nope. There is such a thing as too much, and I can attest to it! 🙂 So amazing that they don’t even notice, right??