Too Many Toys
Kids these days have so many toys. My sister told me her kids have so many toys that they don't know which ones to play with so they sometimes don't play with any of them. Too many toys can be especially overwhelming for a toddler. If kids who are a little bit older get overwhelmed with their toys, however, they may beg to watch a movie or play on the ipad instead, and we all know too much of that can make kids hooked or obsessed.
Perhaps parents get their kids so many toys because it's the first thing that comes to mind for birthday and Christmas gifts. But why not books instead? Or crafts? Or clothing? Maybe they start to build up too much clothing, too. So a better solution may be to give kids less gifts on birthdays and Christmas.
I think back to when I was a kid and I got lots of gifts each birthday. But I also remember how ungrateful I was and how I threw a fit one year because I didn't think a tent was a nice enough gift for my "main gift". I think if I had only received one or two gifts, I would have appreciated it a lot more. Giving kids gifts is fun and I can see how tempting it can be to spoil them, but there's a reason the phrase "spoiled brat" is so widely used.
I've also noticed that kids don't engage in as many imagination-stimulating activities as they used to either. When I was a kid, I would play outside with my friends and collect leaves and pretend to live in the wild and survive off the land. Studies have shown that pretend play is important to cognitive development in children. If children have less toys, they will likely be more inclined to play outside.
I'm not a parent, so it's possible my view will change when I become one. I speak from observation only. But I do think there is a lot of research to back up this idea of too many toys hindering a child's progress. I encourage any parent to carefully consider the amount of toys and the kind of toys they choose to give to their children.
Perhaps parents get their kids so many toys because it's the first thing that comes to mind for birthday and Christmas gifts. But why not books instead? Or crafts? Or clothing? Maybe they start to build up too much clothing, too. So a better solution may be to give kids less gifts on birthdays and Christmas.
I think back to when I was a kid and I got lots of gifts each birthday. But I also remember how ungrateful I was and how I threw a fit one year because I didn't think a tent was a nice enough gift for my "main gift". I think if I had only received one or two gifts, I would have appreciated it a lot more. Giving kids gifts is fun and I can see how tempting it can be to spoil them, but there's a reason the phrase "spoiled brat" is so widely used.
I've also noticed that kids don't engage in as many imagination-stimulating activities as they used to either. When I was a kid, I would play outside with my friends and collect leaves and pretend to live in the wild and survive off the land. Studies have shown that pretend play is important to cognitive development in children. If children have less toys, they will likely be more inclined to play outside.
I'm not a parent, so it's possible my view will change when I become one. I speak from observation only. But I do think there is a lot of research to back up this idea of too many toys hindering a child's progress. I encourage any parent to carefully consider the amount of toys and the kind of toys they choose to give to their children.
I was totally one of those kids who would take the same toy for 5 years and create different imaginary worlds. Good insights!
ReplyDeleteI agree that kids don't engage in enough imagination-stimulating activities anymore. I see that with my sisters kids as well. Super interesting read, thanks!
ReplyDeleteI liked this. I really don't think that kids need too many toys to stay entertained--their imaginations can make anything a toy, like you pointed out with the leaf example. Thanks for sharing!
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