Let's Talk Toys

Do you know? 

Toys hold a child's focus and interest better when there are less of them in a space. 

Try it out:

Take just one toy with you somewhere and watch your child's creativity soar.

 Example:

Our child brought one toy car to the park. We then spent 3 hours building roads, tunnels, and bridges for it to drive through . We played hard all afternoon, and all we had was that one car. Picture of a child holding a tiny car, playing in rough sand.

Tangible benefits of less:

Our living space is so much easier to tidy with fewer toys. It becomes realistic to expect a child to keep the space orderly independently when they have less.

Picture of a child energetically reaching for plain wooden blocks.

To keep your play space engaging, consider these 5 things:

1- Accessibility. Toys are welcoming when they are within reach.

2- Safety. We store "big kid" toys that are unsafe for our toddler to play with in spaces she cannot access. 

3- Stations. Children can cycle through the room to play independently or together. 

4- Reserve. Hold a few toys back for special occasions like road trips and rainy days.

5- Interest. If a toy no longer holds interest, take it out of the space. Rotate it out for a toy from the reserve.

Image of antique toys from the NASA image gallery.