What toys do children need?

[Tabrett]

I am getting ready to purge big time! I just can't stand it any more!

 

I have 2 boys, ages 2 and 4, and a 5.5yo girl (and a teen, but she doesn't have any "toys" in the play room).

 

What do you think children need to have? How many dolls, cars, ect... I'm tired of stepping on everything in the playroom and their bedrooms.

 

If you paired down in your house, what would you keep?

 

I know they need art supplies and books. That is not the issue, toys are!

[abbeyej]

Something to build with, something to pretend with, and something to love.

 

So Legos/Duplos or blocks (like Kapla) or something like that. Kids don't need every building material known to man. A nice big set of one thing is easier to manage and clean up than several sets of different sorts of building toys.

 

For pretend play, my kids have always needed kitchen stuff/food, dress-ups (play silks are the most versatile toy we've ever had and take up very little room), and swords. Playmobil also fits in this category for us, and has gotten a great deal of use over the years, and continues to be used daily.

 

And at least one doll or stuffed animal for each child. Maximum of three, if space is a concern.

 

You've already got books and art supplies, so that's good. :) I would also include a few board games / card games. But again, a couple of *good* games are better than a room full of mediocre ones...

[secular_mom]

I'm with you. In the past, I've pruned the dolls down to one per child. That is plenty, IMO.

I feel bad sometimes, because I can't stand all the toys, and I hate storing them just to rotate them. If my kids don't miss them while they are rotated 'out', then I'd rather just ditch them so it's less junk cluttering up my life.

My kids really don't seem to 'need' as many toys as other people have though. They love playing outside in the dirt, with sticks and spaghetti jar lids, bug nets catching bugs, riding their trikes/bikes, etc.

Honestly, right now my son has a few Transformers; too man hotwheels (but they are usually contained); Legos; video games. That's it, and he's HAPPY with what he has. He actually doesn't LIKE to have lots of toys, because he doesn't like cleaning either, ROFLOL.

 

My girls have a toy box full of plushies (which are currently getting on my nerves); larger Legos; play dishes that I try to keep put away because they drive me nuts; some dolls; lots of small plastic animals and bugs.

I need some plushies to go away right now. I don't like how dusty they get, and I don't want to add to my laundry.

 

Less really REALLY works well for us. Too much stuff just results in stress and chaos.

[RebeccaS]

It's so hard to purge, sometimes. I let my kids decide. We went in with a garbage bag and stickers. Each child got a set amount of stickers. They were to go in and put a sticker on what they wanted to keep. Everything else went in the bag. I allowed 1 sticker for a collection (eg dollhouse furniture, they didn't have to sticker each piece, but dollhouse furniture was separate from the actual dollhouse). It worked really well and my then 2yr old ds only found about 3 things he really wanted to keep. I added a few of my own for him. :) So, you could try something like that.

[Tabrett]

Those of you who deal with Playmobil, how do you handle all the little pieces. These are they types of toys that are driving me batty. I find little pieces all over the house and all the people are dissembled. No sets are together. It turns into one pile of tiny pieces! I'm constantly being asked to assemble this or that!

 

I'm thinking my dc are just to young for Playmobile, maybe? Get rid of the Playmobile?:scared:

[Jami]

Abbey's list looks like mine (ideally, if Grandpa and Grandma would help out ;))

 

Food and dress-ups do get lots of play here, Lego, Playmobil, Dolls and doll stuff.

 

But then we have a couple of Polly Pocket dolls and outfits cause they're nice and portable (we had dozens but some lucky soul at Goodwill probably owns those now), a tub of Pet Shop and Ponyville animals, a basket of Groovy Girl dolls and outfits, a tub of stuffed animals. Ds also has some Lincoln Logs, cars, action figures, and Schleich knights. Somehow no matter how much I cull, they manage to find enough things to drag out. :glare:

 

Oh and art supplies and books are often the main source of messiness here. The paper mess does me in on many, many days. LOL.

Edited May 29, 2009 by Jami

[abbeyej]

Those of you who deal with Playmobil, how do you handle all the little pieces. These are they types of toys that are driving me batty. I find little pieces all over the house and all the people are dissembled. No sets are together. It turns into one pile of tiny pieces! I'm constantly being asked to assemble this or that!

 

I'm thinking my dc are just to young for Playmobile, maybe? Get rid of the Playmobile?:scared:

 

We have a pretty good handle on our Playmobil, and if we didn't, I would turn into a screaming banshee. ;) The way it works at our house is that the kids have a low table with a lip -- meant to be a train table, Lego table, or whatnot -- and the Playmobil lives in some large open bins under the table.

 

I make it *very* clear that *in* the table or *under* the table are the *only* acceptable places for me to find Playmobil. Now obviously the odd baby seal finds his way into the living room on occasion, but a single baby seal won't send me over the edge the way half a dozen pieces every time I turn around would. ;)

 

I did have to give up any concern about keeping particular sets together. Everything goes in the bins willy-nilly. Little pieces, giant pieces, somebody's hair, a Viking maiden, a peg-legged pirate, a pediatrician, a polar explorer, a port-a-potty, a jet-ski, and a mummy. It would make *me* a little crazy, but the kids are perfectly happy, and it's all easy to clean up.

 

If they want to use the table for Legos (which live in a bin under ds' bed) or for a table in their restaurant, or a million other things, the Playmobil can easily be dumped in the bins. If they have an ongoing game with the neighbor boys (they're 8, 10, and 12, and still play Playmobil with my kids several times a week), then I don't mind it being left "out", 'cause it's all contained on the table.

 

That table was one of the best investments in child equipment / furniture that we've ever made. ;)

 

ETA: Don't get rid of the Playmobil. 5 and 4 really is on the young end for it -- but they've got another 8 years or so of playing with it. If you can't cope with it for now, throw it all in a plastic tub with a lid, and put it away for a year. It'll be new and exciting when it comes back out, and they'll be a little more mature.

 

Oh, and I have a (semi-)strict policy of not assembling Playmobil structures. I might help set something up the very first time (or did, when my kids were littler), but after that, no way. I will *occasionally* help stick somebody's hair back on, or some other one-step thing when a piece is sticking. Otherwise "no" though. They either figure it out for themselves, or play with something else.

Edited May 29, 2009 by abbeyej

[Tabrett]

Considering the age of my dc, when would you get rid of big things like rocking horses, play kitchens, ride on cars, ect...

 

I'm trying to make myself keep them till youngest ds is 3, but I'm not sure I can make it another year with these big items. These items are such space eaters. I have room, but I feel like it is always cluttered.

 

Would my 2yo be disadvantaged if I got rid of all the big toddler toys or should I keep them for another year?

[BikeBookBread]

Those of you who deal with Playmobil, how do you handle all the little pieces. These are they types of toys that are driving me batty. I find little pieces all over the house and all the people are dissembled. No sets are together. It turns into one pile of tiny pieces! I'm constantly being asked to assemble this or that!

 

I'm thinking my dc are just to young for Playmobile, maybe? Get rid of the Playmobile?:scared:

 

We have one set for the two of them: the little tiny house (it's just an A frame with an open front, table, chairs, bedroom. There are a few horses, farm animals and people, so we just dump them all into a lidded Rubbermaid tub. When Playmobil is out, everything else is put away (except for wooden blocks, because they always seem to make castles etc for the Playmobil...the pieces are just so tiny I don't want stuff mixed up!

[Jami]

Considering the age of my dc, when would you get rid of big things like rocking horses, play kitchens, ride on cars, ect...

 

I'm trying to make myself keep them till youngest ds is 3, but I'm not sure I can make it another year with these big items. These items are such space eaters. I have room, but I feel like it is always cluttered.

 

Would my 2yo be disadvantaged if I got rid of all the big toddler toys or should I keep them for another year?

 

I'd keep the play kitchen for awhile yet. My 8, 7, and 5 year olds still play with ours plenty. You can play restaurant, chef, house--just the other day they were playing Iron Chef from the Food network. :lol:

[BikeBookBread]

I think I just realized something: the size of the child is inverse proportion to the size of the toy. In other words, the bigger the child, the tinier and tinier and tinier the toys! :laugh: and therefore, the harder and harder and harder for Mom and Dad to find!

 

I just discovered "Only Hearts Club" dolls. They are darling! The clothing is stylish yet modest...mostly because the girls don't have any figure :lol: which is fine with me. But they have tiny, tiny, tiny shoes and little crowns held on by miniscule clear rubber bands. Little tiny pet doggies, bunnies, etc. Cute cute cute but maddening when DD comes crying at bedtime, "Mommy, I can't find Karina Grace's blahdy blah...." So like Playmobil, we have instituted a Rubbermaid Bin rule: when you're done, they go into the bin with the LID ON.

 

Here's the edit:

 

I just thought of one toy that has been the biggest hit in our home: a Bilibo. It's the one thing that I never have regretted buying, even when all of my friends made SUCH FUN of me! It's the bowl thing that can be sat in, on, turned into a cave for little action figures, turned over to become a dolly bed, brought into the pool, used in the snow, on and on and on. The girls have had it since Ingrid was 1 1/2. I got it on eBay (new) but I bet you could find it used somewhere. GREAT self-directed fun toy. (We got the original big one, but they now come in small sizes too.)

Edited May 30, 2009 by BikeBookBread
A toy suggestion...

[Kim in Appalachia]

Those of you who deal with Playmobil, how do you handle all the little pieces. These are they types of toys that are driving me batty. I find little pieces all over the house and all the people are dissembled. No sets are together. It turns into one pile of tiny pieces! I'm constantly being asked to assemble this or that!

 

I'm thinking my dc are just to young for Playmobile, maybe? Get rid of the Playmobile?:scared:

 

We have a box for each playmobile set, but the big items are put on a shelf. The large castle is the most annoying, because it always comes apart, but seems hard to assemble. Fortunately, I have children old enough to do it, and they do. :D My kids love playing with their playmobile, so I would not get rid of it, despite the mess.

[jenL]

My 6yo would probably die if I were to get rid of his Playmobil! We use the bin technique for his as well, and according to him, it's okay if they are mixed up as he has the pirates fight the knights anyway!

 

I'm with you though. We have a downstairs playroom, and I'm ready for it to be gone. I've also been thinking about a big purge and how I should go about doing it as I have 2 boys: 6 & 2 so their toys are still somewhat "seperate".

[heart'sjoy]

Our house has a lost closet. Anything I pick up after tuckin's at bedtime is lost closet. When the closet overflows about twice a year, I let them choose 3 to get back and 10 to keep in the closet, the rest goes to the thrift store.

 

The older kids can buy their shoes, lost socks, etc back with a quarter. The youngest gets to buy one back for obeying first time, all the way with school.

 

I sometimes use the loss of a toy instead of time out.

 

I'm always amazed at what my kids choose to keep. The nicest toys like reomote controled cars, the prettiest dolls they choose not to keep. Instead, they keep things like a metal tv tray, a lace curtain, and an empty box. :001_huh:

 

Twice a year we gut each child's stuff and dump it all in the living room floor. Then we sort and label bins and or notebooks with their input. Sometimes I put a limit on the number of items that can be tossed on a dresser.

 

It's amazing how proud they are of their new "room" and how they can take care of it easily after we get things organized.

[elw_miller]

I have a 4-year-old, a 2-year-old, and a 4-month-old.

 

Actually, right now I'd keep just about everything. Things that aren't played with much or lack much educational value quietly disappear.

 

Things we keep:

--3-4 baby dolls (my old Cabbage patch, a homemade doll, a wool-stuffed doll, and a more baby-like doll)

--stuffed animals that work well with a veterinary kit

--animal figurines in a bin

--wooden puzzles and regular puzzles

--LEGOS and Duplos and Quatros

--a bin of musical instruments

--stacking and nesting boxes and cups

--Fisher-Price castle and barn and associated figurines

--dollhouse and its accessories

--wooden train set and accessories

--bin of blocks

--the little kitchen set

--a block sorter

--a wire bead thingy

--my boxes of homemade toys/games--lacing cards, sound boxes, alphabet cards, matching cards, etc.

--any toy that is educational or has multiple uses

--good children's books, craft books, and art supplies

 

We do not have very many board games--those can easily become scattered and cluttered.

 

Are the toys the problem or how they are being kept organized?

 

Read the rest of the posts... :)

 

We keep Fisher-Price in one drawer, wooden tracks in another, Playmobil in another, blocks in another, wooden train accessories in another drawer, lots of things are on low shelves, too (rack for puzzles, sorting/stacking/nesting toys, etc.), all dollhouse things have to stay IN the dollhouse. Most of the kids' toys are on low shelves or in bins/drawers if they need to be contained.

 

My dd4 LOVES her toy kitchen and will probably use it for quite a few more years. We only have a small wooden scooter, a trike, and my dd4's bike for riding toys.

 

We also have a bin in the living room that has my slings and scarves for the kids to play with.

Edited May 30, 2009 by elw_miller

[SonshineLearner]

Don't get rid of Playmobile:-) I made the rule that Playmobile toys stay in the back room on the table..... It's working better.

My son is also going to be getting that cool Lego sorter that I saw on here....

 

Carrie:-)

[Denisemomof4]

honestly?

 

They need sticks and rocks and cardboard boxes. The rest is a waste of money, if your kids are like mine.

 

Know what I'd do? Give each kid a box, even your youngest, and tell them to fill it with stuff they want to get rid of.

 

Then have them fill boxes again in a week or two.

 

I've been doing that with clothing for my girls. They've done a great job, and I choose to NEVER open the bag to see what they've put in there. ;)

[Nestof3]

Those of you who deal with Playmobil, how do you handle all the little pieces. These are they types of toys that are driving me batty. I find little pieces all over the house and all the people are dissembled. No sets are together. It turns into one pile of tiny pieces! I'm constantly being asked to assemble this or that!

 

I'm thinking my dc are just to young for Playmobile, maybe? Get rid of the Playmobile?:scared:

 

We actually have a ton of Playmobil, and my boys are older. I have plastic bins sorted by type, not set.

 

rocks

trees

flowers/plants

landscaping

fences

animals

(2) for people and people accessories

miscellaneous

weapons/cannon

boats/transportation

 

Now, building and very set-specific things like siege towers or Roman arena and very large ships are kept in the garage within large plastic containers. One container holds one set; so we have castle, pirate/viking, Roman, western. They are only allowed to bring in one major set at a time.

 

Now, if you have less Playmobil (which you probably would at those ages), I would suggest not worrying about keeping sets together and just keeping all Playmobil in a plastic container or two.