Toys, Clutter, and Rules

[dragons in the flower bed]

We only allow the boys four categories of toys each. At first we did this because we simply didn't have enough space to delineate any more categories of toy, and the kids couldn't find anything when it was all jumbled together. But I realized recently that the children play more deeply and creatively when they're not flitting about from item to item.

 

My 5yo chose

- Legos

- Build-a-Bears

- dress up clothing

- "dragon hoard," meaning his stash of semiprecious stones & glass rocks

 

The 7yo has

- Matchbox cars

- board games

- Toob (miniature history and science themed action figures)

- "robot stash," meaning a box of electronic and mechanical components

 

The 10yo has

- action figures

- video games

- collectible card games like Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh

- collectible prop reproductions (from movies)

 

Then there are the toys that I say belong to their children.

- wooden Holztiger animals

- artisan-made Waldorf felt gnomes

- a kindergarten-sized set of wooden unit blocks

- anything any friend hand made just for our kids

 

The two year old hasn't finishing deciding yet, but so far he has

- giant Mag-Neat-O

- Mr Potato Head

- play kitchen and food

 

Within their categories, they're allowed to get more stuff more or less as much as they want. They play with each others' stuff. Really, I think it's a lot of toys.

 

But my mom told me recently she thinks it's cruel to limit the boys so. And I can't help but notice that even my friends who practice simplicity have either copious amounts of cheap yard sale finds or fine German toys out the wazoo.

 

So . . . do you have rules about how much stuff your children may amass? How do you limit toy clutter? Do you think I'm being obnoxiously controlling and my kids will hate me when they grow up?

[StacyWithFourRugrats]

I think you are doing just fine! My boys self-limit pretty much. Both only generally have Lego's, K'Nex and Star Wars toys (tho the Lego's can get out of hand...worth it to see some of the AWESOME things my 6yo ds comes up with)

 

Our girls are another story and pretty much only have a few playmobil toys at the moment. I will be going through there toys we took away and giving some back. I will probably keep to only a few categories also.

 

You are right and I like your reasoning that it helps keep them from "flitting" from one thing to the next. I like it for space/clutter issues but will add that idea to the mix.

 

Ignore well-meaning materialistic folks (hehe...I just finished Dave Ramsey and have lately been on a more simplistic approach to lifestyle) and do what is best, in YOUR opinion, for YOUR family. :)

[Jenstet]

I just this past week went through the kids rooms and I am getting rid of 90% of the toys.

 

They each have 1 toy box and when that is full they have too much stuff.

 

I get so stressed out over the amount of stuff under foot. I figure it's better to have a managable room they can clean themselves.

[WTMindy]

We only allow the boys four categories of toys each. At first we did this because we simply didn't have enough space to delineate any more categories of toy, and the kids couldn't find anything when it was all jumbled together. But I realized recently that the children play more deeply and creatively when they're not flitting about from item to item.

 

My 5yo chose

- Legos

- Build-a-Bears

- dress up clothing

- "dragon hoard," meaning his stash of semiprecious stones & glass rocks

 

The 7yo has

- Matchbox cars

- board games

- Toob (miniature history and science themed action figures)

- "robot stash," meaning a box of electronic and mechanical components

 

The 10yo has

- action figures

- video games

- collectible card games like Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh

- collectible prop reproductions (from movies)

 

Then there are the toys that I say belong to their children.

- wooden Holztiger animals

- artisan-made Waldorf felt gnomes

- a kindergarten-sized set of wooden unit blocks

- anything any friend hand made just for our kids

 

The two year old hasn't finishing deciding yet, but so far he has

- giant Mag-Neat-O

- Mr Potato Head

- play kitchen and food

 

Within their categories, they're allowed to get more stuff more or less as much as they want. They play with each others' stuff. Really, I think it's a lot of toys.

 

But my mom told me recently she thinks it's cruel to limit the boys so. And I can't help but notice that even my friends who practice simplicity have either copious amounts of cheap yard sale finds or fine German toys out the wazoo.

 

So . . . do you have rules about how much stuff your children may amass? How do you limit toy clutter? Do you think I'm being obnoxiously controlling and my kids will hate me when they grow up?

 

It sounds like a lot of toys to me! I am a major toy limiter. The only thing I haven't limited is Playmobil. I think they will grow up all the better for it, and be more thankful for the things they do have.

[K&Rs Mom]

I think it sounds like a great idea! My girls have a bunch of stuff they don't use much, and a few categories they use all the time, so we may go in a similar direction. Thanks for the inspiration!

[Cindy in FL.]

I agree with Mindy that the Playmobil is hard to limit...so much great stuff! My four boys basically have: playmobil, wooden blocks, small plastic animals, a few matchbox cars, and 2 bins of legos. They create all sorts of fun with those things and don't really need anything else.

 

Cindy

[Closeacademy]

I don't limit toys but I do keep the toys boxed up in sets. I have girls so we have a box of My little ponies, a box of polly pockets, a box of littlest pet shop, etc.

 

I only have 2 girls and they are close in age so I limit them to one set of toys upstairs at a time. They do have a bed full of lovies and access to art supplies.

 

This helps to keep clutter down and keep people playing well together.

 

Now I do have some stuff that are small sets like the mini-Rabbits (3 tiny house and a family of 6 tiny bunnies), the fairies, paper dolls, etc. I let them each have thier own box for things like this.

 

So 1 large set of toys or 2 small boxes at a time.

 

Good luck on finding your own system.:001_smile:

[Tess in the Burbs]

But we still have some limits. I recently took a pile of toys away for the yard sale. In the weeks waiting some items have found their way back into the play area and are being used again. But if they haven't asked for it back, it's gone!

 

My kids have a kitchen, toy cars, dress up bins(2) and musical. there are also tinkertoys and lincoln logs.

 

in their rooms are more personal toys. My daughter has dolls,a dollhouse with figures/furniture, a small tub of barbies/american girl dolls, and then some small princess type figures. my son has legos/knex, army men, transformers, and knight/castle playmobile stuff.

 

all toys have a bin with a lid. all can be removed easily when rotation becomes necessary or just to be taken away for punishment. this helps. if it doesn't fit in the tub/bin then I question it's need ;-)

 

we also have tons of games downstairs.

 

of course it's too much. we rarely buy anything...relatives fill it all up. in fact I would say half of the holiday gifts are gone in a month...pure junk. I am encouraging memberships next year to local stuff.

[Kelli in TN]

Rose, I think your limits sound fair and generous! I would not change a thing about the way you are doing it. Are your kids happy? Do you feel like you have control over the kid induced clutter? Is it enough to keep them occupied but not too much to cope with at pick up time?

 

I say keep on keepin' on.

[Twinmom]

I have a pretty simple rule around here. If you can't clean up your room/playroom every day in 15-30 minutes, all by yourself, you have TOO MUCH STUFF! I will then be forced to bring up a trash bag and help you dispose of some of your excess garbage... :D

[jail warden]

I think you're fine. That is a lot of toys still and honestly I've found since I limit toys my kids play more and can clean up their room better. If mom insists on buying other things, just put them on a yard sale or regift. She'll never know!

[KIN]

Our toys are also boxed and they can only play with one box a week. I do have some educational toys in our school room, but those are pretty few as well. :) I got SO tired of picking up toys, the boys got tired of picking up toys and wouldn't play well when there was so many. They play with their box of toys really well each week and are eager to put them away to get the next box out on Saturday.

[Mama Anna]

We do a "Toy Switch" idea that I got from some book once upon a time. The majority of toys are in a couple of tubs in the girls' closet and then they have (out in the living room) a few things that we change around every couple of weeks. I try to make sure there is something to play house with (dollhouse, Schleich animals that my mom never stops buying, etc.), something to build with (legos, blocks), some type of musical instrument and (for the younger) something that can be chewed with impunity. All the books stay out all the time now that dd1 is reading so much, but all together it still fits on one half-size bookcase. Oh, and there are the ubiquitous stuffed animals, too. When anyone comments on the "lack" of toys, I just mention that lots of other stuff is in storage right now. I've considered taking volunteers in helping the nightly clean-up from their ranks but have never actually offered the opportunity.

 

I love the Wow! factor that time away from various toys restores to them when we pull them out again.

 

It's not a perfect system, though. Dd1 is getting old enough to have some things that dd2 could break and I don't have method of dealing with that. Then, there's all the papers, projects, and other junk that they bring home from church activities . . . <sigh> I've fantasized having some type of security checkpoint right next to a big trashcan at our front door and refusing to allow anything of less-than-lasting value through. But these are their crafts and are precious to them . . . <sigh again> (Even if they're not a "Ring of Power . . :))

[tinkgumby]

I think that sounds like plenty of toys! I wish I could be that disciplined. Every time I think I'm going to limit things with my boys, I chicken out for one reason or another, and their floor is always covered with toys! So pat yourself on the back and don't worry about it. :iagree:

[Cheryl in NM]

I just this past week went through the kids rooms and I am getting rid of 90% of the toys.

 

They each have 1 toy box and when that is full they have too much stuff.

 

I get so stressed out over the amount of stuff under foot. I figure it's better to have a managable room they can clean themselves.

 

I also do the one toybox thing and I only have 1 kid! They collect so much! Of course, this kid has 250 books in his room, most of them he purchased with his allowance.

[Harriet Vane]

That's a strong word to use for children who have toys and get to play with them frequently.

 

I think of Laura Ingalls, who had a corncob doll and whatever she could find from the great outdoors to play with. They had tea parties using leaves and nuts and such. (Read Little House in the Big Woods.)

 

I think too of how I used to drag a million molded plastic toys to the beach, only to find that my kids really just wanted to splash in and out of the water or play with sticks. We now bring just a bucket and shovel, and everyone is overjoyed and has a wonderful time.

 

No it's not cruel at all--do what is necessary to have a happy, uncluttered life. Your mother doesn't have to live with it--YOU do, and your boys.

 

Teaching your children true contentment with less stuff is a wonderful gift.

[dragons in the flower bed]

Thanks all. My kids can and do clean up in 15 minutes or so, especially when they're all cleaning at once. I don't even feel I need to control the kid clutter. The kids control it and do just fine. Thanks for your perspectives. I appreciate it.

[Nestof3]

I agree with Mindy that the Playmobil is hard to limit...so much great stuff! My four boys basically have: playmobil, wooden blocks, small plastic animals, a few matchbox cars, and 2 bins of legos. They create all sorts of fun with those things and don't really need anything else.

 

 

Sounds just like ours! I cannot limit Playmobil, though.

[tsuche]

This is an example to me and something I need to look into.

Blessings,

Terry

[snickelfritz]

By the time you look at the total number of toys....it really is still quite a lot.

 

I also changed my thinking when re-reading Laura Ingalls Wilder. :001_smile:

[Plaid Dad]

I think a lot depends on how many children you have. As you're seeing, four categories per child times three, four, or more children quickly becomes a lot of toys. We only have one, but we limit what's available to her pretty radically. We also strongly discourage family from giving her toys as gifts and we don't buy toys at yard sales as a rule, so there's a limit on what comes into the house. Stuff breeds otherwise! I particularly hate toys with little pieces that become instant cat toys, but that's a losing battle. We have dragon hoard around here, too, even if half of it is under the couch at any given moment.

 

I don't think you need to worry about really limiting toys. We finally have good weather here, so I'm sending dd outdoors to play for long stretches. Her toys out there consist of sticks and last year's pinecones - and I'm not hearing any complaints! ;)

[Kelli in TN]

Then, there's all the papers, projects, and other junk that they bring home from church activities . . . <sigh> I've fantasized having some type of security checkpoint right next to a big trashcan at our front door and refusing to allow anything of less-than-lasting value through. But these are their crafts and are precious to them . . . <sigh again> (Even if they're not a "Ring of Power . . :))

 

This part of your post brings to mind something that happened last night at church. I teach the 1st and 2nd graders and of course we do coloring sheets and little crafts involving popsicle sticks, cotton balls, etc. I know that they are NOT works of art but they are fun. Well, one of my students worked very hard on hers, as did all the kids. At the end of class I had the kids sitting on the floor waiting for their parents when the little girl gets up,walks to the trash can and throws her craft away. I asked her why she did that and her answer was "I can't have all this junk cluttering up my house." I said "I understand, but don't you want to just show your parents and tell them what we learned tonight?" but she could not be convinced that it was okay to take that home.

 

It sounded to me like her mom or dad must have had a blow up over the amount of paper and stuff that comes home with the kids. The family has about 7 kids and they all go to public school and they all come to church, so I bet they do see a lot of paper mess.

[AndyJoy]

Sounds like a great idea to me! I remember being overwhelmed with my toys as a kid because I had so many different categories that not everything HAD a place of its own. I'm planning to limit my kids to specific categories and not hang on to the random junk that seems to accumulate so easily!

[King Alfred Academy]

I agree with Mindy that the Playmobil is hard to limit...so much great stuff! My four boys basically have: playmobil, wooden blocks, small plastic animals, a few matchbox cars, and 2 bins of legos. They create all sorts of fun with those things and don't really need anything else.

 

Cindy

 

 

This is EXACTLY what our boys have! How funny! Just went through their room this weekend and got rid of everything else. We are moving into graduate housing (594 sq. ft) in a few months and we are getting rid of so much stuff. I feel so much lighter! Now, if only I could get all of their books under control!

[saved1112]

My boys have cars, mini beanie babies, legos, costumes, blocks, trading cards, train set.

My girl has barbies/princesses, horses, dress up clothes, kitchen stuff.

They all play together a lot of the time with whatever.

I occasionally have them pick things that they'd like to give to children who do not have toys, they love that! Then I'll go through their rooms with them sometimes to donate the things they don't play with anymore. They're getting better at letting stuff go and only keeping the things they really enjoy playing with.