Question: How old were your boys when they stopped playing with toys?

[ShutterBug]

We were at a friends house today. Ds (8) plays with this family's ds (8 also). The family also has a just turned 10 year old and a 6 1/2 year old.

 

The mom asked is ds still plays with toys and when I said "Yes! Of course!", she kind of looked at me strange. She said that her boys play, but that they're too old for toys (with the exception of the 6 1/2 year old who still occasionally does).

 

She added in that she thought it was strange that someone bought her ds 8 a Playmobil set for Christmas this year because she thought it was kind of a little kid toy.

 

I told her that ds still loves to play with his Legos, Star Wars guys, army guys, Playmobil, Bionicles..etc..

 

Ds's age mates (and older) seem to all still play with toys. When he has friends over, they spend hours creating army guy battles and creating worlds out of Playmobil.

 

I'm just wondering where she got the idea that 8 year olds typically don't play with toys anymore? Am I the out of touch one and most 8 year olds really have outgrown toys?

 

So....humor me. How old were your boys when they stopped playing with toys?

 

Thanks!

 

Jenn

[Jean in Newcastle]

Ds13 still loves his legos and nerf guns, so do his 13 year old friends.

[Mabeline]

I don't know, but my boys still spend hours with their legos and their room is filled with other toys too. I have noticed my eight yo ds spending some of his free time with a book, but still lots of time with toys.

 

I was thinking closer to 12, they will taper off the toy playing but I have no experience, so that's just my guess.

[Samiam]

I think it is a personality thing.

 

I don't know that my first DS ever really played with toys, at least on his own. I remember us playing with him, with his little men, etc. But I don't have alot of memories of him playing with toys, actually down on the floor, building, creating, etc much past 5 or 6. He's a much more serious kind of guy, love books and board games, though, but just not much on using his imagination.

 

Now DS just-turned-8-yesterday, plays with toys all day long! He just got a whole bunch of Playmobile as a matter of fact, and he and DS4 literally will play for hours, with Playmobile, Star Wars, Batman dudes, and yes, even stuffed animals.

[Tohru]

It's a parenting issue. My mother said we were too old for toys when we were really young.

 

My almost 14yo son still plays with Playmobils, Legos, Nerf, game pieces, etc. with his other teen friends and sometimes even with dh. I even caught ds playing with his sister's toddler toys when she's not looking.

[gaillardia]

We have a 14 ds who still does Legos. Even 22 ds messes with them once in a while. Other son stopped playing with that stuff by the time he was 10. Oldest son still has his Legos...

Some will be engineers, some will not. Some are musicians or computer gurus...:001_smile:

[ShutterBug]

I think it is a personality thing.

 

I don't know that my first DS ever really played with toys, at least on his own. I remember us playing with him, with his little men, etc. But I don't have alot of memories of him playing with toys, actually down on the floor, building, creating, etc much past 5 or 6. He's a much more serious kind of guy, love books and board games, though, but just not much on using his imagination.

 

 

 

Maybe it is a personality thing...but ds loves all those things too.

 

He spent the other day playing chess all morning..all afternoon with his toys and then all night engrossed in "The Fellowhip of the Rings".

 

She did say that her boys play...but they'll play doctor or dentist. She said they just don't need "props" to play.

[Jean in Newcastle]

The mom sounds to be rude, condescending and judgmental. I think it's fine if her boys don't like to play with toys and play without props but she seems to be intimating that all boys need to be the same as hers. Of course, I wasn't there though and did not hear her tone etc.

[Woodhaven]

My boys all play with toys! The oldest is 11, the next 9, then 8, then 6. They all love Legos and building toys, and they still use their old wooden building blocks. But now they use them to build forts and buildings that they attack during their war games. They use toy soldiers (the cheap little plastic ones), lego men and anything else they can come up with in these battles. They have agreed on a whole set of rules for their war games!

 

They still like to throw their footballs around outside. They also like to play a game they call "hunt" outside where one of them pretends he is an animal and they hunt him. :glare: I have stopped them from doing this as it just doesn't sit right with me though. When there is enough snow they love to sled.

 

My children all love reading too, and they play a lot of chess and are good at it, but they are not anywhere near giving up toys!! My oldest is longingly looking at the next Lego sets he is saving up to buy!

[Catherine]

Umm, dh is turning 50 soon and still plays with toys.

[SilverMoonlight]

Umm, dh is turning 50 soon and still plays with toys.

 

This is about what I was going to say - my DH still likes legos (as does ds12!)

[TheReader]

I have a 13 yr old, a 10 yr old and a nearly 6 year old, all boys.

 

They all still play with Legos, play board games, play Nintendo, read books (well, the little one likes to be read to), draw, color, play play dough, etc.

 

The older two have several games of their own creation which they enjoy -- games that involve legos, blocks, magnetix, and the like.

 

The oldest is beginning to shift away from toys, but was still thrilled to recieve the new Hero Factory bionicles at Christmas. The younger two play with those, with cars, lincoln logs, building blocks, etc.

 

I will say, though, that their friends here, who are public schooled and a bit over-indulged, prefer electronics to everything else when at their own home. Here, electronics are limited and their favorite thing is to do lego battles, build with legos, etc. Those children are 11, 8 (almost 9) and 7 (girl, boy, girl). So, perhaps this mom friend of yours has seen her sons shift to wanting electronic entertainment, and has allowed that, thus the shift away from toys??

[Mommyfaithe]

Umm, dh is turning 50 soon and still plays with toys.

 

Mine too. My 19 y/o son still plays legos and so does my 16 y/o. They LOVE that they have little brothers who get new lego sets and NEED HELP...LOL!!!! I don't think boys ever outgrow toys....

 

My girls really never played with toys...they prefer art supplies and reams of paper. LOL

 

Faithe

[DarcyB]

My husband is about to turn 40 and still hasn't stopped playing with his toys. We have boxes full of his toys from his childhood, plus what he keeps out to play with the boys.

 

Hopefully, my boys will never stop, either (I just hope we can not gift their future wives with the huge amount of boxes LOL)

[justamouse]

Heh.

 

My Dad is in his early 60s and still playing with them. Just bought himself a backhoe. He's in it every chance he gets.

 

My Dh plays with auctions and antiques. Baseball cards, Mad Stickers, sports memorabilia, antique malls.

 

My 20 yo plays with nerf guns, legos, water cannons...

 

You get the idea.:D

[Elisabeth in IL]

My dh is 45 and he still likes his "toys". They've just changed a bit ;) My son is 13 and loves his toys still.

[kewb]

Well, what exactly do her boys do if they are not playing with toys?

 

My 12 year old still plays with his legos and nerf guns and board games. He and his 10 year old sister play games with her dolls and their stuffed animals.

 

I will say, when ds was 10/11 I noticed that some of his friends who went to school wouldn't play when at the park. They would look longingly at my ds who had no problem joining younger kids in their games while they fiddled with their ipods attempting to look cool. It made me sad.

[nono]

Wow, I find the assertion so different than what I've experienced. I am an older Mom, so many people closer to my age have children in their teens and late teens. When we visit, those teens always have plenty of toys which they delight in pulling out to play with my young children.

 

So, while they may not be playing with those toys every single day, they clearly have them around the house and at the ready should the right opportunity arise. :)

[Joyofsixreboot]

My 9yo plays with legos a little if someone is here. My kids have tended more toward the run with sticks kind of playing or inside making forts with the couch cushions. They've just never been interested in toys or games either other than cards.

[dakarimom5]

My boys (12, 9 and 7) still play with toys. My 12 yo not as much as the others and my 9 yo splits his time between toys and books but they still play. And they play outside building forts and other things with sticks.

 

I think sometimes parents try to make their children grow up too soon by giving their children "older" or popular things, i.e...cell phones for 6 yo. We have always told our children to stay young as long as they can since childhood is so short.

[FaithManor]

My 14 year old still builds robots with legos and cities out of Rokenbok. He's learning computer programming so over time, I'm sure the teenager in him will kick in but since his friends are all 4-H kids and many of them are homeschooled, he hasn't felt that pressure to not play or to being willing to play with younger children.

 

Our 12 and 10 year olds are serious lego, k-nex, and rokenbok builders. I think I have calouses on my feet from stepping on the parts all the time.

 

Faith

[amy g.]

My almost 15 year old son still plays with nurf guns. My 16 year old daughter plays with hot wheels, but I'm pretty sure that is just to make her little sisters happy. My 12 year old daughter plays with American Girl dolls and Only Hearts Club.

[Lolly]

Honestly, ds was around 10. He never cared for Lego or building/construction stuff though. His new toys aren't really toys. Nerf guns have been replaced by real ones and paintball. Toy cars by a real tractor, truck (he only drives on our property), and airplanes. Mostly, he plays with the Xbox instead of toys. Outside time is more of big boy toys (bike or skateboard).

[Kari C in SC]

Neither of my boys have been big on playing with toys. Guns would be the exception. Both my oldest and my youngest preferred video games or just riding their bikes/scooters/skateboards. I honestly could get rid of most of the toys in my house and I don't think it would matter one bit. I have a ton of toys because we have extra kids over at least once a week. They love my toy closets. On the note of video games - they have always been limited. Both of my boys would do whatever needed to get the payoff of video game time. Honestly, I do think it has to do with personality of the child.

 

Also, my dd has not been a big into toys either. She loves arts, crafts and books. Toys - not really. She went through a state of Littlest Pet Shop, but that was more about collecting than playing. That reminds me - both of my boys loved collecting things too. My oldest did pogs, pokemon cards, yo yos. Again, not really playing with them. Strategizing about what to get next and where to put it, etc. Yep - I have non-toy kids.

[Kari C in SC]

Honestly, ds was around 10. He never cared for Lego or building/construction stuff though. His new toys aren't really toys. Nerf guns have been replaced by real ones and paintball. Toy cars by a real tractor, truck (he only drives on our property), and airplanes. Mostly, he plays with the Xbox instead of toys. Outside time is more of big boy toys (bike or skateboard).

 

Yes, guns are a constant with my boys. My oldest joined the army and got real guns. In his free time, he bought not one, not two, but three paintball guns so his friends could go play with them. That is about the only "toy" my boys both love/loved! The same with my oldest getting his first car and then second car.

[Danestress]

After 8 or so, I don't think they played with Legos or army men or those kinds of things. They never were that into Legos anyway.

 

My boys really like being outside, so when they were with buddies, they wanted to kick a ball around, explore the woods, build a fort. They really did not want to sit inside to play with Legos or play video games.

 

There are toys, though, that never grow old. They have these tiny remote control helicopters, for example, and any 13 year old that comes over enjoys those.

 

The two who were less "toy" oriented were creative children. They liked to draw, read, make origami. One got very interested in magic tricks and spent a lot of time on that. He also taught himself to play the Ukulele. The other became busy enough with tennis that there just hasn't been that much spare time. But reading has remained their favorite "indoor" activity.

 

My oldest son definitely played with Legos right into high school and would still be doing it if he could get his younger brothers interested, lol. He also like card games - like those Magic cards that were popular for a while. He wasn't a reader, though.

 

To me, it's all good. I am surprised by the subtle judgment on kid who aren't into toys. It's "sad" that ..... blah blah. And I am surprised when some parents seem to resent their older sons still wanting to play with legos. What is the problem with that? To me, the brain does what feels good to the brain. Building things with Legos feels good so some brains. Painting feels good to others. Running around kicking a ball feels good to others. As our sons enter their teen years, I think we have to honor who they are. Apart from keeping them apart from things that can be damaging (And I think hours of video games can be damaging, as an example) I think we need to celebrate who they are. The kid who still wants to play with the six year olds making a fort is FINE. The kid who reads Lord of the Rings seven times is FINE. The kid who has moved into wanting to look cool and play with his Ipod is FINE. It's just all developmentally normal.

Edited February 8, 2011 by Danestress

[Paintedlady]

My 10 yr. old still loves his Legos and Army guys.

[Cindy in FL.]

My boys (15, 13, 11, 10) all still play with Legos, Playmobil, guns, swords, etc. They like to stage battles from Lord of the Rings!

[yellowperch]

I wonder what those boys do with their time. I wonder if they use a lot of electronics or if they are really into sports.

 

My kids are expert players. :001_smile:But my 10yo is not much of a lego man. He loves board games, sports and outside games. He loves big projects and reading. He also loves Kapla blocks. So if he had no toys I think he'd be fine.

 

The other love love love their toys.

 

I think its weird that some people take it as a point of pride that their kids outgrow the things of childhood early (I'm refering to OP's friend). We had friends take down their backyard play set when their youngest child turned 6. IT was i great shape, so that wasn't the issue. I just think they thought he was done.

[rafiki]

.

[NanceXToo]

My son's only 5 so this isn't an issue yet. My husband, on the other hand, still plays with toys. :D

[JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst]

My oldest two have spend less time with traditional childhood "toys" starting somewhere around 10-11 or during 5th grade. Before then they would spend lots of free time with toys, even playing alone.

 

Of course they still play but now it is primarily with their little brother.

 

Sometimes they still have fun with toys but I can see a subtle shift in the focus of their play.

[FO4UR]

My ds just turned 8yo. He still plays with toys. I don't see an end to it in sight.

[Wendi]

My son is 14. When alone, he still plays with his Legos occasionally (there are some new sets he would like), and he plays with his Nerf guns (target practice). He also spends a lot of time "modding" his and his friends' Nerf guns. He asks for Nerf guns for gifts.

 

He has Nerf wars with his friends regularly. In fact, on New Year's Eve he hosted a party attended by about 9 high school kids. The boys all slept over, and in the morning, they were outside with Nerf guns playing "humans v. zombies". They ranged in age from 14-17.

 

Wendi

[Mommamia]

My almost 9 yr olds still play with toys. In fact, we spent most of the morning playing with their Lego guys. Yes....me included:001_smile:

[Danestress]

that is another story, lol. I wasn't thinking of their nerf/water/airsoft guns as being toys, though I guess they are. If guns and balls count as toys, my sons still play with them at 13.

 

I was thinking more of legos, playmobile, action figure type stuff.

[hooahwife]

Males of all ages play with toys. It's just a matter of how big and expensive they are.

[sleepymommy]

Umm, dh is turning 50 soon and still plays with toys.

 

Yes this is my dh too!:lol: Sometimes he gets more involved with my boys' toys than the boys do. I have to remind him that he was only supposed to show them how to do whatever not take it over and keep it to himself!

[Danestress]

and video games, chemistry sets or computers too. Cars even. So I guess maybe "toy" needs to be defined, but I was thinking of "toys" more in the sense of lego/soldiers/action figures type stuff.

[Laurie4b]

She got the idea out of her own head.

My mother used to do that, too. I was "too old" for stuffed animals by the time I was 3. They would disappear to the attic. It stunk.

 

8 is a prime Playmobil-playing age.

 

One of my sons still played with Playmobils at age 15. The other didn't at that age.

[kamom]

My 10 1/2 ds still loves to play with any large box that he can cut up and still fit into and shoot from,building with legos(most days, these days it's building planes), nerf guns, rubberband guns and makes his guns.

 

He also likes to draw and most often only reads during his hr quite time in the afternoon.

 

My dh recently ordered a Carrom game that they play in the evenings.

[LibraryLover]

Little toy cars....about 11/12. Playmobil? Lego? We won't talk about that.

[In The Great White North]

"The difference between the men and the boys is . . . .

 

the price of the toys!"

[angela in ohio]

I think she's silly.

 

My 8 yo is mature (hard not to be with two older sisters nagging you ;)) and sharp, but he will still play Playmobil for hours on end, either alone or with other boys. We have had groups of 8 yo boys over here, dumped out LEGOs and Playmobil, and they all played nicely. They also played marbles. And we have regular Nerf Gun wars when the cousins are over. :D

 

I think some of it depends on what they are used to. If boys aren't used to using their imagination in that way, they probably wouldn't be interested in toys. Many kids prefer TV or video games instead, or they are used to being outside playing more.

 

My ds does a mix of reading, playing toys, art, and being active outside. I try to make sure that he has a balance.

[homeschoolally]

Ds13 still loves his legos and nerf guns, so do his 13 year old friends.

:iagree: Same here, although some of them are moving from Nerf to Airsoft guns. I don't see my ds giving up his toys anytime soon!

[coffeegal]

Ds13 still loves his legos and nerf guns, so do his 13 year old friends.

 

:iagree: However my 14 yo is a bookworm, so it's been years since he played with toys regularly.

[Jenny in Florida]

But my son is 13 next month, and he's not doing a lot of playing with toys anymore. Honestly, he was never big into regular toys, always preferring real stuff when he could get his hands on it.

 

He's also a master at taking toys apart and putting the pieces together differently and using them for things never intended by the manufacturers.

 

A couple of years ago, my husband gave him a huge pile of PVC pipes of different diameters and length with a bunch of different kinds of connectors. He built all kinds of great creations in the backyard with that stuff for well over a year. I think that was his last hurrah with anything resembling regular toys. And it seems to have waned now.

 

He plays some Wii or computer games now and then, mostly with his dad on weekends or when he has friends over. And he loves the iPod Touch he got for Christmas for playing music and games. But, sadly, I think he's done with toys.

 

My sense, though,is that he would have loved to keep playing with toys for a lot longer, if there were good toys to be had. When he was nine, we were in New York for a theatre thing he was doing. We made two trips to the giganormous Toys 'r' Us in Times Square so that he could pick out something to buy with a bit of the money he earned. We had a terrible time finding anything good to buy.

 

Most of the toys that looked cool to him were way too young. (Great, colorful electronic things that taught the alphabet, for example.) For boys anywhere near his age, all that was available were guns (which we don't allow) or gross-out gimmicks or video games.

 

I think it's all part of that KAGOY concept: kids are getting older younger. Toys that used to be marketed to 10 year olds are now bought for 5 year olds. By the time they get to be 10, there's not much left that's new.

 

It makes me sad, honestly.

[Jenny in Florida]

I wonder what those boys do with their time. I wonder if they use a lot of electronics or if they are really into sports.

 

As I said, my son does play with some electonics, although not nearly as much as many of his friends. He has never owned a hand-held device (until the iPod, if you want to count that, since it does play some games). And the only game system in the house belongs to my husband and gets played maybe once every two months.

 

My son reads a lot--like a LOT. He is also busy with an assortment of extracurriculars and hobbies. He has 6-8 hours per week of dance and music classes and does a lot of community theatre. Currently, he's busy from 1:00 - 6:00 every Saturday with rehearsals for a play and a performance group. At the beginning of March, he'll add another two hours in the morning of rehearsal for an opera. He's also active at our church in youth group and assorted service projects.

 

We have season tickets for a couple of local theatres, and he usually goes to see any show any of his friends are in. So, he spends a lot of time in audiences, as well as on stage.

 

When he's not otherwise busy, he launches model rockets with his Dad one Saturday a month.

 

He plays outside with kids in the neighborhood a couple of times a week, usually riding bikes or playing informal games of baseball or something similar. That's it for "sports." He has no interest.

 

It's not like it's an either/or thing: traditional toys or electronics and sports. There are so very many cool things to do with one's time!

[Guest momk2000]

I don't know about boys, but my dd (10yrs) loves to play with her dolls (Barbies, Am Girl, etc...). I think it's sad when kids grow up too fast. I would expect that my kids would maybe start to lose interest in the toys around age 12, but I'm 45 and I love dolls too - lol. :D

[ShutterBug]

Thanks everyone :) I left yesterday wondering if maybe ds should be growing out of toys. It's nice to see that toys are still popular among his age (and older!)

 

 

The mom sounds to be rude, condescending and judgmental. I think it's fine if her boys don't like to play with toys and play without props but she seems to be intimating that all boys need to be the same as hers. Of course, I wasn't there though and did not hear her tone etc.

 

No, no...I'm 100% positive that she wasn't trying to be rude or condescending. She's very sweet but often direct and to the point. I think she was just as surprised that ds still does play with toys as I was that her kiddos weren't really into them.

 

 

I will say, though, that their friends here, who are public schooled and a bit over-indulged, prefer electronics to everything else when at their own home. Here, electronics are limited and their favorite thing is to do lego battles, build with legos, etc. Those children are 11, 8 (almost 9) and 7 (girl, boy, girl). So, perhaps this mom friend of yours has seen her sons shift to wanting electronic entertainment, and has allowed that, thus the shift away from toys??

 

I wonder what those boys do with their time. I wonder if they use a lot of electronics or if they are really into sports.

 

Their definitely not succumbing to electronics, lol. The family is very much Waldorf inspired (no TV, no video games and very little computer use). Up until this year all three boys attended the local Waldorf school. This year she's homeschooling the younger two while the oldest still attends the Waldorf. However, they're not completely immersed in the Waldorf lifestyle (to the extent that they only have natural, wooden toys). There is a big bin of Legos and other toys around (which are mostly used by the toddlers she babysits for).

 

 

Yes, guns are a constant with my boys.

 

Yes, any kind of weapon is popular here. We have a large plastic "weapon bin" filled with every kind of gun, sword and light saber you could ever imagine.

 

I wonder what those boys do with their time. I wonder if they use a lot of electronics or if they are really into sports.

 

The family does have a really large yard with a playground and a creek and woods right down the street so I know they spend a lot of time outside. She's pretty easygoing about letting them head off to the neighborhood playground or down to the creek by themselves. We on the other hand live closer to the city, have a tiny lot and next to no children in our neighborhood to play with which lends itself to playing inside more. The boys are competitive swimmers and the family snowboards together all winter long. She said when they're indoors they like to play board games or more role playing games like dentist or store (which ds enjoys also).

 

Thanks again :) I'm just assuming that they're not particularly into toys. I do think that the mom's ideas about them being too old for toys plays into it as well.

 

I also noticed that the toys they do have aren't really that organized. It's basically a bin filled with little bits and pieces of all different toys...some broken and almost all incomplete. I know that if ds's toys aren't somewhat organized and are just in a pile he doesn't tend to play with them.