Dianne-TX Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 Minimizing our toys more and more. Books not included. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Lulu* Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 Blocks (maybe wooden train) (ETA- we have autoblocks that our kids love, but are not good for the under 3 group)  Dress up/pretend items (play kitchen stuff, costumes, etc)  A basket of stuffed animals/dolls  Wooden puzzles  Good quality animals and figures (i.e. Papo) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Um_2_4 Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 Blocks (wooden, large assortment) Duplos Dress up clothes play kitchen/food cars/trains/wooden tracks  Those are the big 5 around here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Lulu* Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 But I really need a 6th category- empty cardboard boxes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettyandbob Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 Legos/duplos Wooden train set, adding track over time Set of dolls, maybe like fisher price loving family, for story telling  Toys for 1-2 are definitel different than 3-6. Maybe focus on weeding/ storing baby toys as soon as they are outgrown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrub Jay Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 Dollhouse Figurines Baby doll Blocks Puzzles  Eta: I forgot about dress up. But those can be old mommy and daddy items so maybe that doesn't count as toys ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wonderchica Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 Magna-tiles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daniela_r Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 What a great topic!  1. Duplos. All 3 of our kids (ages 5 down to 1 1/2) can play happily with Duplos for an extended time. 2. Wooden puzzles. 3. Play food. We don't have a play kitchen, but our kids still get lots of mileage out of play food +teaset + plastic plates + toy skillet. 4. Baby doll, with some doll clothes, doll bottle, etc., if you have a girl. 5. Dress-up stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrothead Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 I answered in your other thread also  Blocks Boxes Play-doh Art supplies Dolls and action figures Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenneinCA Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 Duplos Thomas/Brio trains Hot wheels cars A little tykes sand box Play dough with cookie cutters  (My guys didn't like dress up or play kitchens, or any kind of doll. If I had had a doll loving kid, the list would be different...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cindy in FL. Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 Duplos Wooden blocks (lots of them!) Hot wheels (for over 3 yo) Wooden trains Plastic animal figures Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 wooden blocks ball sand toys (shovel, bucket, baking forms) stuffed animal or doll costume toy car Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Geek Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 Plastic animals Magna Doodle Puppets, stuffed animals, baby dolls toy cars wooden puzzles and as they get older jigsaw puzzles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In The Great White North Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 Wooden blocks/trains Dress up clothes/"fort" cloths Doll/teddy bear Ball Tricycle/scooter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SailorMom Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 Stacking cups (the basic $5 ones) Wooden blocks Play Doh Brio Train (or cheap alternative - doesn't matter) Action figure or doll - whatever the preference Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 Duplos Dress-up clothes Little plastic figurines of some sort, with which to play pretend (I can't tell you how many hours upon hours my kids played with these. They would often make houses, etc., for them with Duplos.) Crayons/paper Stuffed animals (even if it's just one special one per child) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momto10blessings Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 Duplos  Wooden train tracks and Lincoln logs  Play dough and accessories  Wheels- cars, airplanes, trucks  Balls Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K&Rs Mom Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 Â blocks dressup dolls/stuffed animals play food & pans something active like balls/trike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kesmom Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 Duplo (I would definitely include a set that has car or train parts) Dress up stuff - ours mostly use capes, playsilks, and various hats Animals - we have Schleich but our kids also adore Beanie Babies Puzzles Doll stroller or shopping cart Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justasque Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 "Disposable/convertible" toys - blankets taken off of beds to make forts, leaves from the garden to make play food, cardboard boxes to make play houses, pots and utensils from the kitchen to play with, and so on. These can be created, used, and tossed or put back to their usual purpose, thus expanding play possibilities without requiring more "stuff". Â Beyond that I would have -Â --Blocks, specifically quality wooden unit blocks. Â --"Guys" - toy people of various kinds. Â I prefer to avoid licensed characters.--Art supplies (to color on the cardboard boxes, make props for various pretend scenarios, etc.) --Costumes, for putting on shows of various kinds --Wheeled toys, for vehicle-loving kids.--Games/puzzles--LegoOK, that's more than six. Â But I think the list would vary depending on the child. Â For one of mine, it would be blocks, trains, cars, guys, and LEGO. Â For another, it would be blocks, guys and their accessories, games, puzzles, and construction toys. Â For another, it would be blocks, toy people, art supplies, costumes, and tools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
countrygal Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 Duplo legos (we have a TON) or another similar versatile building blocks like wooden blocks  Cars/tractors  Dolls with stroller (ditch the accessories - they lay all over the house!)  small box of baby toys (put the shape in the right hole, play phone)  play kitchen with food    Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myfunnybunch Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 Blocks  Dress-up box  Balls  Toy cars  A few dolls and stuffies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2bee Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 Blocks (all kinds--wooden, Duplo, click-clacks, etc) Animal Figures (the quality kind like Schleich) Ride Ons (Bikes, trikes, scooters, wagon...) Cardboard (empty boxes, rolls, tubes, etc...) Outdoor Stuff (Swings, sandbox, teeter-totter, climber, trampoline, etc...) Â Depending on the kids, I might switch out Animal Figures for Crafty stuff like crayons and paints, but I love the Schleich toys... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica_in_Switzerland Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 Ok, I haven't read any of the other responses yet... so here is what I would do off the top of my head:  - Play kitchen and dishes - wooden block system with some vehicles - legos - dolls/stuffed animals - play silks  And I put paper, markers/pencils/crayons and tape in a different category. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in TX Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 I have a 5yog and 2yob. I also babysit my 2yo granddaughter. These are the toys that they play with every day:  Hot Wheels cars (my son LOVES these. He would be perfectly happy if it was the only toy he had. The girls really like these too.) Doll Stroller (Dolls optional). The girls like to play with the dolls. My son just loves to race around the house pushing the stroller. Ride on car paper and pencils/pens/crayons ipad  Toys that are played with several times a week:  blocks Duplos farm animals toy kitchen and dishes stuffed animals crawl through tunnel   Susan in TX Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasmama Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 Well, I have one must have- duplos and then the smaller legos. My little kids still play with both, and they are 12, 10 and 7. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chicagoshannon Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 Duplo/Lego Magnatiles Barbies/ponies Characters/immaginext "guys" Cars/trains Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 either Duplos or wooden blocks - lots of them!  play foods and dishes. A play kitchen is nice but not mandatory. Your own muffin tins, small metal pots, etc. can be used, too.  decent cloth tunnel or playhouse (kind you can set up then take or fold back down when done with it.) Sheets over chairs, etc can work, too, instead,  toy animals, soft figures, dolls - that sort of thing.  crayons, paper, glue sticks - artsy craftsy stuff. A big roll of cheap newsprint is a blast for coloring, making maps of imaginary places, etc. Playdough if you can take the mess.  If you have a yard - a sand box or corner where they can dig in the dirt - get them a couple Tonka or similar outside items, small shovels, etc and stay out of the way!  Large cardboard boxes can be stores, kitchens, forts, etc. etc.  ok - that was 7, oops.   PS I'd see if the local library checks out wooden puzzles, etc (ours does) as how many times can you really make a puzzle before it gets boring. I'd not spend the money on them (get more blocks instead).  Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueTaelon Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 Favorites around here have always been:  Play silks (even 13 yr old still plays with them, she makes really amazing dresses out of them) Dress up Legos/Duplos new flat boxes (they build huge forts out of them, kinda like building a house of cards) Kitchen pretend play stuff  We've never really done the plastic/breakable toys. I tend to buy the stuff that requires use of imagination:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mango Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 play scarfs, silks  some sort of blocks  mini trampoline  Draw Write Now books with a ream of paper and markers.  Montessori kitchenware for pouring, cutting, serving, drinking, napkinsI really like their wooden stuff, but really any of it would be fantastic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 1. Wooden train set 2. wooden blocks 3. little animals/people/farm (or whatever) 4. dress-up clothes 5. play kitchen, pretend food, especially the food you can "cut" through the velcro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyto4 Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 Duplos sandbox cars plastic animals dolls with food/clothes/dishes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinder Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 Toys that both my ds's and dd (she's a real girly-girl) loved are:  wooden blocks wooden train & track set hot wheels playdoh baby pool  The boys also loved: legos, lincoln logs, tinker toys. Dd also loved: art supplies, stuffed animals, playsilks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 there was a catholic family across the street from me growing up. they didn't have a lot of toys, but it was the fun house to be at. they had: lego (duplo) wooden trains wood blocks FP little people (or sub playmobil) sports equipment (mostly baseball.) the chocolate lab was a great shortstop.    I built up a supply of those types of things when the olders were young. kids love to come here to play because there are plenty of legos trains etc.  I also have some board/card games. (and if I never see another star wars monopoly set it will be too soon. the kids bought those.) and puzzles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama Geek Posted August 10, 2013 Share Posted August 10, 2013 One thing I haven't seen that has provided my dd with endless hours of entertainment is our dog and a ball to play with the dog. She has spent more time playing with him than anything else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dianne-TX Posted August 11, 2013 Author Share Posted August 11, 2013 Thanks, everyone! You are so much help and now I get to work on it. I love purging and organizing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynn Posted August 11, 2013 Share Posted August 11, 2013 balls, bike, sandbox, blocks, and lots of basic craft supplies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica_in_Switzerland Posted August 11, 2013 Share Posted August 11, 2013 Thanks, everyone! You are so much help and now I get to work on it. I love purging and organizing!  And thank you to you- I have been working up the energy to purge and didn't really know where to begin. Seeing these responses is really helping me narrow down our toys and also make Christmas wish lists at the same time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GSOchristie Posted August 11, 2013 Share Posted August 11, 2013 I my kids are age 2-6 and I just got rid of all my baby toys, including Little People.  So I will say for tiny ones, keep the Little People :).  Legos, my kids never played with Duplos even though we have quite a few, they both went straight to Legos at age 3  Playmobil!  If I could only keep one type of toy, it would be Playmobil, there is a such a diverse offering that I have found a set that each of my kids LOVE  Imaginext superheroes.  My just turned 4 year old plays with these for at least an hour or two each day, and has for years, he skipped the Little People and went straight to Imaginext  Play kitchen, my kids play supermarket/kitchen every day  Dolls for Piper, she loves her babies  We have pared our toys down to these sets, basically, through a massive toy purge.  I think it would be different for different kids, however, my nephew who is 12 days younger than my son, doesn't like superheroes at all.  He plays with matchbox cars for hours a day, driving them all over the windowsills and furniture, carries them in his pocket, drives them in the car seat and the sandbox.  Jackson wouldn't play with matchbox if I had the coolest track and cars available (which I did, and I got rid of them because they sat in a box).  My nephew also doesn't like blocks of any kind, wooden, Duplos, Legos, but he loves dinosaurs.  My kids never played with wooden blocks, and we had a set of 200 plus a Haba set of 25 really cool ones, I tried to engage them over and over, showed them different ways to play, let them free build, they never really liked them.    Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted August 11, 2013 Share Posted August 11, 2013 I thought of something else - keep all cardboard tubes from paper towels, wrapping paper, etc. With large marbles or Hot Wheels kids can construct all sorts of ramps, tunnels etc. all over a room and send things down the tubes. I used to do this all over my bedroom as a kid. Cheap and fun.  I agree with others who like Playmobile - we had tons of it - but it can get $$$$ and I think Duplo/Legos are a better investment if money/space is an issue. If you stick to basic sets (do they still sell these?) the possibilities are endless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RocCityMom Posted August 11, 2013 Share Posted August 11, 2013 Some of the most creative and peaceful play I've seen my kids engage in was when we lived in a furnished apartment for a month while waiting to close on our house. Â Most of our possessions were in storage. Â The only toys I packed for us for that month were: Â 1. Â A basket of play silks 2. A basket of wooden blocks 3. A basket of wooden vehicles 4. A basket of Schleich animals 5. A wooden tabletop stove (we used home made playdough and pots and utensils from the kitchen to play with this). Â We also had a craft/art box filled with supplies. Â I'm trying to get back to a pared down family room/toy room since my 2, 5, and 7 year old spend most of their time constructing things out of cardboard boxes and recyclables anyway. Â This thread is reminding me to get on the project of creating a less cluttered and more open family room! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest inoubliable Posted August 11, 2013 Share Posted August 11, 2013 We're minimalist. My kids have Legos (in a different, personal container for each kid) and one basket of toys. The basket has 1) a jester costume - this is DS5's. He wore it to a Renn wedding and still dresses up in it often. 2) a set of play pots and pans from IKEA with some play food, stored in a burlap rice bag. 3) http://www.amazon.com/Fat-Brain-Toys-FA042-1-Reptangles/dp/B00392NSQ4 4) Gogos Crazy Bones - tons of these. They collect them and play ancient games with them 5) http://www.kangarooboo.com/product/details/1826-Green-Toys-Recycled-Plastic-Recycling-Truck 6) a small blue car made by the same company as that recycling truck that was given out at a toy convention thing for merchants 7) http://www.amazon.com/Perplexus-Maze-Game-PlaSmart-Inc/dp/B002NPBT50 8) http://www.amazon.com/Micro-Cubebot-Teaser-Puzzle-Orange/dp/B009MP1HGU 9) a dinosaur puppet that was mine as a kid - http://www.amazon.com/Folkmanis-2061-Dinosaur-Egg-Puppet/dp/B0007QO418 10) a Star Wars lightsaber 11) fairy in a jar 12) bananagrams, Zeus on the Loose, Slamwich, and Chomp 13) a small cosmetic bag filled with odds and ends - pretty rocks, stickers, pennies, bracelets and rings, plastic novelty junk given to them by whoever We don't have a huge art supply, either. A friend works for a design and print company and gets us a ton of really good heavyweight paper for free. So we have several pounds of that and some nice Prismacolor colored pencils and technical drawing pens, markers, and pencils from the same friend.  All of these belong to all three boys, but DS12 mainly sticks with his Legos and drawing and the little boys have begun to ignore the basket for the most part in favor of drawing and Legos.   Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbgrace Posted August 11, 2013 Share Posted August 11, 2013 That's a huge age range. But post baby ages we've gotten (by far) the most play value out of: magnatiles toy cars toy trains lego duplo playdough  I'm imagining the list would be different if I had girls. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isabella Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 I only had girls, so my suggestion are probably more 'girl based', but the things they used mostly were: Â Bikes Legos/other connecting blocks for younger ones soft toys toy pram/wagon board games Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewingmama Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 The most popular things in our house over the past 6 years have been  Duplo Hot wheels cars Little people anything Thomas train stuff Lalaloopsy dolls -all sizes  My DD also has ton of dolls and doll clothes  My DS2 loves stuffed puppies  Both genders also love the My Little Ponies  And any sort of dollhouse. Currently our dollhouses are being rented out to the ponies and the Skylander figurines. Lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoseInABook Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 1. Legos 2. Hot Wheels cars 3. Dolls 4. Little People/animals 5. Art Supplies   Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynn Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 I don't have much to add except a magnifying glass and a wagon. Â Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cera Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 Blocks Schleich (or similar) figures Play kitchen with food Dress up Dolls with accessories (clothes, etc) Â Â Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vonfirmath Posted August 12, 2013 Share Posted August 12, 2013 Blocks (to include Legos, Kids Adventure Jumbo Blocks, and baby plastic stack up blocks) Dress up/pretend items (play kitchen stuff, costumes, etc)A basket of stuffed animals/dollsWooden puzzlesGames (including balls for the more active games) Â Assuming we still have our computer/the Internet that would be the 6th "toy" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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