There is no minimum number of toys needed—in fact, a recent study found that when toddlers had fewer toys in their environment, they played with each toy longer, allowing them to focus more and play more creatively.
We can throw some things away and give some things away, but at the end of it all, you are only going to have 20 toys left.” We called it The 20-Toy Rule. 20 toys sounds like a lot… or maybe it doesn't. But you'd be surprised at how many things children can accumulate.
Results reveal that 15% of kids play with 1-4 toys, 44% play with 5-10 toys, 10% play with 11-15 toys, and 11% play with 16-20 toys. On average, most kids play with only 10 toys or less out of their collection.
3. Fewer toys encourage gratitude and appreciation. When kids have fewer toys, but love and play with them all, they value and appreciate them much more than when they have an excess number of toys.
Children do grow fast, but it takes about three months for them to hit enough milestones to warrant new toys. So you can return to your favourite toy store every three months and buy what will best suits your child at the time or you could simply subscribe to curated boxes of play.
The problem with having too many toys
Similar to cluttered pantries or office spaces, which make it hard for adults to focus, having too many toys around the house can make it difficult for children to concentrate, learn, and develop important skills around play.
Most families have too many toys. Many well-meaning parents don't realize that, in reality, more toys equals less play. Kids are easily overwhelmed with choice, and a child who is unsure of what to play with often ends up playing with nothing at all.
These findings may seem surprising if you've never had an 8-year-old, but there are some reasons a child's eighth year can be especially challenging from a parent's perspective. Eight-year-olds can be stubborn, slamming doors and rolling their eyes, in their attempts to establish their independence and individuality.
It's important not to overwhelm the play space with toys. As an approximate guide, try to keep the number of toys immediately available to under 4 for a premobile child, under 8 for a crawling child, and under 12 for a toddler, depending on the size of the space and number of parts to each toy.
Yes. One simple reason why toddlers won't play with toys may simply be because they're overwhelmed. So, if there are too many selections available, your child might take some time before they can choose one to start with. Moreover, when toys are abundant, your kid might latch on to some and ignore the others.
Three or more children = wrong
Despite the growing trends mentioned above, two children still seems to the ideal number. An actual study revealed one to two children is the ideal number for “happiness”, but with two you don't have to deal with the aforementioned only child issues.
Some follow the “rule of three.” This means that a child gets three presents, one for each gift baby Jesus received. Others believe in four: something you want, something you need, something to wear, and something to read.
Similar to cluttered pantries or office spaces, which make it hard for adults to focus, having too many toys around the house can make it difficult for children to concentrate, learn, and develop important skills around play.
If a child still wants to play with toys as they move into adolescence, it is totally normal and to be celebrated! Unless a child's play is affecting or replacing real-life friendships, there is no need to worry.
The condensed version is - kids are NEVER too old for toys! If your child starts to seem too old for toys, it isn't time to get rid of playthings altogether. This is a new developmental stage, and just like when they progressed from a tricycle to a bike, it is time to transition to a different types of play.
Play kitchens appeal to kids of all ages, from toddler hood right up to eight or nine years old- this really does depend on the child. There is no set “good age” to get your child a wooden play kitchen.
According to this, a kid will have about 117 toys by the age of 13. By then, their parents would have spent around $4300 on toys (based on the average annual spending of $329). The average American child will have around 117 toys by the time they reach their teens and their parents would have spent about $4300 by then.
Small kids are more obsessed with toys. It is better to select something productive that may help your child learn, for example, a learning toy, night storybooks, etc.; 3 toys are enough for young kids. However, you can select more or less according to your budget. For school-aged kids, 4 to 5 gifts are enough.
All of this curiosity will be a fun time for you and your child as you open the book of the world to them! They become quite independent as they reach 5-6 years of age, even wanting to help you with some of the chores! This is probably why most parents look at age 6 as the magical age when parenting gets easier.
If you study charts of the brain in growing children, you'll see there's a rapid period of growth in the amygdala, right around four years of age. There's a huge amount of activity going on in this one area of the brain at this time. The brain is growing neurons and synapses almost too quickly for it to keep up.
A TODAYMoms.com survey of more that 7,000 mothers found that the least stressful number of kids is four, while the most stressful number is three.
Absolutely not. But these activities may cause symptoms that are similar to ADHD, even though they can't cause ADHD itself,” he says.
By 5-year-old most kids will no longer need a comfort object like a plushie or blanket everywhere they go. But they may still sleep with that object for much longer. Many kids will stop sleeping with their plushies by 10-year-old.
By having less toys, our kids have more opportunity to exercise their executive functioning skills. They have more opportunities for creativity and problem solving.