Toys, Toys and More Toys!

Have you ever heard the expression, 'You don't know what you have till you put it in a box"?
Well, as I am presently putting what we have in many boxes, I now know. We have toys, toys and more toys!


How did we end up with so many toys? 


There are so many amazing toys on the market now that parents feel the need to buy more and more, cluttering up the room (and minds) of there little ones. Myself included!
Why do I do this? I know the best toys are things like a cardboard box, a long piece of string or a variety of pots and pans. I have watched in dismay many times, having bought the calves some new and expensive toy, seeing them lose interest after only a few minutes. 


Perhaps I am seduced by the captions on the box. Things like "discover the world of insects" and "build phonemic awareness", "Ooohhh!" I say "Phonemic awareness", sounds like something we need. 


But the thing is, many toys are limiting in the way you can play with them. Limiting to the extraordinary capabilities of a child's imagination that is.
Go back to the long piece of string, it could be anything, couldn't it? A snake, a tower, a rope or barrier. You can tie with it, you can run with it, thread with it, wrap it around things, jump over it and limbo under it. You can take it in the bath and see if it floats. The possibilities are endless and it costs next to nothing. 


It's what's inside the child that counts not the stuff we surround them with. 


A friend recently told me of a kindergarten in Tokyo that has no toys. No toys! Can you imagine such a place? How would you feel if you walked into a kindergarten that had no toys? Would you consider sending your kids there? 
The only toys the kids have there are the ones they make themselves.  
I imagine a large, almost empty space where the children have access to all manner of materials and tools. Where they communicate, collaborate and create! Wow! Not only do I want to work there, I want to play there!


Maybe by giving kids too many options regarding materials and toys for play we are actually stifling the creative experience? To achieve a desired end given limited resource takes imagination and creativity. Definitely skills needed for the future we find ourselves facing wouldn't you say?


So, we are selling, donating and throwing away a lot of stuff and have sworn a pledge not to repeat the same mistakes. Here's to a clutter-free existence!