I was reading a really good article in the Guardian yesterday all about the excess of toys children of today have. In days gone by, especially post-war, there just weren’t so many toys in circulation. That meant that children really relished the few toys they did have and took great care to look after them.
Most parents I know have toys bursting from the cupboards. Children are very savvy about what they want partly due to all the adverts on TV. However, there is definitely a bit of a backlash against too many toys at the moment. For example, I have heard that some groups of parents are putting a limit on the amount that is spent on party bags eg £2 per child and giving the same amount to a charity.
According to the Guardian article two health workers persuaded a nursery in Munich to pack away all playthings for three months. This is what happened:
Initially, the children were bored but by day two they had turned tables and blankets into dens and were absorbed in make-believe games. They became more imaginative and contented, and in the process learned to concentrate, communicate better and integrate more in groups.
So, what can you do with all those toys? Either you can sort some out and give the ones that are not needed to charity or you could put some away and rotate the toys that are on offer.
It is what a child does with a toy that is important but here are some ideas of simpler toys for different ages:
Under 1 year
Mirrors, mobiles, rattles, soft books, soft toys
1 to 3 years
Ball, threading toys, stacking cups, push-pull toys, sand and water toys, crayons and paper, plastic jug and beakers for pouring
3 to 5 years
Dressing up clothes, felt-tipped pens, colouring books, paper, an indoor tent, jigsaw puzzles, construction toys, a plastic tea set
5 to 7 years
Skipping rope, playing cards, little people toys, a post office set
7 to 10 years
Junior Scrabble, Snakes & Ladders, collections of things, a money box