Guest post from Katie of Embracing a Simpler Life
It’s the same old story; a closet full of clothes and nothing to wear.
My kids, and most kids I presume, have an over-abundance of toys. Nonetheless, they eventually lose interest. There they stand, bored, surrounded by a room full of delights. We’re left wondering what else we could buy to keep them entertained.
Over the years, I’ve resisted this temptation out of both necessity and principle. Instead, I’ve experimented with how to re-interest them in their toys.
Here is what I’ve found helpful:
1. Give toys a sabbatical.
This tried and true method is one of the best I’ve found. Box up toys and stick them in closet. After a few months, trade them out for others. This takes only a small effort and works wonders in reestablishing interest.
2. Pretend play with your children.
Kids need new ideas for old toys, not new toys for old ideas. Fifteen minutes of fully engaged, imaginative play on your part will likely produce hours of new material for your kids.
They never imagined that basket as an oven or those blocks as cake. They never saw the afghan as a picnic blanket or the stacking cups as teacups. Open their eyes to new possibilities through pretend play.
3. Assign toys to various different spots around the house.
Restricting toys to certain areas allows children to change environments throughout the day. My daughter plays dress up in her room, cars in her brother’s room, puzzles in the family room, coloring and stickers in the kitchen, etc.
Also, feel free to switch toys from room to room every so often. Seeing them in a new environment gives toys new life.
4. Reinvent them.
Figure out which toys would work in the bathtub, even if that’s not their original purpose. Which would work with play dough? Allow children to explore new applications of their existing toys.
5. Make accessories for toys together.
One of my fondest memories of my grandmother was when she and I made a baby doll bed from an empty oatmeal canister. This was a special memory, totally free, and it piqued my interest in baby dolls for months to come.
My dad tells stories of taping cardboard boxes to his Radio Flyer wagon and decorating them to look like race cars. Simple paper and cardboard accessories can be a great way to expand the use of toys without buying new ones.
How do you build your kids’ interest in old toys?
Hi! I’m Katie. I’m a young-ish, stay-at-home mom of two adorably-fun little ones, and I live a life devoted to Jesus. I love to write, and I focus my energy on living simply and well. My husband works for our church as a tech guy, I blog at Embracing a Simpler Life, and together we have a photography business.
Tracey Riddle says
We recently discovered the fun of Beanie Babies in the bathtub!! Just the standard ones, not the super fluffy ones. But, just a quick tumble in the dryer afterwards and they are no worse for the wear. An added plus when the kids take a bubble bath is that the beanie babies come out of the dryer smelling pretty!
Katie Bennett says
That’s a fun idea! I’ve been wondering what to do with all my old beanie babies.
Nancy says
I always loved just playing with one box/basket of toys per day. Just dumping the whole box on the ground and they can play away all day… but then it might be a few weeks until that box/basket was dumped again.
Also, when they are dumped it’s a great chance to look for any broken toys to throw away or to take out the toys that are no longer age appropriate.
Ashley P says
Question: how do you do this when your kid is only 9 months old? My son has a playroom simply stuffed with toys. A giant plush monkey. Stacking rings. A musical bear. Balls. Rattles.
But his favorite place to be is in our living room eating Cheerios off the floor or pushing buttons on my hubby’s game controller (which I try not to let him get, but sometimes he pulls it off the charger when I’m not looking). He cries when he gets bored with that, but he won’t play with any of his toys. He just wants me to carry him around. I can’t do that. And sometimes, I need him out of my way so I can sweep and mop the floor (we have all tile).
How do you keep a baby entertained?
Jen says
At this age, a baby often does need a playmate with the toys. It’s hit or miss too if the toys are not age appropriate. They have very short attention spans. But for getting things done, my recommendation is a variety of things that keep them contained – an exer saucer, a jumperoo you hang in a doorway, a bumbo on the counter so he can watch you at eye level (big no-no, I know, but it’s worked for my kids….don’t judge!) , or sitting in the high chair with a snack or a couple small toys. Babies need time to be mobile and lots of interaction, but being “contained” 15-20 min at a time a couple times a day will allow you to get things done! You might have to start with just a few minutes and work your way up to it.
Diana says
I had (and still have!) the same thoughts! My little guy is now 2.5, and he’s just getting to where he can actually “play” imaginatively. When he was younger, in fact maybe right around 9 mo like your little one, he went through a phase where he just loved taking items out of a bowl. I’d put measuring spoons, scoops, other large kitchen items into a mixing bowl and he’d sit there and just take each piece out and thought that was incredible. Or maybe clean the floor and then line up the cheerios for him to “find” and eat while you clean the rest of the floor? 😉 Or maybe a pot/plastic box to bang on with a wooden spoon? Also, books with one large, colorful photo on each page held his attention more than pictures with a lot of detail. Hang in there–it is hard for them to play at this stage! Slowly but surely he’ll get better at entertaining himself 🙂
Ashley P says
lol. I tried the bowl thing already. What did he do? Grab the bowl, flip it over, and dump all the stuff out of it. It’s all he ever does with it. I originally put his Cheerios in an old egg carton to help develop his pincer grasp. it forced him to pick up the pieces with just two fingers since his whole hand won’t fit in there. That worked… for a while. Until he figured out flipping it over gave him all the cereal at once! So, I may have to do something else. I just don’t know what kind of games you play with a baby. He gets bored of patty cake and peekaboo quickly. He’s not interested in the Baby Einstein DVDs. I pulled the batteries out of an old DVD remote and let him play with the buttons on it (sigh. He’s his father’s kid for sure!) but I honestly don’t know how else to keep him entertained.
Rachel says
You know, this probably won’t work for you in the here and now, but my experience is that nothing keeps a baby that age entertained quite like an older sibling (or a few of them). Babies spend a lot of time watching other children playing, following them around, ‘helping’ (actually messing up) whatever they are doing, etc.
I guess one point I’m making is hang in there! The first one is actually the hardest in many ways! While siblings do generate arguments, they are wonderful full-time playmates!
Katie Bennett says
I can relate Ashley! My first was the exact same way. I never really found a perfect solution, but at around 13 or 14 months she started loving Elmo’s World. That became our dinnertime prep routine. So as others have said, hang in there! Your current stage is probably the hardest you’ll ever have it in terms of household tasks. Also, I let my kids play with the remote. If they’re happy and safe, I say, go for it!
Dall Bariscak says
Our baby loved to sit in his high chair with a shallow plastic bin filled with a little water and some measuring cups. He would splash, pour and stir the water. Add a little baby wash for some bubbles. Easily wipes clean! He also loved when I filled it with dry oats and animals or baby safe cars and trucks. Search for baby sensory play and there are tons of ideas that will entertain your little one for hours! Just make sure everything is baby safe and not a choking Hazzard! Now, with a toddler, I still do all sorts of sensory bins/water tables and he loves them! 🙂
Marie says
These are great ideas. Thanks for sharing
sarah @ little bus on the prairie says
I have also noticed that when my kids have too many toys to play with they get overwhelmed. Sometimes the solution is just a lot of winnowing down.
The first time I went through this ALL the toys got packed up. And you know what? My kids had a blast playing with the empty toy bins!
Katie Bennett says
I couldn’t agree more. I will have to give this a try!
Mrs. W says
What great ideas! Thanks for sharing.
Alicia says
You can add making a toy rotation system to that. After a couple weeks of not seeing toys, they become new again! (Guess it’s similar to a toy sabbatical only more methodical.)
Katie Bennett says
Thanks for the idea!