Silas, in April of 2010, playing with a box (It’s amazing how much he’s grown up in the last year and a half!)
Who says you need to spend hundreds of dollars on fancy gadgets and gizmos for children to have fun? GeekDad says the top five toys of all time are:
1. Sticks
2. Cardboard Boxes
3. String
4. Cardboard Tube
5. Dirt
Go read the full article if you need a laugh or just a reminder that sometimes the best things in life don’t cost any money.
Related: Dealing With Toy Overload
I’d like to add paper towels to the list. My nephew’s FAVORITE game of all time is stacking the paper towels (still wrapped in plastic) until the stack is so high they fall down. Then he laughs hysterically, jumps up and down and starts all over. Every time we play this game, I wonder out loud why we buy kids toys at all?! 🙂
And don’t forget rocks & pebbles. Unfortunately for the kids’ safety and Mama’s peace of mind, they’re also a favorite teething toy.
I would’ve said the same when I was a wee one. Now I say Woody, Buzz, Jessie, Rex, and other Buzz
Seriously, though, my best memories involve the items you mention. I got really excited the one day I had a chance to play with a refrigerator box.
I love it! It is so true, isn’t it. Makes you wonder why we feel the need to complicate our children’s lives when they are so content with such simple entertainment.
Pots and pans didn’t make the top 5??!! Seriously??!!
LOL My grandma always said that “all kids need is scratch paper and stubby pencils” Thanks for the laugh it reminded me of her!
My oldest’s favorite was (unplugged) power strips. She was FASCINATED by them!
And laundry baskets! They are covered wagons, cages, snares, small rooms….
Ha! that’s a good list for boys! for little girls I would add tape, paper, pencils, plastic butter containers, and a mirror!
When my youngest was 1, his favorite thing to do was to remove lids and put them back on again. His two favorite toys were the package from muffin tin liners (it was very malleable (sp??) making it easy to put on the lid and take it back off) and a plastic baking powder container that had a flip top lid! When my daughter was one, I gave her a box of spaghetti to keep her occupied while I was cooking… this became one of her favorite toys. I was glad we had a small kitchen because the spaghetti was everywhere!!
I also agree with tape and water! It doesn’t get any more entertaining than that!!
Not free but duct tape has got to be in the top ten. I remember taking my oldest to visit his grandparents when he was just a wee one. My mom was so excited to have a grandbaby. She had gone out and bought a bunch of baby toys. He spent the entire visit playing with a 2 liter bottle and a plastic spoon and ignored all the toys she’d purchased. Keep it simple.
Someone sent me that link last week, and I was going to pass it on to you, but I never did. Glad someone else did. It’s funny. It’s frugal. And it’s so true! My kids’ favorite is tape and paper. They can play all day with those two things!
My girls age 4 and 6 enjoy playing with cardboard boxes. Next on their list would be an old magazine to cut out pictures.
I would have to say that water is one of our top 5 toys. My little girl (2) has spent hours and hours inside and outside pouring and playing with water.
I have to add clothespins. My daughter LOVES to play with them. She uses them to string yarn (or the dog’s leash) between chairs and hang laundry, she uses them to turn blankets into capes, She closes up cloth bags of treasures with them….they are one of her favorites. I usually ahve to ask for them back on laundry day, because she borrows so many from me.
This article was spot-on, and the comments were fun too. Several people added “tape” which I believe could fall into the “string” category =) My 2 boys (10 and 7) are often in the garage with Tube, Tape, and Box building Rube Goldberg machines or marble tracks (using golf balls.) They have even hooked up the ShopVac to add some motion to the whole contraption. I think the only actual “toy” they play with at all is Legos, which are really just little plastic versions of Box…
Ha ha! So true. 🙂
Not free but a cheap gift for little kids although when they play with them we all have fun… what is it…pipecleaners…of any color and size..
My kids play happily with pipe cleaners during the sermon at church just about every week.
I loved reading the article in the link- he is spot on! One of my kids’ favorite activities is chasing each other around the house with each one holding an end to a rope or string. I don’t know why this is so entertaining, but whatever works!
The link to the post is very fun! Thanks!!
Ha! My husband and I were just joking that we were going to give our 7 month old a new cardboard tube and a piece of string for Christmas. 🙂
This is so true!
When someone recently asked me what to get our 3 year old for Christmas I answered, “Dried beans, boxes and bugs”! Those are three things that can keep her occupied for hours 🙂
SO TRUE…especially with boys! My boys LOVE playing with sticks in our backyard. 🙂
My in-laws have a laundry basket full of old Margarine cups & lids, Oatmeal boxes, empty coffee tins, and pie pans. It’s amazing how creative my 3 & 4 yr olds will be to play with those items! From creating a circle “fortress”, to “building blocks”, to using as “drums” played with their sand shovels as their drum sticks. I just love their imagination!!!
All so true and yes, funny!
Sounds like some of the toys that are at our house. Ds (same age as Silas) will run in circles dragging one of Dh’s boot laces waiting for the cat to pounce on the string and chase him.
Cardboard is definitely in the top 5. I don’t know how many times our children received gifts and ended up playing with the box!
My boys totally agree 🙂