No Toys – Part 1

About two months ago I got really, really, really tired of cleaning up the same toys over and over and over again.  The gunny bag idea had worked for a little while, but I didn’t follow through with it like I should have.   Even when we do the gunny bag concept I still have to nag the kids to pick up, end up frustrated that they don’t, and then go around gathering things up myself.  Time.  Energy.  Stress.

One night I decided to do something a little hasty.  I gathered up about 92% of our toys and put them out of reach.  Most of them I put in or on the laundry room cabinets.

This is what I left out:

We still have a few trucks in McKay’s room available and Sadie has two dolls that were on her bed that usually are in the shopping cart.  But, that’s it!  The books, dolls, shopping cart, caterpillar toy, bead toy, and a few trucks are all they have access to.

I expected this to be a temporary respite, but it’s two months later and those toys are still sitting on top of the laundry room cabinets.  It’s been so great to have so few toys to pick up each day!   The house feels so much cleaner which means I feel so much happier.  Even when the house is a mess now that usually means a few toys need to be picked up, the dishes need to be done, shoe shelf needs organization, and laundry needs to be dealt with.  That’s manageable.

The kids don’t seem to care about the change.  They’ve asked about the missing toys a time or two but it’s never with great concern.  In the top of their closet I have bins of toys and we only get down one bin at a time.  Clean up is a cinch – one bin, everything goes in it….done.  Even McKay gets it and always helps to clean up at the end.

Also, in the kitchen I have a cabinet that holds all their electronic toys and the craft supplies.  They’re all old enough that the child safety lock no longer keeps them out.  They get out the craft stuff every day usually.  The electronic toys they pull out once a week or so.

It’s been great!  Maybe I’m stunting their learning growth and natural development.  But, I don’t think so.  I know many intelligent and creative people that grew up poor with very few toys to play with.  If anything it seems like they’re better off for their deprivations.

Tomorrow I’ll write about No Toys – Part 2 and talk about how we pass the time and some challenges we’re working through.