Most kids have more than enough toys to last them and their future children a lifetime. Yet every year there’s always a must have toy, and another gets added to the collection. In fact, I bet if you walked into your child’s room right now with a trash bag, you could get rid of more than half of their “beloved” toys and they wouldn’t even notice! Slimming down your toy piles can do more than create a little minimalism in your home. Your kids will be happier with less toys even if they don’t think so!

When my kids were little we had a rule that they only got new toys for their birthdays and for Christmas – and they still had too many!

With Christmas fast approaching, now is a good time to find toys to give away and make room for new toys – and hopefully your child will have less toys in the process! Here are 5 things you children will gain when you have less toys in the house.

5 Things Your Kids will Gain with Less Toys

They learn to be creative

Think back to your days as a child. What were some of your favorite things to play as a kid? Most of them probably involved some sort of pretend play. When your children own less toys, they learn to be more creative when it comes to playtime. Having less toys means they have to be more innovative when it comes to playtime and teaches them how to make their own fun. So important for their development!

They learn the importance of sharing

If you have kids that don’t seem to want to share anything, getting rid of some of their toys may do the trick. Sharing is a behavior that is learned, and helps keep the peace between children. When your children don’t have as many toys, they will learn the importance of sharing between siblings and friends.

They learn how much they really need

The key to owning less when it comes to your children’s toys is not to throw out everything, but rather to only keep what they really love. When your kids are left with only the toys they love, they can easily find their toy of choice. Overwhelming your children with options can actually make them stressed out by choices, and less likely to appreciate what they have.

Things stay organized longer

Clutter makes it impossible to keep a tidy home. If you have children, you know there are toys all over the house. When your kids have less toys, they can easily keep up with their toys and put them back when they’re done with them. Each of their toys has a home and can easily be found again when it’s time to play, which makes it possible to keep their toys organized longer. 

They will learn to be more conscious about the things they use

When you buy something new, you might give it some thought before your purchase. Will you actually use this? How long am I going to use this for? We tend to be more impulsive when it comes our kid’s toys and buy them without much thought. When toys are carefully selected and you bring your kids into the decision process, they learn how to identify a good purchase.

Your kids don’t need a lot of toys to be happy. While it may feel like you’re depriving your kids if they own less, I promise, your kids will be better off!