We’re right in the heart of gift-giving madness. More toys will be purchased during the Christmas season than all other holidays combined! There is always a buying frenzy and a hunt for the elusive hot toy of the season. Parents scramble to buy Johnny the very best and give Sally every toy her little heart desires, BUT is that behavior actually doing more harm than good? A recent study points to yes!
Researchers from the University of Toledo studied 36 toddlers by letting them play in a toy-filled room for 30 minutes. One room contained four toys and one room contained sixteen toys. They observed the differences in the way children interacted with these toys. What they found was super interesting!
“With fewer toys, participants had fewer incidences of toy play, longer durations of toy play, and played with toys in a greater variety of ways. This suggests that when provided with fewer toys in the environment, toddlers engage in longer periods of play with a single toy, allowing better focus to explore and play more creatively.”
So there is something to be said about giving a child a box for endless hours of play. It better sparks their imagination. And a surplus of toys does just the opposite. Too many toys causes a source of external distraction for young children. They actually play better with fewer toys! Can I get a collective hallelujah from the parents out there? I mean the toy thing is getting a bit out of control it seems.
The average American child gets 70 new toys a year. SEVENTY!! That seems insane to me!! And if that’s the average and I know I bought my kids nowhere near that amount, that means someone is out there gifting their kids hundreds upon hundreds of new toys each year. In the UK, a typical child owns 238 toys, but only plays with 12 favorites on a regular basis. So why do we continue to buy our kids 238 toys instead of just 12? Do we do it out of guilt? Do we do it to distract? To reward? Just because it’s the norm?
I’m curious what YOU think. How many toys do you think your kids own? Do you shower them with toys {no judgement here {you’re not in the minority if you do}? Do you think less is more? Talk to me about toys.
~Mavis
This post may contain affiliate links. These affiliate links help support this site. For more information, please see my disclosure policy. Thank you for supporting One Hundred Dollars a Month.