For Kids, Less is MORE

If you're a mama, this message is for you! (Or if you'll be a mama in the future…tuck away this little nugget of wisdom for later!)

 If you're a regular watcher of my YouTube channel or reader of my blog, what I'm going to say today won't come as a surprise to you in any way, but as I've been thinking about shifting seasons and upcoming holidays, and because we're in the midst of Birthday Season in our home, this has been on my mind a lot lately!

 

Toys.

 

Specifically, our tendency to end up with playrooms full of toys, baskets and bins and shelves full to overflowing - and all the mess that goes with that over-abundance. I think back to when I was a child, and I definitely did not have a playroom - and none of my friends did either. 

 

I absolutely fell prey to this belief that more was better when my children were younger. We've had the playrooms and the masses of toys and we had all the stress and mess and fighting that goes hand in hand with the over-stimulation that is too much stuff. Think about how overwhelmed you can feel by a closet full of clothes with nothing to wear, or a room full of clutter - this is how your child's brain feels when confronted with a space full of colorful, noisy toys!

 

I've also been the mom who bagged up all of their kids' toys and put them in storage because the toys had become an obstacle to their love and care for each other - and I can tell you from experience, less is more. 

 

Fewer toys means fewer fights, fewer messes, and MORE engagement, creative and imaginative play, and general contentment with what they have.

 

This week, take stock of your toy situation. You don't have to donate them all, but can you reduce your kid's toys by 25%? 50%? 75%? Give it a week or two, and see the changes for yourself! And make sure to report back, because I bet you'll be blown away by the change!

 

And hey, while you're at it, is there anything in your life or space that may need to be whittled down a bit? 

xoxo,

Angie