20 Toy ideas for Families Striving for Simplicity and Less

As we continue this process of simplifying and minimizing, with christmas and our Pumpalumpkin's first birthday approaching we've begun thinking more about how this life style we are pursuing will effect our children in play and hopefully the way they think about things.

There is such a huge part of us that want to simply pour out blessings on our daughter. The world would try to tell us that to truly bless her, toys would rain down from heaven, mounding, providing hours of entertainment and fun. But we know and are learning more everyday the importance and joy of owning less, wanting for less, and finding beauty in simple things. We want our daughter and future children to grow up wanting the important things in life, working hard for what they have, seeking happiness and joy in all the beautiful things God has given them.

We don't want to cultivate attitudes of entitlement; giving into this idea that bigger and better things are waiting around the corner, all of these flashy toys come and go as the flowers of the fields. We don't want them growing up believe that having more will make them happy. I watch kids today looking through magazines, watching TV commercials and seeing all of the adds for the newest toys, and see a growing attitude of discontentment and a constant need for more. Nothing seems to satisfy. Ultimately kids grow up with toys upon toys, feeling empty and bored.

Don't get me wrong, we are not saying that toys are bad. On the contrary we believe that toys can play a vital role in a child's life developing, teaching and inspiring great creativity. I only have a problem with quantity and the worlds idolization of 'things' that instill seeds of materialism in our youth.

 So that being said, what are we going to do about it; how are we going to attempt to teach our children to have a healthy appetite for play, finding joy in less, and freedom in the simplicity of what they own? How can we possibly go about teaching contentment in a world that screams for bigger, better, newer, and more?

As we have explored our options and the possibilities for our kids here is a simple list of toys we have come up with that we hope will cultivate the imagination, creativity, and life skills they need.         (This list is geared to kids ages 18 months- 8 years old)

1. Building blocks

2. A handful of wooden or plastic animals/ figurines 

3. One or two baby dolls with two outfits, bottle, and 2 diapers

4.  Two or three stuffed animals

5. Wooden Puzzle boards 

6. Baby carriage or sling

7. Two sorting and stacking games

8. A handful of cars 

9. A train and small track set

10. Playing silks

 11. A few dress up items

12. A few imaginative play things

13. A small genderless doll house with a couple dolls and a few furniture items

14. Bike

15. Craft and Art stuff

16. Drum and one other instrument (triangle, shaker, guitar, recorder, whistle, ect.)

17. Wooden play kitchen with a few play foods, pots and dinnerware 

18. Books

19. One toy of choice (something they really want- have them work for it)

20. Outings to Museums, Zoos, Aquariums, field trips, ect.

Our goal personally, is to stay away from all the flashy, light up, decked out toys and try to give our kids toys that will last and not grow into heaps and piles. Honestly at this point our 11 month old daughter prefers her simple toys to her light up, buttons-a-plenty things. She finds more joy and delight pulling clothes out of a drawer and banging on pots and pans than in any of the other play things we have for her. As she grows and we learn I am sure we will revise this list little by little, but for where we are now we are excited about these ideas as a starting place and a guide.  

Do you have any ideas for toys that you would want to encourage your kids to play with?