I’ve been thinking about toys lately. I know that several of my (albeit grateful) friends are overwhelmed by the sheer volume of toys that their loved ones shower upon their children.
I plan to be intentional about the toys I bring in my home. Made-in-China plastic toys that require no imagination aren’t exactly the ideal toys I have in mind. I’m more interested in this, this, and this, and whole lot less of this.
The space in my home is definitely not unlimited, and I want each “thing” I bring into my home to matter. I don’t want to be one of those over-the-top parents who return everything and don’t let their kids near anything that’s not organic, but I also want my little ones to grow to value imagination and creativity from day one.
How do you/would you deal with this?
By the way, I highly recommend Amanda Soule’s The Creative Family; she is so freakin’ inspiring. Just looking at the pictures on her blog leaves my heart a flutter.
Sunday, June 01, 2008
Toys
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4 comments:
My kids are going to have to make their own toys from tin cans and any resource (read: refuse) they can find. Well, maybe not that drastic but I like what you're getting at. That child development center looks too advanced for an adult such as myself. I'm so happy to be reading about all your preparations McGovern.
yeah, those vtech things are crap. it's really downhill for you if you get your one year old a video game.
i was brought up with crayons, empty cardboard boxes and teddy bears. all the ingredients you need to give your best friend the best "home" you can imagine.
Sherry, I'm totally on board with your way of thinking! I'm so glad you're going to give your little ones a chance to use their imaginations.
As a kid my favorite toys were wooden blocks, legos, and this translucent yellow bowl we had. I used to tell stories with my lego creations, build the most elaborate (in my head) wooden block castles, and tear up pieces of paper to be my ingredients to "cook" things in that yellow bowl. I wouldn't have it any other way.
I want my kids to learn resourcefulness and the value of creating something with their hands whether that means crafting or cooking or building. I want them to grow and appreciate the simple things in life, the pleasure of manufacturing something useful and/or beautiful out of raw materials, the things that often get left by the wayside b/c of technology.
Of course at an appropriate time they will learn computers and any other such things that will be necessary for them to function in society, but their lives will not be built around those things. And they will NOT have cell phones at age 5 or even 10, but that's another rant for another day.
The bottom line is I think the children who end up in your home will be marvelously fortunate. :)
Cardboard boxes, paper towel rolls, and the banging of pots and pans along with dress up in mommy shoes are the favourites with my 3 yr old and 8 month old.
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