Toys are great. They really are. Thanks to them kids develop many skills, learn a lot of information and have plenty of joy. But they can also be a bit bad.
Toys can lead to spoiled kids and kids who care about materialistic things too much. Usually, this can happen when kids become comparing their toys with friends.
Another risk is that some toys can be addictive. They are made in a way to grab the attention and basically “demand” it all the time.
So, a bit of careful parenting is in order. You can help your kids not get addicted to their toys and not get drawn to a “who’s got a better toy” battle with friends.
It’s not something that you should neglect, either. The attitude towards toys often will then be directed towards something else when the kids grow up. So, if they are caring and kind to their toys from early age, barring some bad experience of event, then they will continue to be such people when they grow up.
On the contrary, if kids are really spoiled about toys and get way to possessive about them, that can transfer over to their adult life later on. Luckily, parents can keep kids on the right track, as Patch.com notes, there are some simple things you can do.
One of them is to simply not spoil your kids. It’s easy when your child is upset, to make him or her feel better by buying a new toy. But that will teach kids that they can get stuff they want by getting upset. Instead, when the kids are upset, talk to them, see what’s wrong. If the reason they are upset is that they want a specific toy, make them earn it. A bit house chores or something will teach them that they first have to put in the work, before expecting rewards.
Also, talk with your kids. They can understand a lot more than you think. So simply get together and talk calmly and lovingly. Explain why play time has to be limited or why you can’t just buy all the toys. Kids can surprise you with their understanding and reasoning.
In order to keep kids interested in the toys they already have, keep them on rotation. Put away some of the toys for a while and then bring them back. This way, especially younger kids and toddlers, are interested in their toys a lot more.
Set some playtime with your kid and the toys. Show your kids that there are different ways they can play with the same toys. This will also inspire creativity.
Make it known that toy buying is for special occasions, not just like buying bread and milk. Get a wishlist going and motivate the kids to decide carefully which toys they want and that they earn it with proper behavior, helping out and so on. Make them know what to expect when they go shopping with you. For example, “today we’re just looking around”, or “you can get something with your own $10”.
Using these and other similar parenting tactics, you can make sure your kids will treat their toys well and won’t get addicted to them. Plus, it will help them out become better adults, as well.
