Toys

[SilverSabre25]

My biggest no is cheap toys. They just break anyway so why do it? I also try to find things that they don't have at home

Ooo that is one of my biggest pet peeves!! "We saw how much she liked it at your house so we bought one for home!" Now she doesn't want to play with it here!!

[Alice Of Legend]

Barbies ~ HATE them! They are hard to manipulate for the under 5 crowd and I have a particular distain for having to dress them ALL the time when the kids are playing with them.

I agree! I had to get rid of mine because I spent more time dressing all the barbies then the kids did actually playing with them!

My train set/table-

I was sooooooo excited to be able to finally purchase one and one/two in particular mad it impossible to have. Always destroying the tracks and taking it apart.

So now it sits in storage right now till I can figure out if I just want to sell it or try again.

I have a friend who turned her's into a light table after seeing it on a blog somewhere. I can't remember off hand the site she found the DIY guide on, but it turned out really good and her kids LOVE the light table!


For me its any lights/sound toys with batteries, coloring books (I loath these), barbies, and fishing games (never fails that the fishing pole starts getting used as a whip, accidentally or not).

Occasionally I'll bring out the music toys and magnetic dress up dolls, but they are a limited time only item as it quickly turns into a fight over who gets what.

[cheerfuldom]

Alice reminded me, I dont do music instruments either. I just cant handle all that noise.

[Lianne]

This thread is a relief in a way. I often buy a toy thinking it will be great fun and educational only to discover that the kids aren't interested, misuse them or dump and run. I'm so glad I'm not the only one who does this!

I have an entire room of manipulative toys. Peg sorting, lacing, number learning, puzzles, sequencing, patterning, etc. They rarely get used, especially now that my oldest is only 18mos, but even when I had some 2-4yr olds, they threw the pieces or scattered them or were just not interested in using the activities so I stopped putting them out. They sure look pretty on my shelves though and interviewing clients love them!

A couple years ago I got into making these big, wonderful file folder games and felt stories, etc. I spent a ton of money between printer ink, paper, file folders and laminating them. Then there was hours of my time spent colouring and cutting pieces out. I had four banker boxes filled according to themes. Used one or two of them once or twice but that's it. Again, the kids scattered the pieces and barely looked at them otherwise. Two weeks ago I gave them all to a kindergarten teacher I know. She was thrilled and I was happy to have the space back that they were taking up.

I removed my play kitchen awhile ago. I loved the kitchen I had but the kids ignored it. At most it was a mountain for the animals to climb. Tea parties are held on the floor, picnic style. The kids don't miss it but I do!

[EchoMom]

Oh man, this is kind of depressing. This makes me feel like the kids can't handle ANY toys and I shouldn't buy anything anymore and just have them sit in an empty room!

Not bashing, I agree, I could list a bunch of stuff that never gets used in my playroom too! Although I've never had a problem with MISuse as some PPs have mentioned. I have tons and tons of money invested in wooden toys that don't really get done, just scattered pieces...

So what's the problem? Are toys for the littles just not what they want? Or is scattering just what they do? Or is free play just not for them and it should just be activities???

[My3cents]

Oh man, this is kind of depressing. This makes me feel like the kids can't handle ANY toys and I shouldn't buy anything anymore and just have them sit in an empty room!

Not bashing, I agree, I could list a bunch of stuff that never gets used in my playroom too! Although I've never had a problem with MISuse as some PPs have mentioned. I have tons and tons of money invested in wooden toys that don't really get done, just scattered pieces...

So what's the problem? Are toys for the littles just not what they want? Or is scattering just what they do? Or is free play just not for them and it should just be activities???

So what's the problem? Are toys for the littles just not what they want? Or is scattering just what they do? Or is free play just not for them and it should just be activities???
Reply With Quote

Kids don't know how to play well, and are not entertained with much that are not electronics or tv, or stimulating. If it doesn't talk, make noise, or interactive they don't want to do it. Your program can have none of this, but you can bet when they go home they do have all this. I have seen parents put the movie in as they leave the driveway. Kids want to be stimulated differently then they used to be and don't know what to do with bland and toys that make you think on your own. Adults are like this too-

I am not for one way or another. I think more of a balance of the two. We want to move forward in life and life is taking us to a different place then the way we grew up.

[Blackcat31]

Oh man, this is kind of depressing. This makes me feel like the kids can't handle ANY toys and I shouldn't buy anything anymore and just have them sit in an empty room!

Not bashing, I agree, I could list a bunch of stuff that never gets used in my playroom too! Although I've never had a problem with MISuse as some PPs have mentioned. I have tons and tons of money invested in wooden toys that don't really get done, just scattered pieces...

So what's the problem? Are toys for the littles just not what they want? Or is scattering just what they do? Or is free play just not for them and it should just be activities???

I personally think the biggest problem is the children. They don't know HOW to play with the toys. They don't know what to do and they don't always have the attention spans to work/set up/manipulate and/or enjoy the toys.

I think that we (teachers, caregivers and parents) would need to spend a good deal of time in guided play with some of these toys because the kids really don't know what to do with them.

I think it also has to do with the learned behavior of "instant gratification" and that kids now days expect some level of immediate satisfaction when it comes to playing. They want an object to do something RIGHT.NOW with no effort or thinking on their part, other than pushing a button or swiping a finger.

I mean think about something as simple as lacing cards....kids take one look at them and either don't get them, think they are too hard, don't know what to do or find it way too complicated and all for nothing ....they are wondering what they get out of it....where's the bells, lights, whistles and applause for lacing the holes in order iykwim?

...and then don't even ask them to un-do the laces....:confused: that is just waaaaay too much work and as a 4 yr old, I would think most would simply pass altogether on the toy in the first place. too much trouble...LOL!

I also think that the kids are overloaded with toys. PP's here are saying "a whole room of....", "giant tubs or bins filled with....." and "hundreds of dollars worth of...." which I think plays a huge role in stimulation on a much quieter level. I know from personal experience that if my room only has a couple choices for toys, the kids (more kids than toys) will play better together, deeper and for longer periods of time.

If my room has TONS of toys and more than enough for everyone to play, the kids seem to be wild and out of control and almost as if they are over stimulated so they just run amok while their brains try to take everything in.

This is where I think rotation of materials plays a big role in HOW kids play. I think that it is fine to have hundreds of whatever-toy but the key is to only provide a little bit or a few at a time. We also need to guide the children on HOW to properly play with certain toys as well as teach them to play for longer periods of time.

I use the heck out of a kitchen timer. I have the kids choose an activity and then I set the timer. No one can move onto something else until the time is up. If they play with the toy in a dangerous way (to the kid, others or the toy itself) then the child is asked to observe but not participate for a bit (on a graduated scale depending on number of warnings). I think this helps the kids follow through on choices, stick to the task at hand, build attention spans and teaches them how to use a specific toy.

On the same note, I have to say though that the definition of playing correctly with specific toys is different for every activity/toy and I don't care how they play with some things as long as it isn't dangerous but SOME toys and activities require the skills and knowledge in HOW to use the toy. Especially manipulatives and books. Proper play with these items do require ALOT of hands-on guiding by the adult before a child can simply be set off to play alone.

HTH

[EchoMom]

Excellent post Blackcat! Lots to think about!

[DBug]

I'm SO glad to hear that others have the same issue -- bringing in a new exciting toy only to find out that the kids don't play with it, or will play with it inappropriately!

I can't have any push or pull toys, because they will either be used to run kids over, or will be swung around in the air. I don't have building blocks, duplo, etc., because the blocks just get scattered all over and not played with. I can't have dress-up clothes because the kids use them to whip at each other, or they get frustrated trying to get them on.

I just got the Melissa & Doug ball & hammer toy (second-hand, thank goodness), and the kids started whipping the wooden balls around the playroom! Thankfully I had foreseen the problems with the hammer and had put that away. I also currently have a play drill on top of my fridge because it "can't play nicely" -- they use it like a gun .

The real mainstays have been the little "Chuck" trucks, and the play kitchen & food (although I've been through lots of different styles trying to find the best ones).

Anyway, I'm just so glad to see I'm not the only one . I guess it just goes with the territory. Luckily I get most of my toys off of kijiji or at second-hand stores, so I'm not paying full price.

[heather kerkaert]

toys

i have a lot of toys that took downstairs. i have few upstairs. i have 1 daycare girl and rest are boys, i go threw the toys to get reid of alot of them that r not being played with. my kids always new toys for xmas and their bdays. pop up tents don't make it threw the past week in this house. i have puzzles i don't even get them out. kids don't put them away. the popular thing in this house is pokemon. we have a rule about pokemon. between 7am-6pm no pokemon. their is other stuff to do. my 8yr old son has homework and so does my 6 yr old . i try and do other stuff with them.