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Minimalism with Kids

Why Your Kids Need Less Toys!

July 29 //  by Brooke

Your kids need less toys. They don’t need an entire toy store in their home. There, I said it.

I grew up in a family that didn’t have much. When I became a parent, my kids were not going to go without. Money wasn’t an issue, and if they “needed” it, I would buy it.

Guess what? Their rooms were a mess and they were turning into spoiled children.

Related Post: How to Raise a Happy Kid, Not a Well-Funded Kid

Is it wrong to want my kids to have less?

Taking away the excess toys seems like an impossible ideal. I get it. I had the same thoughts.

After practicing a few of the concepts of living with less with my kids, I was surprised by my kids’ reactions and the benefits.

Never in a million years would I have thought them having fewer toys would have such huge benefits.

My kids did not initially embrace getting rid of some of their toys. They kind of freaked out the first time I cleared out some items from the house.

I talked to them about how I was trying to simplify things in my life, and about how we really wanted to start living with less. While reluctant in the beginning, my kids knew I was not going to back down.

Related Post: The Benefits of Being a Minimalist Family

This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience (which means if you make a purchase after clicking a link, I will earn a small commission but it won’t cost you a penny more)! Read my full disclosure policy.

Prepare your kids for a life with less toys

Living with less doesn’t happen overnight, just like the accumulation of stuff you have in your home didn’t happen overnight. It took years.

There is a reason you are wanting to practice having less, and you need to share it with your kids.

For me, it was simply stating, “Mommy is tired of cleaning up all the time. We are lucky to have so much stuff, and it is time to share it with people who can’t have these kinds of things.”

That’s just it. Mama was tired of cleaning up all the time. The clutter never seemed to stop, and more and more toys were entering the home on a regular basis.

My kids needed less toys so mama wouldn’t go broke or crazy!

Fewer Toys Can Benefit Your Kids | Minimalism with Kids

Here are the reasons why your kids need less toys:

Increased creativity

When your kids have less toys stuffed into every corner of their room, they are forced to use their imaginations.

Kids are incredible in how they can use their imaginations, and so many of today’s technological toys almost do the playing for our kids.

I love watching my kids pick up MagnaTiles and turn them into a make-believe pizza shop and bakery, serving us all their homemade delights.

I also love to watch them pick up a simple cape and go from being a super-hero to a princess, all within a ten-minute span.

It is amazing to see what their little brains come up within their play, all because they have toys that spark imaginative play.

Toy clean-up gets easier

When your kids have less toys, the clean-up in their rooms and in their playroom gets so much easier.

Everything has a designated place, which makes it easier to put things away. Although kids will still be kids and will probably fight back regarding picking up, they will no longer feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of toys to clean-up.

My kids used to have meltdowns when I asked them to clean their rooms. Now that they have less toys, even though they push back sometimes, the meltdowns have stopped.

Give your kids baskets, toy boxes and other easy toy storage solutions to make picking up toys a breeze.

Fewer toys and toy storage

Increased gratitude

When kids don’t get a new toy with every visit to Target (true story, I know people who do this), then they start to really appreciate the toys they own.

Giving your kids the things they need is important. You do not have to give your kids everything they desire.

If you give your kids everything they desire, you are not teaching them to appreciate and value what they have already.

I admittedly used to buy my kids way more than they needed. It was so easy because we could afford it, so why not buy it? I was lucky to be able to provide for my kids, so I thought.

The thing is, they were turning into spoiled kids who did not always appreciate what they were given.

To watch them open Christmas presents or birthday presents and just throw them aside to move on to the next one was almost embarrassing.

After practicing living with less with kids and adopting a life with less toys, they now show way more gratitude when they receive something new.

Related Post: How to Raise a Happy Kid, Not a Well-Funded Kid

More time outside

When your kids have less toys, it is like the house pushes them outside to play.

Nature is our playground, and kids know how to use it to the wildest depths of their imaginations. A stick becomes a sword. Chalk on the sidewalk turning into a game involving all the neighborhood kids, and a large rock becomes a castle.

Kids who go outside end up running and exercising more, teaching them healthy habits that grow into adulthood.

When your kids play outside more, it also forces the grown-ups outside more often. Seeing your kids laugh and play outside brings back memories before smartphones and other electronic toys existed.

It encourages you, as the adult, to remember the fondness of bike riding and hopscotch. Go outside and play with your kids! You won’t regret the feeling or memories being made!

Two girls playing hopscotch

More experiences

When you embrace living with less with kids and have less toys, you get to teach them early on that experiences are more important than having a room bursting at the seams with toys.

Talk to your kids about living with less. Point out the benefits when you are experiencing them.

Instead of giving toys as gifts, consider other minimalist gift ideas for kids, such as a visit to a museum.

One thing we do is offer the kids a weekend trip instead of a large birthday party. My kids love to take trips, and I was once pleasantly surprised when one gave up a large party to take a weekend trip to a waterpark.

Kids learn quickly that memories are more enjoyable than toys.

Related Post: Experience Gifts for Everyone on Your List

More giving

When you declutter your kid’s room, talk about how you will be giving many of the items away to other kids in need.

My kids initially fought back when I talked about decluttering their rooms. Once we started discussing other kids who did not have any toys, they wanted to be more generous, and they wanted to give away the toys they no longer needed.

Recently, my youngest walked up to me and said, “Mommy, these cars are for babies. Let’s give them away to a little kid.”

Kids have the sweetest hearts. Teach them the benefits of giving rather than excess early on in life, and maybe they can avoid the dangers of excess spending as adults.

A Happy Mom

When kids have fewer toys, mama has less to clean up.  When mama has less to clean up, she is happier. 

A happy mom is more likely to sit down and play with her kids because she now has the time and patience and is not worried about all the future clean-up battles.

Related Post: How Minimalism Can Help When Feeling Overwhelmed as a Mom

There are benefits to kids having fewer toys.

Less really is more

Kids today really do need less toys. Living with less with kids can have tremendous benefits for a child.

Not having everything they ever wanted can teach kids skills they will carry into adulthood, hopefully before they are obsessed with our culture of excess and consumerism.

Kids are adaptable, and they are sponges. Don’t be afraid to try something new. I promise they won’t hate you. One day they may thank you when they realize living with less stuff can make you happier.

Related Posts:

10 Brilliant Ways Minimalism Can Save You Money This Year

Use it or Lose it: a Super Simple Decluttering Rule

Declutter Fast This Weekend! +Free Printable

Save to Pinterest for later!

Why Your Kids Need Less Toys!Read More

Category: Minimalism with Kids, Simple Living

How Minimalism Can Help When Feeling Overwhelmed as a Mom

July 22 //  by Brooke

It’s 5 pm, dinner is being made, baths are next, then bedtime, and before you know it, it’s almost 9 pm. You are exhausted and the house is a mess, and you may be feeling overwhelmed, anxious and exhausted.

In fact, you are nearly in tears. You may even feel like a failure because every night you are forced to either accept the mess or push through the sheer exhaustion to clean it all up.

All you really want to do is sit down and relax, enjoy a book or maybe watch your favorite guilty pleasure on tv.

A breaking point

I’ve been there mama.

Feeling overwhelmed and anxiety pushed me to a breaking point.

I remember sobbing on the couch one night, after being snippy with my kids all evening about the mess, and thinking being a mom should not be so hard.

Don’t get me wrong, motherhood is hard. However, the mess I had to deal with every day took me over the edge.

All I was doing was cleaning. If I wasn’t cleaning, the house was a disaster and I felt like a failure.

I was miserable, and all I wanted to do was enjoy my babies. I wanted time to play outside after working all day, and I wanted time to read them a book without the overwhelming sense I had so many other things to do.

There was this huge desire for my time to be more intentional rather than rushed to the next task.

Simple living to help with feeling overwhelmed

One day, I discovered the beauty of a clean, clutter-free home. Not one of those deep cleaning moments just before your in-laws show up. I mean a truly organized and clean home.

It took time, and it took some tough decisions. However, it was all the result of learning to live with so much less and simplifying every aspect of our lives. 

You can adopt a minimlaist attitude, without any crazy, strict rules!  Maintaining a clean home, with kids, is possible!

Mom on couch covering her head overwhelmed.

Feeling overwhelmed impacts your mom attitude

I don’t know about you, but when I’m feeling overwhelmed as a mom, my crankiness skyrockets. I would never admit this to my husband, but I do recognize when it happens. 

We moms carry heavy burdens. We feel like we have to be super mom, and we do many of the things around the house because our dear husbands don’t even realize they need doing!

A messy, cluttered house just fuels feeling overwhelmed as a mom. You may not realize it. In fact, a messy and cluttered house may be your norm. It was for me.

Once you experience the calm of a clutter-free home, I promise you that you will not want to go back.

Decluttering causes you to spend less time cleaning, which helps with feeling overwhelmed as a mom

When there is clutter in your home, not everything has a designated place and much of the space in your home is full. The floors are full, and your organizing bins and baskets may be overflowing.

When there is chaos, it fuels that feeling of being overwhelmed. As moms, we feel this pressure to clean it all up, but think for a moment what it would be like if you could tuck your kids into bed and then just relax because everything was already put away. How lovely would that be?!

Now that our house is decluttered, my kids can run through the house like a tornado, toys everywhere, and we can have the house picked up in less than ten minutes. How? Well for one, we have become happier with less stuff.

Secondly, everything has a place…where it fits. The toy baskets are no longer overflowing, the books all fit on a designated shelf, and art supplies all go into one container. As my five-year-old would say, “easy peasy, lemon squeezy”.

When you have less stuff, intentional parenting becomes easier

When you are feeling overwhelmed as a mom, you either spend less time with your family so you can get things done, or you spend time with your family but feel guilt much of the time.

Let me tell you, mama, you deserve better than this.

You deserve to be able to sit down with your kids and just enjoy them at that moment.

When you have less stuff, you spend less time buying more stuff, less time cleaning up the excess clutter, and then you have more time to just be present.

You can play that game of Don’t Wake Daddy (awesome game by the way) or Old Maid and not have to stress about all the other things you should be doing.

Cofee mug

More toys don’t make you a better mom

I used to think I was not spoiling my children, I was just giving them what they needed, including enough toys to fuel their imaginations and deliver every playtime dream.

My kids had princess outfits, costumes, multiple doctors kits, all their favorite stuffie characters, unlimited books, and toy baskets overflowing.

I was doing well I thought. I didn’t allow electronics and most of the toys were not character-specific.

They had SO MANY TOYS. The toy clutter was overwhelming. They couldn’t even clean up the toys without crying because they had no idea where to start.

My own children were stressed out from the clutter invading their own space.

I thought my kids would hate me when I decluttered the kid rooms. I was so surprised by their reactions.

My youngest actually thanked me. Y’all, she thanked me for essentially getting rid of so many of her toys.

She said, “Mama, my room is so much bigger! Thank you!”

Clutter overwhelm impacts kids too. They just can’t express it. Now, when my kids clean, there is still some pushback, but everything has a place. Cleaning is super easy for them when they have less. My kids having more toys than when I grew up did not make me a better mom.

Related: Raise a Happy Kid, Not a Well-Funded Kid

Feeling overwhelmed as a mom doesn’t have to be your norm

Being a mom is hard, but you deserve better than feeling overwhelmed as a mom on a constant basis. Having less stuff can make you happier. It can also make things like regular housecleaning so much easier.

Less stuff doesn’t just make your house neater and prettier. It makes being a mom less stressful. It gives you back the gift of time. You can not only spend more time with your family, but you can also get back more time to do things for yourself.

Your family will also thank you when you move towards a life with less stuff.

The kids will no longer be overwhelmed by cleanup, and their imaginations will grow to a level you didn’t know possible. Your spouse will appreciate and embrace a new cleaner way of living, and your bank account will thank you when you stop shopping.

Your family will fight it as first, no question. However, easier days are ahead mama. Your days of feeling overwhelmed as a mom are limited. There is a better way, and believe it or not, sometimes the better way is less, not more.

For more, check out the benefits of minimalist for moms.

Not sure where to start? Check out these posts on where to start your decluttering journey so you can stop feeling overwhelmed as a mom: 

A Complete Guide on How to Declutter Your Bedroom (Reduce Stress by Getting Rid of Clutter Here First)

How to Declutter Your Closet (The Guide You Need to Finally Get it Done!)

20 Areas to Declutter Quickly in 20 Minutes or Less (Quick Start Guide)

Save to Pinterest for later!

Mom feeling overwhelmed in a messy room.

How Minimalism Can Help When Feeling Overwhelmed as a MomRead More

Category: Minimalism with Kids, Simple Living

15 Epic Minimalist Gifts For Kids

June 14 //  by Brooke

When you know a minimalist or you are practicing minimalism yourself, finding minimalist gifts for kids can be stressful if you don’t know where to start. 

Birthdays and holidays are especially difficult when you are trying to declutter your home and you have children. 

I still want holidays and gift giving to be fun and thoughtful, and I don’t want our desire to have less stuff make shopping stressful for those who want to give. 

Therefore, here are some of the ideas I share when family members ask what they can get my kids as a gift when their parents want minimalist gift giving.

What is a minimalist gift anyway?

Minimalist gifts for kids can still be actual items.

However, any item given should be purposeful and more timeless than say, a Hatchimal.  (I did not know what a Hatchimal was until my kindergartener came home one day asking for one.) 

Generally speaking, I prefer to give my kids toys that don’t talk or do the playing for them. 

I want my kids to have toys that spark creativity and imagination.  Imaginations tend to disappear with age.  I want my children’s imaginations to grow and be nurtured as long as possible.

I also got tired of fighting toy clutter and finding more and more kid toy storage solutions, so buying minimalist gifts for kids helped prevent the constant toy clutter build-up.

Minimalist gifts for kids can be items that pass on easily to the next child or ones that can be re-gifted or donated after it has been outgrown. Minimalist gifts for kids often encourage creativity and imagination and are able to be used in a variety of ways.

Related Post: Non-Toy Gifts for Kids

This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience (which means if you make a purchase after clicking a link, I will earn a small commission but it won’t cost you a penny more)! Read my full disclosure policy.

Minimalist Gifts for Kids

Here are my favorite ideas for minimalist gifts for kids:

1 – Books

Encourage reading early with children and they will unlock another world of adventure and imagination.  A new favorite book we found is A Magical Adventure from Usborne Books & More.  

The child guides the story, and it has multiple ending possibilities. It is a wonderful minimalist gift for a toddler or young elementary aged child.   

Any book works.  For those of you waiting until the last minute, Amazon has great suggestions for different age brackets.

2 – Silk play scarves

Play scarves are so fun.  They can turn a child into a princess or a superhero.

Get a big one, and children can make forts and other play structures within the home. My favorites are any made by Sarah’s Silks.

3 – Moluk Bilibo (AKA “spinny chairs” in our house)

The Moluk Bilibo toys are such a blast and one of my favorite minimalist gifts for kids.

You can spin them on hard floors, wear them as helmets, or use them as stepping stones.  Your child’s imagination will go wild with this gift.

4 – LEGOS

LEGOS are a classic toy, and there is a reason. This is one of the most timeless toys you can buy.

You can buy the large chunky Mega Bloks for younger children or the LEGO Classic Large Box for older children.

I’m not talking about LEGOS with the very specific character or building set LEGOS that make only one structure.

Get the LEGO classic box. Kids can then build anything.  They aren’t limited to just one possibility.

Some of you may question if Legos fall into the minimalist or clutter-free category.  I hear you! Hear me out. 

Legos are timeless, imaginative toys that your child can play with for years.  Don’t go buying every LEGO set they make.  Buy just the classic box.  But, don’t stop here! You need an organizational system for them. 

I highly recommend a basket or plastic container with a lid.  They can be clutter if you don’t have a system!  They are just too timeless to skip out on, and they encourage amazing engineering and creative skills.

5 – Magna-Tiles

My kids have played with Magna-Tiles from the time they were small toddlers to now.  Their creations have grown with age, but they still have not tired of them.  You can build castles, make pizzas out of them or whatever else their imaginations conjure up.

Like LEGOS, Magna-Tiles can be a cluttered gift if you buy the 150 piece set.  You don’t have to go big, and you must have a system to organize them!

We store all of our Magna-Tiles in the original box and then in the sliding drawer in my daughter’s Ikea bed.  (Love those beds by the way!)  Like the LEGOS, they encourage engineering and imaginative skills. 

It’s ok for your kids to have toys, just make sure you have a way to contain those toys! Playing with the small pieces and building something out of nothing is good for them!

6 – Art supplies

When buying art supplies as minimalist gifts for kids, consider generic materials rather than ones marketed after TV characters or limited to one outcome crafts.  

For example, gift a watercolor pad with watercolor paints and brushes.  Or, buy a sketch pad with colored pencils.  Modeling clay is another great idea. 

Kids love to create.  They don’t have to be given a one-and-done art project.  If you give them the materials, they will surprise you with their creations.

7 – Memberships

Local memberships to museums or the zoo are one of my favorite ideas when it comes to minimalist gifts for kids, especially if you are looking to give a “big gift.” 

For several years we were given a membership to the local children’s museum. We went at least 10 times a year, and my children LOVED it!  They loved not being rushed and being able to explore the museum a little bit at a time, visit by visit.  

You can consider memberships to a children’s museum, the zoo, a natural history museum or other local attractions.

Consider giving zoo memberships as a minimalist gift idea for kids.

8 – Movie tickets and a gift certificate to cover a snack purchase

We don’t go to the movies often. When we do, we certainly don’t spend the money on movie theater priced snacks.  My kids love a visit to the movies and the ability to get a snack without any begging!

9 – Classes or sports

Check with the parents first!

These ideas take time corralling children back and forth, but classes and sports are often great ways to give an experience, instead of adding clutter to a home. 

Ideas may be karate, ballet, skiing, gymnastics, or any other activity the kids enjoy.  Groupon usually offers great deals for kid activities.

10 – Anything needed

Sometimes practical gifts make the best minimalist gifts for kids.  It doesn’t have to be boring clothes.  It can be a new book bag, cool new shoes, or anything else you know the child may need (and want).

Send my FREE Decluttering Checklist!

11 – Experiences

I’ve shown up to a birthday party with a gift certificate to a local ice cream shop and a small book to accompany it.  My kids love ice cream, and it’s always a special treat.

Consider local attractions. Look on daily deal websites for specials. 

If you are looking to give a bigger gift, we usually offer an experience gift in lieu of a birthday party.  One year my five-year-old opted for a weekend at Great Wolf Lodge.  Cost wise, it cost nearly the same as throwing a birthday party, and we had memories to last us a lifetime and a whole lot less stuff coming into our home.

Related post: Experience Gifts for Anyone on Your List

12 – Family games

We started to embrace minimalism so we could spend more time with each other.  Family games can transform a Saturday night into a fantastic time around the dinner table.  

Game night encourages more memories than time around the tv. 

My kids are obsessed with this card pack of games, and they are good from about four years old and up.  We play them weekly.  It is a great idea when considering minimalist gifts for kids.

13 – Outdoor toys

One of the benefits of minimalism is kids play more outside.  There are no bored afternoons in front of the tv. 

Consider any type of outdoor play equipment.  Any type of ball works, a soccer ball, basketball, football, or anything else the child may enjoy.  You can also consider a tub of sidewalk chalk or bubbles.  Toys that encourage children to get outside and play is a great minimalist gift idea.

14 – Anything homemade

My grandmother often makes homemade gifts for my children, and you know what, they LOVE them. 

These are some of the best, and most loved gifts they receive.  She has given them a nap mat, a baby doll quilt made from scraps, and pillows made from my grandfather’s old shirts. 

Besides being incredibly thoughtful gifts, they are also highly functional and loved.  Gone are the days where we give more homemade gifts than store bought, and often times, these are the best-received gifts.

Check out my favorite homemade gifts for kids!

Simple Homemade Gifts for Kids

15 – A toy the child really, really, really wants

If there is a toy a child really wants, and they have been consistent in their requests for it for a decent amount of time, then consider giving it to them as a gift. 

Buying a child a gift they love is way different than a Christmas tree surrounded by a dozen toys they will play with for a week or two and then forget about. 

Kids need toys.  They just don’t need a toy store in their home.  Remember the Hatchimal my daughter mentioned? She forgot about it a week after she mentioned it.  She only wanted it because all of her friends were talking about it.

Related post: How Fewer Toys Will Benefit Your Kids

A message to minimalist parents

If you are the parent and are watching your children receive gifts that may not fit into your lifestyle, that’s ok. 

Let your kids enjoy their new treasures and figure out a system that works.  Maybe a one in, one out rule.  Or, if they quickly tire of the item, consider donating it to a child that would really enjoy having a toy. 

Remember, your family and your child’s friends enjoy giving gifts.  If the gifts don’t fit into your concept of minimalism, it doesn’t have to be forever, but let them enjoy the moment. 

You can also have ongoing conversations with your children about minimalism.

Give with love and purpose for the best minimalist gifts

You can give gifts and still be a minimalist, or at least support the concept of minimalism.  

The gifts are more intentional, and they serve a purpose. Minimalist gifts can even bring a family together to enjoy them. 

So, when you are celebrating your child’s birthday or thinking about what to give for a Christmas gift, consider these options as minimalist gifts for kids. 

Kids don’t need more toys, especially toys that talk to them.  They need time to enjoy their families and time to discover their creativity. Give with love and give with purpose.  Happy gifting everyone!

You may also enjoy:
Teaching Minimalism to Children (9 Helpful Tips)

Need more gift ideas? Check out the following posts:

  • 51+ Best Non-Toy Gifts for Kids
  • Budget-Friendly Gifts that Cost Zero to Little Money
  • Experience Gifts for Everyone on Your List
  • Brilliant Minimalist Gifts for Dad He Will Love
  • Gifts for Mom Who Doesn’t Want Anything: Unique Gift Ideas for Mom
  • The Ultimate Gift Guide for Minimalists | Useful Gifts for Everyone on Your List
  • Minimalist Gifts for Mom that Don’t Add to Clutter
  • Gifts for Minimalists: Gift Ideas for Everyone on Your List

What minimalist gifts for kids have you given or received? Let us know and help grow our list of ideas!

Gifts for Kids

Please also check out other Gifts for Minimalists.  Get something timeless and clutter-free for everyone on your list!

Likes these ideas for minimalist gift giving ideas? Please save to your favorite Pinterest board.

Check out these ideas for minimalist gifts for kids.
Minimalist gifts for kids. Ideas for birthdays and Christmas.

15 Epic Minimalist Gifts For KidsRead More

Category: Minimalism with Kids, Simple Gifts, Simple Living

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