Toys help children, especially toddlers, to learn something new and discover their skills. But as much as the positive impact of toys on a child’s development, there is a downside in having “too many” toys. At times, parents are responsible for this. If you’re thinking of buying another set of toys to keep your child busy, then think again.

According to child behavior experts, too many toys can affect the concentration and focus of a child. Having too many toys in their spaces can be overwhelming and impact their ability to learn and play creatively. Children with too many toys get distracted easily and cannot enjoy a quality playtime. A study led by the researcher at the University of Toledo, Ohio found that children with fewer toys are actually far more creative and develop their ability to think of other ways to play with the toys they have, expanding and using their imagination for a more enjoyable playtime.

There are also other reasons as to why there are downsides of children having too many toys:

Too many toys can result in boredom.

When children know that they have so many toys to choose from, playing with one toy for a long time can easily get boring - resulting in children always asking for something new.

It can spoil them and have less care for their toys.

Having fewer but special toys can teach your child how to value something they own. It will also help them understand the concept of “having enough” and being satisfied.

Too many toys means less space in your home.

Toys take up space - organizing and decluttering them can be a tedious task. It's better to give your child more space to play and be more active.

Most parents buy too many toys because of pressure and by thinking that it's the only way to satisfy their child and make them happy. The truth is, you can break this trend and become a smarter parent to help in the overall development of your child. 

Your kids playing around and riding their ride-on toy. It's a nostalgic scene that brings you back to your own childhood, and it's such a thrill to see your child experiencing the same joy as you did when you were young. Ride-on toys have been around for generations but are rarely seen as an educational toy with lots of learning benefits, so here we round up the advantages that they hold for your child's growth development. 

It will help develop their gross and fine motor skills 

How can they tune up their fine motor skills with these toys? By operating the toy on various types of terrain (whether grass, concrete, uphill, or downhill), opening and closing doors, fitting themselves on the compact seat, or manipulating the dashboard, their gross and fine motor skills will certainly come in handy. 

It encourages spatial play 

When kids are exploring open spaces, their spatial play is stimulated. Along the way, they get to improve their observation skills and make use of their creativity and imagination. 

It builds their confidence 

There's always a sense of pride and confidence once a child gets through the necessary movements for playing with a ride-on toy. Pushing their feet, using the pedals, balancing, stirring the wheels...all of these are milestones that they can celebrate, giving them that confidence that they can take on a challenge. The more they get comfortable with riding, the more they get comfortable with facing challenges, and this attitude also applies in other areas of their growth. 

It can be enjoyed for many years 

How many years can a child enjoy a ride-on toy? According to research, enough years to make it a wise investment for you as a parent. Trendy toys come and go, but a child will always enjoy the simple concept of a ride-on toy. Some ride-on toys even have adjustable seats; some bikes also have removable training wheels for when they're ready to balance a bicycle. These adjustments make it certain that the toy can stay with them as they grow older and increase their physical and mental capabilities. 

What kind of ride-on toy does your child enjoy playing with? 

In the eyes of a child, playing is fun and exciting. It's something that they naturally do and it's easy for us to take such an activity for granted. At its core, play is actually the most effective way for learning essential skills that children need as they grow up and start preparing for school. 

These are some of the best activities your child can do to have fun while learning.

Encourage your child to do more of these more often!  

Here are the best activities for Children to Learn Through Play

Dress up and role play 

Children get to learn a lot when they act out situations based on real life. When they do role playing activities, they get to apply their own observations and use them to express themselves in a creative way, while developing their communication skills along the way. Having them dress up into their favorite characters or as people they want to become when they grow up, they also develop their confidence and sense of identity. 

Get the senses involved 

Sensory activities have become very important in many pre-schools, and for good reason. With everyday materials like foam, dry noodles, uncooked pasta, water, sand, and other materials with unique textures, your child can explore their senses, having so much fun, all while learning. Using materials like these, have their fingers move through a surface, drawing imaginary letters, shapes, numbers, faces, and whatever figures that inspire them. You can also ask them about how they feel about touching such materials. 

Blocks, jigsaws, shape sorter activities 

Making activities that have to do with blocks, jigsaws, shape sorters be a part of their play routine is key to laying out the foundations for spatial thinking and logical reasoning. They get to familiarize themselves with shapes, sizes, colors, and math concepts that they need to understand once they start going to school. It may seem like they're just having fun stacking up blocks, or organizing colors, or filling out missing pieces of a puzzle, but all these seemingly simple activities are very effective in shaping their brain. 

Stretching, jumping, and other physical activities they can do right inside a space at home

Albeit current situations that prevent most kids all over the world from going outside and exploring all the great things that the world has to offer, you can still give your child the chance to move and use their energy right in the space they are in. Their gross motor skills get a mighty boost from simple activities that allow them to move and use their bodies. You can simply provide a certain space for them inside their rooms, install some mats, and together you can do simple physical activities like stretching or following action songs, or even doing simple kids' workout routines. 

What educational activities does your child currently enjoy doing? How are those activities effective in their learning journey? 

As a grown-up, you know the overwhelm brought by the sheer number of choices you have to make in a day, whether it be at work, at home, and even through the mundane. The same is true for children, especially in the options they have to make at their "work", otherwise known as playtime. 

While it seems enticing to them at first, too much toys will only leave children unoccupied and bored more than ever. Quite consequently, having a limited amount of stuff to play with will get them more engaged and busy for longer periods of time. 

Bored with having too many toys? It sounds like a paradox, but we're here to lay out the reasons why it's better to be more selective and minimalistic with the toys that your kids play with. 

It curbs their creativity 

Getting too many toys for kids can curb their creativity and imagination skills as they will not experiment with everyday random stuff within their eyesight to create their own playthings. They are able to be more creative and flex their imaginations when given fewer toy choices. Studies back up Einstein’s claim that “the true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination.”  When their creativity isn't unleashed to its fullest potential, they will become less inspired to do things and in turn will make them bored. 

It doesn't inspire mindfulness

Setting up a less cluttered environment for playing is great preparation for mindfulness practices for your kids. There’s more mindfulness connected with this type of play and less mental fatigue, which helps create a more nurturing, calm learning experience.

It makes them complacent 

Boredom comes easily for kids with too many toys because they know they will get something new when they ask for it. Toys may turn into an addiction to fight boredom and stress. They may grow up and show the same traits.

It hinders their social skills 

Kids with fewer toys have better social capabilities as they grow up because they have more time to converse and communicate with friends and family. When their social skills are developed, they have fewer chances of relying on toys to occupy their time.

Have you noticed your kids' frequent boredom despite having too many toys? Maybe it's time to clear out the clutter and make a change in their environment!

Improving a child’s attention span is not easy. It requires plenty of practice, hard work, and dealing with underlying conditions which may contribute to why they don't have focus in the first place. There are many ways to address this but we believe that toys have great power to assist with this process!

Here are some toys that can boost toddlers' attention span

Sensory toys 

Sensory toys help stimulate a child’s senses. That stimulation all goes on inside the brain and is closely related to tons of other skills that your child needs to grow into a fully functional adult. These are the motor skills like writing, cutting, and zipping their coat. Also, sensory toys can help give a child the sensations they want. When kids are busy trying to get the sensations they like, it distracts their brain from everything else it needs to be doing. That’s why when kids get the sensations they need through sensory activities and toys, it helps them do everything they need to do.

Dress-up materials

It seems that the art of putting on the dress ups and then acting out when wearing them motivates even the most distracted child to pay attention. It has several other benefits too--kids create situations and scenes and act out social events when they play dress-up. They're able to test out new ideas and behaviors in a comfortable environment. Dress-up encourages creative thinking and communication skills. It also helps kids practice language development and their social skills. It could be as simple as Mom’s old high-heeled shoes, a Superman cape or a Princess dress: any child’s costume is simply magic! 

Art supplies 

Concentrating on an art project for long periods develops focus and longer attention spans for kids. Time-dependent projects, like waiting for paint and glue to dry, encourage patience, which is tough for most kids. Not only that, mastering skills, completing art projects, and learning to express themselves in new ways all help them gain confidence and perseverance. These things also help kids come up with positive emotional responses to stressful situations.

Puzzles 

A puzzle teaches young children about the concept of a 'whole' and that each piece is a fraction of the bigger picture. In order to get to the result they want, they'll understand that they need to hone their concentration skills. Completing a puzzle also helps them with goal-setting, patience, and gaining a sense of achievement, which will stand children in good stead for school.
What kind of toys are you getting for your kids to help boost their concentration?

Play is children’s work, and toys are their tools. Children can best learn reasoning, concentration, and motor, social and language skills from toys. When choosing toys for a child, consider toys that are developmentally appropriate, that build on skills that the child already has, and provide a few challenges. Think this way: What does your child enjoy playing right now? Give them the tools—the toys—that will help them do and enjoy it better.

Ready to get started with choosing the best toys?

We've listed down some tips to help you find what your babies and young ones will love. 

Safety is crucial 

It can't be helped--kids will bang, drop, kick, pull, throw, bite, and suck on any toy you give them. To hold up under this kind of treatment, a toy needs to be durable. It is also very likely that kids will chew on their toys at some point, so they should be painted or finished with non-toxic materials. And also to prevent choking, avoid toys that have any parts smaller than two inches in diameter. The toys must easily washable too so that you can keep them relatively clean. 

Another thing is to consider the weight of the toy. Avoid a toy that will hurt your child when they drop it or bang it on surfaces. It's also needless to say that playthings with sharp edges or with strings long enough to wrap around a child's neck are not advisable for use. 

Make sure it's age-appropriate 

An age-appropriate toy encourages or challenges the young ones to use and improve one or more developing skills. A toy that doesn't offer any challenge may bore them. On the other hand, if it's too hard to use, a toy may end them with frustration, and that by the time they develop the skills needed to enjoy a toy they received prematurely, they may have already lost interest in it entirely.

It needs to stimulate the senses 

Toys are tools for fine-tuning skills. If used correctly, a good toy will do something to stimulate a child's senses like touch, sight, sound, or taste, or their developing abilities like hand-eye coordination, gross motor control, fine motor control, etc. 

Find something that you will enjoy playing with too!

Your children enjoy playing with you. It's important to fill their childhood memories with happy moments with you. Also, you’ll learn more about how your child thinks and feels by getting on the floor and playing with them.
What kind of toys are you thinking of giving your young ones? Share your plans with us!