If you are at all like me you get suckered into new toys all the time. My kids have a way of getting just one toy while we are at Target or the grocery store. While at the store I think, “oh, what’s one toy!”. Then we get home and I look at our family room busting over with toys, games and books. Now we’ve added just one more to the clutter of it all.
My kids are pretty good about not getting what they want but I must admit that I don’t mind a new toy here and there. We all get bored of our toys, even adults.
Recently we instituted a new rule around toy purchases. If we decide it’s ok to buy a toy we first have to go through the collection and pick a toy to donate to a local kid’s charity. Basically we have to give a toy to get a toy. We pick out a toy, put it in a bag, drive to the charity (Boys & Girls Club, Goodwill and Samaritan House are some of our favorites) drop off the toy and then eventually, sometimes a week later, go get the new toy we’ve been eyeing.
My oldest, Liam, when I introduced the concept seemed deeply confused and effected by this idea that other kids don’t have a lot of toys. I’m not sure how he internalized it but for two days he walked around talking about giving his toys away and told everyone during circle time at school that he was going to help kids that don’t have all the toys and fortunes he does. He is almost 5 so I dont really know what he is thinking but if I’ve started a tradition of giving, well, that’s good enough for me.
Don’t get me wrong. This isn’t a weekly event. It’s probably a monthly event. But, it keeps my sanity in check by keeping clutter to a minimum while doing something good for the community. Let’s face it, we are going to buy new toys through the year so we might as well help a good cause too. In fact, a few times by kids have decided that the old toys were actually great and we never made it to the toy store for a new toy.
I encourage every family out there to do something similiar.
Tags: imagibility, imagination for kids, kids activities, kids charities, kids charity, kids toys, parent activity, tamara, teaching kids, unleash creativity, used toys
