Source: pinprick

Let me start by saying I love toys. I can see the value in many of them, and I have to consciously remind myself that my children don’t need everything just because each has its own benefits, or is so cute, or they’d love it.

However, our toy philosophy is actually pretty minimalist. True to what “they” say, my children play better when they have less to play with. They fight less and use their imaginations more, and clean up is easier for everyone. That said, they have three sets of grandparents and six sets of great-grandparents, so to say they are spoiled is an understatement.

To control the clutter that comes from having too many toys, we have a simple rule, which we practiced even before my friend Bethany gave a name to it. The rule is simple: one toy in, one toy out.

Now, we’re not legalistic about this rule, carefully counting each toy they receive to decide how many toys we have to give away. However, we do have a wardrobe/cabinet for toys, and we only keep what will fit in there.

I remember being so upset once when my mom cleaned out my room and gave away some toys that I still wanted to play with (sounds like fodder for several years of therapy, huh?), so we made the decision to include our girls in this process from the beginning.

We explain that there are children who don’t have as many toys as they do – and some who have none – and that when we receive presents and new toys, we share the blessing by passing on some of our other toys. I never add something to the pile that they feel strongly about, although I do coach them along the way, reminding them that they haven’t played with X in a while and they now have Y to take its place.

It’s a great system to help us control the clutter that comes from having too many toys and teaches our girls a few important lessons along the way.