Toys and Games for the Minimalist Tot
It’s raining out. My, I mean your, kid is bored. You try to think of ideas to entertain him. Perhaps it’s time to go to the toy store. There you’ll spend money on junky plastic toys or games that he’ll use for a few hours before growing bored with them. Those toys and games will likely clutter up your house for months, perhaps years, before you give them away or toss them. Boredom problem solved.
Despite what Toy R Us might have us believe, young children are generally easy to please, and though they often appreciate cool, new toys, they also appreciate ones that are hacked from common household items–ones that typically cost little or nothing, ones that store easily, ones that won’t clutter up your place.
With my 22 month old son, we are having a great deal of success with balloons, bubbles and old tennis balls. None of the three require any appreciable storage space or outlaying of money. The balloons and bubbles have the added benefit of being quite safe for child and house alike.
The other day, Buzzfeed came up with “33 Activities Under $10 That Will Keep Your Kids Busy All Summer.” It’s a great list and most of the activities are appropriate for any season. All of this goes to show that a tiny bit of creativity and a few pipe cleaners go a long way toward satisfying your child’s novelty fix.
Do you have any recommendations for “edited” toys? Let us know in our comments section.