A UK Study on Toys
A UK study by the British Heart Foundation showed that, on average, kids get enough of a toy within 36 days.
Young brains demand new challenges. Once your kid has solved the same puzzle several times over, there are good chances that they’re done with it.
How can you tell a child has outgrown their toy:
- They ask you to play with the toy instead. This means the toy itself is old news for them and they need companionship to make their playtime stimulating.
- They obviously get bored with it very soon after they start playing with it.
- They don’t play with it for over 30 days at a time. In this case, it’s time to donate the toy.
- They don’t ask for it if you remove it from your toy rotation for several weeks at a time.
- They readily offer it for swapping when the situation is right.
This shows that parents should rotate a child’s toys every 36 days or about every month. This does NOT mean constantly buying new toys. By rotating their existing stash of toys every month, everything old becomes new again, out of sight- out of mind.
By following the suggested guidelines above, a parent can ensure that they are not overspending unnecessarily on toys, thereby cluttering up their house while depleting their finances. It also supplies them with guidelines on when to declutter toys from the rotation. It gives parents a “get out of guilt jail” free card. So, parents, save your money, rotate those toys, wrap them up and say “SURPRISE!” – your child will think that you got them something new, even if it’s been there for months.
Source: Huffpost; “Millions of Toys Are Binned Because Kids Don’t Play With Them” Sara Spary.