Ok, you don’t HAVE to, but don’t be surprised if he hardly touches it, or if it leaves the house.
When hubby and I moved this year, we were house hunting for a place that included a toy room space. Hubby wanted to contain toys away from where he spent his time in the evenings and on the weekends. I jumped on the wagon, thinking it was a great idea. Eventually we found a house that had a dinning room we didn’t need, but was conveniently located next to the kitchen/living room, so that I could keep an eye on him.
He hardly used it. Even if I was in there with him, he would move on quickly. It was kind of driving me insane. Eventually the weather warmed and we were able to go outside more, so his attention and energy had a better outlet.
Because bubbles are best eaten from above.
As time went by I knew he wanted to be wherever we were, which was not his toy room, so I moved a few toys to the living room. I land more in the minimalist department for toys, so I just had two bins: one for books and one for toys. I only
kept out what fit and the rest was donated or put away to rotate later. He plays with them occasionally (most often when he’s trying to look busy at bedtime), but still not much.
What do you do with a kid that doesn’t really like toys? He never really has. He mainly plays with toys when he’s in a car, and even then sometimes he prefers to stare out the window. (If you take him to either grandma’s house though, he plays with toys for days…even if they are the same ones as at home ?)
One day I was thinking about the toy room and started a discussion with my husband about how our kiddo is just more physical. That he would much prefer to climb than build, to explore than work a puzzle. Hubby agreed.
Occasionally we will “color,” or do a puzzle, or stack and tumble blocks, etc., but mostly we go outside, play in water, go for walks, climb rocks and walls, explore new items, kill flowers (we are working on that), or play with bubbles. I’m okay with that. That it just how my Little Man likes to do things.
Inside he loves to climb up and down the stairs and up, across and down tall beds. He enjoys closing doors and drawers behind me (Daddy approves!), and playing blanket hide and seek with Daddy.
I will say that more recently, since I have brought out the baby gear and placed it in his “old” toy room, he does enjoy going in there to bounce in the bounce seat, jump in the jumper, and carry around the floor gym. ? Baby gear must be so much more exciting when you’re a toddler, because I think he uses those things now more than when he was young enough for them!
So don’t get upset if my kiddo doesn’t have a ton of toys, or play with them all the time. He just prefers a different approach to the world, and that is okay. Will it always be that way? Will his little brother be the same way? Only time will tell, and that’s okay too!
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