It is normal for kids to get bored with their toys after a while and be looking for new adventures. But when that becomes more often than usual it can turn to problem for parents.
How do you make your kids use a toy for longer? How do you make sure your babies don’t discard their toys one or two days after purchase? Here are some tips for you.
Remember, kids are kids. Have it at the back of your mind nothing you do may stop this behaviour. But the following tips can surely help in some situations.
Get their favourite toys
If you keep buying things for your kids without taking their interests into consideration you’re just setting up yourself for a feeling of rejection.
Because you love that action figure when you were young doesn’t mean your kids will take to the same joy.
Buy toys for your kids based on their interests. Even if they lose interest momentarily, chance is they may still come across something that will rekindle their interest.
What’s your child’s favorite TV character? What is the story your toddler wants you to repeat every time? From these, you can discover what kind of toys they will love.
Get involved in their play occasionally
Even if a child doesn’t like a toy you, as a parent, can make the kid love it to a degree he or she will never want to discard it.
For example, telling your kids stories about a certain toy can make them love the toy the more. Stories work best for action and character toys e.g. Superman, Elmo, etc. The beauty of this is you don’t need to be with them all the time. Some will even play with the toy alone using scenes from your story and act as if you are there.
For role-playing toys like play kitchens, you can prepare imaginary dishes together with the child.
Rotate their toy play
The fact is, if your kids come across their toys 24 hours in a day they may easily get bored with it.
Learn how to pack up a particular toy set and release it after sometime. Packing up certain categories of bulky toys such as kids’ kitchens and play structures is not an option but you can still limit your kid’s access to these by covering the toy with something e.g. a tarp.
Many parents are already doing something similar to this by only giving their kids access to some toys on certain days or holidays.
The logic behind this is, even if your child gets bored with a certain toy, their interest in the toy will usually be renewed after regaining access after a particular period of time.
Reduce the number of Toys
You will think buying children many toys will naturally keep them away from boredom. Well, in some cases, it does not. In fact, some parents claim that it’s when they reduce significantly the amount of toys they give their kids that the constant whining stopped.
If you have been stocking up toys for your kid to an extent that storing them is becoming an issue, think of how to trim the number down. This may be a major reason your kid gets bored easily with toys.
Give out old toys to other families or charities. Discard faulty and broken toys. Keep only a handful of your child’s favorite play things.