How many toys does a child need?

Toys are mysterious things: very important, constantly on the move and quickly multiplying. But how many toys does a child need? When the quality of the toy matters, surely the quantity matters too? In this article, I'll go through the research on the number of toys and tips from a professional organiser on how to start to declutter together with your child.

What do we know about the number of toys in relation to play?

University of Toledo examined the play of toddlers. In the study, toddlers were given either four or 16 toys to play with. The set-up was repeated so that everyone played with both the four and 16 toys. The study looked at the impact of the number of toys on the quality of play and creativity.

It was discovered that less really is more:

• Fewer toys helped to concentrate and encouraged more creative play
• More toys reduced the quality of play

Why does less toys increase the quality of play?

The study found that with less toys, the toddler's play lasted longer and there was a greater variety of play. The study concluded that less toys help the child to focus on longer lasting and more creative play.

In an environment with more toys (16), the child was more likely to be distracted, interrupting play to grab a new toy. In a space with fewer toys, the child was able to concentrate longer on exploring the toy and its functions, which also allowed for longer periods of causal training. Click to the research article.

We have at least 500 Lego blocks, help?

By providing less visual stimulation to a child, the quality of their play has the potential to improve - alongside all the other positive effects of play.

It's OK if you have 500 Lego pieces, as long as your child can concentrate on playing with them and they can be put away in their own home after play. If, on the other hand, your child seems to get confused or agitated in front of that many pieces, and you can't even get the play started, I would try either decluttering the blocks or moving them to a capsule for a while.

We literally ran out of space in our home a few years ago: there simply couldn't be any more toys. Critical mass had been reached. Toys couldn't fit in the storage, they were overflowing on the floor, there was always some lost and people were tense from surfing through the toys. And they weren't even played with too much.

We took the help of boundaries: toys that were actively being played with were categorised into a specific space and some went into storage. Toys were also decluttered. I think this is important to remember that every home carries a certain load of stuff and only the residents can ultimately determine the amount.

After many rounds of decluttering, we finally seem to have the right number of toys for us. No longer do we need to have any of our knick-knacks sitting at the back of the wardrobe in the 'extra space' area.

How should this research be applied?

What is clear from this information is that a child's play is more effective in a calm environment without a lot of stimulation. This can be difficult to apply at first if your home is full of toys and things.

The information can even feel irritating and overwhelming. However, you are not alone in facing this, it is a situation that exists in many homes. The fault is not with you, but with this era!

What should you do if you have lots of toys and your child loves all of them? Here you should respect the child's experience, but steer in a more constructive direction. In terms of a beloved toy, you could talk about toys going into hibernation or toy holiday, for example.

Organising and decluttering are skills that can be practised and learned, one step at a time. First, you can move toys to a capsule to make more space. For more details, see for tips on decluttering toys. Each family will decide how to do this in their home, but I encourage you to be open-minded and experiment with a limited number of toys being available.

Decluttering is always a process

Choose the strategy that suits you first: do you make a plan and go step by step, or would it be easier to cut back by an hour each week or by 15 minutes each day? There are many different methods for decluttering and organising, it would be good to find one that works for your family. In the case of toys, I recommend that you keep your child involved in the decluttering process, as it feels natural to you.

In the first round of decluttering, my children didn't want to give up much, but now the they are more aware of what they want and dare to give up. My clients' children have been admirably positive about experimentation and confident in their choices. Still, there is always a question mark over uncertain withdrawals. I think it's important not to remove toys in secret, but to allow children to learn the skills themselves.

I recommend leaving your children's current favourites for active play. You might even be surprised to find that there are categorically not that many. I challenge you to try to keep just those four categories of toys on display. Or cut the toys in half if four categories seems like too big a jump. Reducing the visual impact of toys is also effective in reducing the overall load.

Every day we play with dolls, cars, legos, ponies, balls and dress up games!

If you play seven kinds of games every day, then play! There is no need to repeat the survey set-up verbatim. However, put the other toys in a stash in a cupboard or stash in a stash capsule. There you can then recycle toys when these get boring. In my experience, children are very receptive and happy with this system.

If there is a vague sense of tantrums or apathy in the home, try fewer toys. Limiting the amount of stimulation your child receives may be the change you need.

If going through the toys seems challenging, get help from a professional organiser. We've got a whole lots of ways to get your toys organised too. I personally help families, who need to balance work and leisure time, in Pirkanmaa, Finland. Contact me, when you need help organising your home. We can start with toys, for example.

Thank you for reading! Subscribe to the newsletter, you will be among the first to hear concrete tips for families with children from a trained professional organiser.

You can find a list of organisers in other regions on the website of the Finnish Confederation of Trade Union Organisers. MLL also dealt with this quantity issue, and consumption in general, in a couple of years ago. How many toys does a child need?.