How Too Many Toys Affect Children
It robs them of something essential.
--
“Play is the highest form of research,” said Albert Einstein.
But even though children are researchers, nobody wants them to turn into mad scientists, locked in their labs full of toys.
So why is it that everyone and their mother is buying them tons of toys?
Some do it because they think children need it.
Others are trying to escape the guilt of not spending enough time together.
Or they just feel good about showering them with material gifts.
Either way, there’s something terribly wrong with doing so.
Actually, more than something.
Here are four bad things that happen to children when we give them too many toys.
Overstimulation
Too many toys induce a joy rush.
Much like the sugar rush, a joy rush feels exhilarating in the moment and terrible a few minutes after.
For children to be flooded with toys, it’s like being in a candy shop and wanting to taste all the candies at the same time.
Imagine yourself in such a candy shop. Everything around you is colorful, bright, and attractive.
You want to put your tongue on every single one of them. And that’s what you do.
You tear apart their packaging, put your tongue on the candy to feel its taste bursting on your tongue and its flavor filling up your nostrils, and then…
Then you want to tear apart the next candy, and the next, and the next, until you’re left overwhelmed by the whole experience. Like empty packaging.
Kids feel exactly the same when surrounded by too many toys. They want them all but end up truly playing with none. Why?
Because they have too many options within a too short amount of time dedicated to playing.
They can’t focus on a single toy long enough to learn something from it.
Lack of Focus
When parents buy toys, they tend to pick the ones with a specific use.
