Spinnoff: Non-toy play

[GodChick]

So, in the "rotating toys" thread, it was mentioned that kids play really well without toys. I'd love to get some ideas for this. My kids do well with open-ended toys like blocks or their little kitchen, and stuff like that, and they like their puzzles and stuff. They also play well w/o a lot of toys outside. But what do your kids do indoors without toys?

[Katherine]

Subbing so I can come back after I make dinner...

(heard in the background) "MOMMY, I'm hungry!"

[mom2threegirls]

My kids pretend to be animals and they chase eachother :giggle. They'll be dinosaurs and one of them is the little one the others want to eat :shrug :giggle. They play house or they all pretend to be babies... We have a big basket that is kept under the bed (it's probably 1.5x2.5 feet) that used to be totally filled with toys- they would empty the toys all over the floor of their room and pretend the basket was a boat. So we weeded the toys out enough so the basket stays empty and they play with it all the time- it is a boat, a plane, one of them will be baby Moses, whatever. They like to play hide and seek, or hide an item and then the others go find it, or ring around the rosy or dancing. Coloring/drawing is popular with all three of them. I'm sure there's more but that's all I can think of right now ;). My kids are way more imaginative the fewer toys they have- they're forced to be! :yes ;)

[OpalsMom]

I suppose it depends on what you call toys. DD plays with toys a lot, but she also spends a lot of time with books, or pen and paper. Or she helps me (for some value of "help"). Or she does somersaults down the hall or dances. Some things are borderline on the "toy" front. Like, she likes to go around "locking" things, so she has her own keyring with a bunch of keys that don't open anything. I guess that's a toy, but if she didn't have it she'd borrow my keys or use any small object. And are pennies toys? She likes to buy imaginary gumballs with them.

She also likes to wash dishes; it's basically waterplay which could involve toys but instead she stands at the sink with whatever unbreakable things I have handy.

[Heather Micaela]

But what do your kids do indoors without toys?
Yeah opene ended toys I get.

See, thing is I keep *stopping* all non toy play becuase it usaually involve
*being loud
*misusing an object
*doing something dangerous
*climbing all over the furniture
*running all around

With 800 sq feet and sharing walls with neighbors, it is not practical
Outside :rockon Go for it

[GodChick]

:yes2 same here. that's why I need suggestions, because my kids playing without toys usu means runnung around chasing each other, screaming until someone runs into a table corner or something, or pestering each other to tears, or climbing on furniture or stuff that's not safe to climb on.

[something glorious]

hide & seek and DANCING!

if i turn on music, ella will dance for hours :yes and she memorizes the words to the songs eventually, and sings too. she's quite a little performer :giggle

[klpmommy]

:popcorn We are okay at home, but when we go someplace (like right now at the ILs) the kids have a much harder time- fewer toys plus we have to be quieter. The last one is the hardest.

[Rabbit]

But what do your kids do indoors without toys?
Yeah opene ended toys I get.

See, thing is I keep *stopping* all non toy play becuase it usaually involve
*being loud
*misusing an object
*doing something dangerous
*climbing all over the furniture
*running all around

With 800 sq feet and sharing walls with neighbors, it is not practical
Outside :rockon Go for it


Adding hitting to the list, and that's us. Sam gets very creative with her toys, and involves lots of nontoys in her play, but she needs something safe to play with, or she mauls her brother, and the cats, and gets destructive with anything she can reach.

[Katherine]

So, in the "rotating toys" thread, it was mentioned that kids play really well without toys. I'd love to get some ideas for this. My kids do well with open-ended toys like blocks or their little kitchen, and stuff like that, and they like their puzzles and stuff. They also play well w/o a lot of toys outside. But what do your kids do indoors without toys?

Well, I *was* actually thinking of outside play when I said that most of my kids' play time is non-toy-oriented. :think

and Heather's list of problems (combined with hitting/kicking/pushing etc.) is definitely a problem if they stay indoors too much. :/ :giggle I imagine living in an apt. would be extra hard. :hugheart

Non-toy stuff we do inside includes:

1) I have an "art" station where they have play doh and art supplies and so on. (does that count as toys?) :giggle When the summer heat is at it's worst, I make an effort to do more special art projects with them

2) They love nooks, and I will occasionally make a new one for them b/c it fuels their imagination and keeps them occupied, at least until the new wears off. Blanket forts work well for this too.

3) My older boys like to wrestle and play super-hero, etc. and I do allow a certain amount of this :shifty, especially if we're stuck inside for some reason. It means I have to supervise them more closely and remind them to listen to each other's words and noises (for when someone is getting frustrated, etc.)

* I do actually allow them to climb on and/or jump off certain pieces of furniture... and other stuff is off-limits. :shrug

4) My kids can make a whole game out of saying funny words and making weird noises. :lol It's weird but they seriously do.

5) Play-acting is huge here. I do keep dress-up stuff, but even without it, the kids will pretend to be some character and act out a story.

6) Music... dancing and doing rolls/flips across the living room carpet.

7) I've pushed the furniture back and brought our inflatable trampline indoors before when the weather was awful.

http://www.tinkertots.com/premjumboun.html

8) Sliding down the stairs

9) Air hockey on the kitchen floor (you just have to find a plastic lid or small plate or something that slides fast, and then use lightweight plastic bowls or cups to hit it with.

10) Baths as play time. They might use toys for this, but I can also give them kitchen stuff or lots of bubbles... and my oldest will practice his swim class techniques. :giggle

I am trying to do a structured game and reading time with them most days, so that is another thing. We don't always use games with pieces. They're learning "Guess what I'm thinking of" (e.g. twenty questions precursor) and Charades and other simple games that don't require props. :)

Hope that helps a little. Nothing makes up for a shortage of outside time here :/, and having them in *does* require more of my time and effort (and patience). ;) :hug2

[Herbwifemama]

:popcorn- just bumping this back up, cause I missed it the first time, and I'd like to read more. :)

[ShiriChayim]

:popcorn

[Punkie]

My kids pretend to be animals and they chase eachother :giggle. They'll be dinosaurs and one of them is the little one the others want to eat :shrug :giggle. They play house or they all pretend to be babies... ....My kids are way more imaginative the fewer toys they have- they're forced to be! :yes ;)


Yeah, I totally agree. I think my kids would do great without any toys at all. They have way more fun when it is just the two of them.

We have a LOT of dinosaur play around here. They made up this one game (which is probably played for several hours a day) where one pretends to be a certain dinosaur and the other tries to guess which one. A variation on that is for them to go off and decide what dinosaur to be and then dh or I have to guess what they are.

They absolutely adore spelling things out on the refrigerator :shrug They love to sing and dance if I put on music or they make up their own songs if not. They pretend to be animals, or pretend to be completely made-up things with made-up names. They tickle-fight and blow raspberries or play hide-and-seek They read books constantly. They will pretend with anything.

On our cross-country trip (5,000+ miles in the car with no toys), they made "toys" out of seatbelt ends, shoes, whatever! They do that around the house too - they'll make pretend things out of pillows, their hands, socks, whatever. We have SO many toys here, but they just aren't preferred :shrug

They also love to practice jumping and tumbling. They jump over each other or try to do headstands or whatever :)

Its good stuff. Its what I remember doing as a child too :grin