A Helpful Guide for Decluttering Toys

How many toys should you child own? The exact “ideal number” of toys will vary from family to family (if there even is one). But hopefully, each of these tips will be helpful to those of you who know the ideal number is certainly less than you have today.
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Read hundreds of articles on decluttering and owning less on the Becoming Minimalist blog.
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[@AkS143joyful]

One of the coolest things we have done this summer is get a white rolling butcher paper and add it to our kitchen table. We draw all over it… all of us and the 3 girls (4, 8,10). And at eating times it comes in handy as a table cloth. We just throw it away and roll a new sheet down. Super fun and keeps us busy together and playing fun games like tic tac toe, 4 squares, and even mazes.

[@MunaSoto]

I'd like to add one more: encourage your children to invent their own toys. We live in South America and we do not have a fixed salary so when it comes to toys, we encourage our children to use what they have to create new and exciting toys. Of course it does not always work but there are days when they come home from school and they just sit together to "create" a toy they've seen with a friend or somebody told them about. Again, it doesn't always work but I haven't seen other kids playing so happily with their "inventions"...

[@silverflame_firebug]

Agreed. And consider open ended toys like blocks, lego, cars, and stuffed animals. The more potential for imagination a toy has, the more it encourages more varied and long-term play opportunities.

[@Eviepossible]

My son does this often! He likes to watch youtube videos of toys he cannot afford and then uses his toys to make one he saw in the video. As you said, this doesn't always work, but it gives him that "instant gratification" feeling.

[@dlarsen325]

I live in N California and we learned of a family who had young children that lost everything in a wildfire. I told my daughters about this and how those children lost all their toys and wouldn't it be nice to give some of ours to them. The generosity I witnessed by my daughters brought me to tears. With my kids I phrase decluttering toys as us giving gifts to other children who need them.

[@6193drizzle]

I coerced my wife into watching this with me before a Toy purge and it went way better than expected 👍🏻 Thanks brother

[@TheChoiceofMotherhood]

I'm very careful about what toys I buy but others don't seem to care and buy too many. I've made a strong effort to make sure people know in advance that we don't need more toys and prefer to have as few as possible. After a disaster of a Christmas this past year I also no longer feel guilty about getting rid of things other people buy.

[@bettyslowwastelife9731]

I follow montessori and we have one open shelf. With a few simple toys. Natural, simple and not battery operated. It is so much better and tidying is easier.

[@ERICA850]

I keep the kids toys in bins in our garage and they can only take One or two out at a time. My 3-year-old will ask me "Mommy if I clean up all the toys can I get a different bin out?" I love it. Your channel and advice have truly helped me transform the way I declutter. I have been asking myself "what more can I get rid of?!? This is fun!"

[@Candyfloss119]

I’m a grandmother and I keep the toys in containers in the garage too, lol 😊it’s so handy!

[@annmoore321]

Set the expectation with kids that you will not replace lost and broken toys. I have noticed that my kids are more careful with their things as a result.

[@relliesal]

When my kids were little, we would sit down together to decide which toys to get rid of. First, we discarded ones that were broken and unable to be repaired or used anymore. We sorted the rest into three piles: yes, no, maybe. The nos were immediately set aside and the yeses were put away. Then we went through the maybe pile. I always reserved the right to choose items for the no pile, but I always explained why I was doing so, in order for them to understand the thought process. I asked them, “what is your favorite? What is your next favorite?”and so on. At first most of the stuff went to the yes pile, but over time, more and more went to the no pile. We did this once or twice a year. It eventually got to where we had legos and nerf guns and not much else.

[@AllieZhao]

Absolutely agree, I found my friends' kids who have too many toys tend to get bored easily. I intentionally bought fewer toys for my kids. So they are very creative and value their toys.

[@hilariallred65]

A child never has enough great books. I’m a maximalist in the kids’ books area.

[@TheChoiceofMotherhood]

I was as well but now we take full advantage of the library. We can rotate out as often as we want or renew favourites. We buy only specific ones that we absolutely love. We also can get toys, movies, video games, and board games.

[@bluesouthpaw6326]

@@TheChoiceofMotherhood we do exactly the same thing here.

[@joannachapman2537]

True,fewer toys and everything solves so much stress

[@becs2272]

Some of the best playtime memories for my kids when they were younger were the most simple. Those that didn't even involve traditional toys. It was endless hours of playing out in the dirt, making forts from blankets or big cardboard boxes, playing dress up, creating things from items such as toilet paper tubes, lots of tape and paper. They'd make up their own games, TV shows or movies ( totally inpromtu as it went on). Play "house" with kitchen item and stuffed animal. Ideas are endless. Without tons of traditional toys kids will come up with all kinds of brilliant, creative ideas.

[@tarat26]

Wow as a parent of a 2 year old I needed to hear this advice. Thank you. I find I do buy things I think he will like but sometimes he just ignores them. Thank you for sharing Joshua

[@ramanjitkaur6641]

Thanks so much Joshua. I started watching your videos in COVID. you change my life so much I started de clutter my house. I am so happy now it’s so much easy to clean my house still in process but it’s very nice to see my room .again thank you so much

[@licoreen]

Thank you!!! We don’t buy our kids any toys but unfortunately say yes to too many hand-me-downs and gifts. So we always have too many and spend too much time trying to get them organized.

[@cindynielson4231]

Great tips! I wish I could spread this to my daughter in law and son. I don't want them to take offense. I don't give my granddaughters toys only gift cards for clothes. TFS 💯👍

[@ch-lara2384]

Maybe you could give a special day. My daughters love this days only with the grandparents

[@hannastar8413]

Oh you sound like a wonderful mother and mother in law! ❤️❤️💯

[@melann6791]

Get outside more often, on weekends we try to have a family day out at a park, picnic, bush walk. It fills a huge chunk of the day. My 6 year old loves art and crafts and will choose that now over toys, although picking up the 100 tiny pieces of paper is a pain.

[@jeniedwards5999]

I hear ya on that! Mine likes to make her own confetti 🙄

[@maureensamson4863]

Those tiny bits of paper could make a lovel collage when pasted on a simple shape !I encouraged my class children to save all kinds of paper after a regular craft session for a bonus session ... and they loved it ! Confetti would make a nice picture , too !

[@Andrea-fe6dy]

Hi Joshua, I sent you an email about this topic a few months ago and I'm grateful to you for putting this video together, thank you. God bless.

[@FreedomSprout]

We have 5 kids, from 5 to 17, and for years we've let them each have one tub of toys. If they get to the top they have to get rid of some to keep the new ones. We also have books and board games separately, but the tub method works well for minimizing the bulk of the toys.

[@Ourhomeschooladventures]

I’m moving across country and I feel like the only clutter we have is books for homeschooling and toys. It’s so hard to get the kids to agree but I need this message right now.

[@recoverydisorderASMR]

Thanks, Mr. Becker! I’m thrilled to say we are using so many of your tips at home; and we are investing in experiences and not stuff

[@bechoek2981]

I always do a big declutter before Christmas and my kids birthdays. I tell my kids that we need to make room for new toys (Grandparents love to spoil them). I still do little declutters every other month, but those are usually just for getting rid of broken toys.

[@ivanajukicgloban6627]

Same here.

[@summerlyric506]

That's what I'm doing.

[@barbaradelira6790]

My son only received toys on Christmas & his birthday. His birthday is also in December. I would always put up half the toys & rotate them every 3 months. He played with everything because they seemed new to him.

[@susiecabrera8142]

I'm a single woman with zero kids so I choose to apply this lesson to my own things that tend to "multiply." Things like books, make-up (especially lipstick) clothes, shoes purses and tote bags! I'm glad to be a part of the current "uncluttered" course to work on truly getting rid of the excess once and for all.

[@melissataddie9925]

I remember when I was a kid, if my sister or I wanted a new toy, we had to donate a few to the poor children first. 🙂 This also helped motivate us to keep our toys in good condition.

[@silverflame_firebug]

Teach your kids the difference between what advertisers say vs what they imply. They are very sneaky and understanding how they are trying to manipulate us is important.

[@giennefarcais6834]

No kiddos, but I do have a basket of dog toys waiting for the dog-to-come. When I had cats, they always preferred the boxes the toys came in. I remember my toys as a child were a stick, a ball, jacks, hopscotch, and swinging on a swing. :)

[@sandy-rr1by]

jump rope!

[@kimberlyjohnson6052]

Thank you!! ❤️

[@krystalk1648]

Great video, thanks Joshua.

[@smontone]

We have a lot of toys because my son is autistic. It’s hard to know what toys he will engage with and we’ve had a lot of misses. I keep trying to engage him and that means trying different toys. Managing the toy clutter is difficult.

[@sheilara0622]

No pets? My 2 jack Russell's went from a cage full of ripped up toys to only 4; a rubber corn, bouncy ball, rubber frisbee and squeaky bone. They never been happier and now know the difference on command. Same with treats; chew hides, hard biscuits, soft biscuits and dog food- that's it. They sometimes have fun playing with and eating a carrot or cucumber.

[@TheSeibold6]

Great video But. What about toys from a time when we lived in a different country And miss that country And those items Worth keeping ? What’s worth keeping for grandkids ? American girl dolls ? Brio?

[@Blankphotograph5799]

We bought some core toys for our kids but then with relatives buying them toys and Friends giving us old stuff we have just way too much right now

[@ch-lara2384]

My way that the kids reduce stuffed animals 🧸 : If my kids want a new stuffed animal they have to give away the twice in weight. For that I have a weight list... With this method they now can reduce 🧸. And also they finally want less stuffed animals. But they still have a lot of it 🙃

[@monikavarro2020]

Do adult toys count? I don't have kids but I have stuffed animals. They star in my KZbin videos! 😃

[@mylife6852]

I am an adult doll collector and it brings me joy, but I do think I have way to many and it can get over whelmed, but I like all of them, what to do? Help?

[@monikavarro2020]

Keep them all! You can declutter other things in your house. If you like your dolls, keep them! I have teddy bears and things! They're like my family! 😃🐻

[@silverflame_firebug]

If you are finding them overwhelming, then you may have too many. Consider doing as Joshua suggests and set a physical limit for your collection. Put your favourites in first. Anything that doesn't fit, box up and put a date three months from now. If you haven't missed any of them once the date rolls around, donate them. Just don't reopen that box, whatever you do! 😁

[@monikavarro2020]

@@silverflame_firebug I already have a lot of them in boxes just because I live in a tiny apartment and there's no room. Otherwise they don't bother me.

[@monikavarro2020]

@@silverflame_firebug But I like them all, that's why I bought them! 😭 I didn't know back then I'd have to move to a much smaller place.

[@silverflame_firebug]

@@monikavarro2020My reply was directed at MY LIFE, who mentioned that they had too many and found it overwhelming. If you have the space for yours and are content with them, you are not obligated to get rid of any. There is no minimalism police who will revoke your minimalist status for having a few stuffed animals/dolls. As Dana K. White says, you can keep anything you want, but you can't keep everything.

[@monikavarro2020]

Well, I'm not a parent and I don't have kids but I have many teddy bears. Are they considered toys or part of my family? 🤔 I have a stuffed koala and llama starring in my videos on KZbin so I can't get rid of them. I also added a new character Crazy Bear! 🤩 Other than that I have zero toys as I'm an adult.

[@tazaabha]

So funny that after the point about fads, you showed the toy we JUST BOUGHT for our son 😅

[@Nini51963]

Im struggling with getting rid of toys and I’m the grandma I have toys that were my children’s toys , , most the toys were second hand so the advertising is not the issue , I have a adult son with Autism so in order to help with communication and social skills I have toys and games that I cycle through I am amazed how so many people toss things away help me figure out how that is ok ? Especially when I have grandchildren and great grandchildren that also play with these toys why get rid of and buy more just because it’s new or the latest and greatest ?

[@SimcredibleProduction]

My 7 year old will not declutter with me. She sometimes doesn't even want to get rid of things that her toys were packaged in. I worry the only reason she is like this is because I decluttered her toys when she was 5 and she asked for one toy about 6 months after we got rid of it, she hates the idea of decluttering now. She won't even put her favorites in a box she just ends up having all her toys over flow. Now she just cries if I try to help her declutter or try encourage her to give away to children in need. I don't want to declutter when shes away either because I fear I will lose her trust. Is there any suggestions on how to get kids to be excited to declutter?

[@sierrabird2460]

For me it's the small ones that make it a nightmare. like we ended up with 50+ little people figures over the last 5 years. i cut it down to 10 inside and 5 outside.

[@brittanys.7191]

Noticed you didn’t use a barefoot on those legos lol 😂

[@joannachapman2537]

Super idea

[@summerlyric506]

Our kids are older and had lots of duplicates. They always say they "still play with" toys thay I know they do not. I bag thise items up while they arent home and ket them stay in the closet a minth or so. They never ssk abiut the missing tius and i just get rid of them.

[@Dreblueskies]

I have Lego sets coming out of my ears! Oh how I feel like toys are taking over this is something I need to get a hold of.🙁

[@zerocarbdoc]

No more orphanages but girls and boys clubs or foster homes you might know.

[@TheChoiceofMotherhood]

Depends on where you live. My daughter was in an orphanage from 2018-2020 before coming home.

[@thomashughes4859]

Hi Kay! ❤️

[@MariannaV]

When I was a child my favourite toy was my imagination

[@Dana-mb1hd]

Toys are out of control in my house. I need to get a handle on it.

[@user-nk2qi7eg5z]

Nice vidéos

[@reneehughes]

if we do allow screen time it is only netflix etc - no commercials!

[@JoshuaBecker]

Lots of product placement advertisements still on Netflix :)

[@kathy3493]

One comment I don’t think there are orphanages anymore at least not in US -it’s more likely foster care groups

[@JoshuaBecker]

Very true. But lots of nations around the world still utilize the orphanage model. The Hope Effect is working to change that.

[@mahaabbas5194]

Arabic subtitle plz.

[@AleksandraA111]

It is unfortunatelly not that easy... As a mum I don't buy toys, but family members do. There are lots of toys (rather quantity than quality) and there is no way to encourage them to not buying or to but better quality ones. They just buy what they want - we try to donate, but no all want another useless toy... That's a big problem!

[@giennefarcais6834]

Have you tried to donate to a women's shelter? Surely they would welcome toys - especially brand new ones. Or sell the lot and give the money to charity.

[@AleksandraA111]

@@giennefarcais6834 Good point! Selling has no sense (I've checked it) - if the toy costs not to much, people will prefer to buy new one in the shop than buy back from me.

[@giennefarcais6834]

@@AleksandraA111 I don't where you are, but all the Goodwill stores here take everything and they sell it. Have never heard of them turning anything away. Good luck with your donating.

[@knitnkitten]

❤️🧸❤️❤️

[@annkrull9894]

Poor timing for this video

[@JoshuaBecker]

How so?

[@alison2984]

@@JoshuaBecker there was a shooting apparently ?? And for some reason that means you can't upload a video about toys 🤦‍♀️😅🤣

[@victoriakrumova3724]

Not an appropriate video after Texas shooting

[@alison2984]

It's a video about decluttering toys 🤣🤦‍♀️ Just because there's a shooting doesn't mean that he can't upload a video .... do u expect him to upload a video saying how sorry he is for any victims every time something happens and then upload his content 🤨 Its America you guys shot people constantly and are so stupid and think its totally fine to keep guns legal 🙄

[@FebbieG]

There is nothing wrong with the timing of this video

[@smontone]

What does one thing have to do with the other? If we waited until there weren’t shootings in the US we would never post anything.

[@janis902]

When shopping with your children, teach them that no means no.

[@janis902]

Take a Montessori approach to buying toys. Buy less toys. The toys you do give children are sturdy, high quality, and open ended.