How Minimalism is Crucial for Kids

The moment we become parents for the first time - we unwittingly enter into one of the most vulnerable markets in the world. New parents are the stuff of marketers' dreams. We’ve been through a life transforming situation which primes us to believe everything else might need to transform too (our waistlines and our carpets certainly have).

We have high stakes goals (we want our children to be Happy! Healthy! Smart! Beautiful! And of course to have… The Edge!). And we’re predisposed to expect to incur a lot of expenses - many of which, when compared to the hospital bill (well I’ve just spent a small fortune… what’s a few grand more?), are easier to justify. Or, as one recent commenter on my site put it “But babies are supposed to be expensive.” Are they really though?

That’s when they get us. They show us the developmental toys (It Dances! It sings the ABC!) that will ensure our babies graduate from Harvard (with honors). They introduce us to the music that apparently made Einstein Einstein (so that’s how he did it!). They give us the teething toy - $26.99 - without which, our sweet angelic baby is sure to suffer needlessly.

What they don’t expose is that the actual purchasing of these items, along with the storing, tidying and cleaning of said thingamajigs is one of the root causes of maternal stress and childhood challenges galore.

The toy industry is worth $22 billion in the USA alone, with a whopping $3.82 billion (more than any other age), spent on our youngest members - infants and preschoolers.

The bottom line is that the “more is more” culture hurts children and parents. Minimalism is healthy for kids and it makes childhood easier on parents. Plus it’s free. That’s a win-win-win if I ever heard one. The more is more culture creates 3 distinct ways our children suffer (plus a whole host more I won't discuss here). All of these can be reversed by decluttering and creating a simple, minimalistic environment for kids.

1. Materialism

Children who grow up receiving consistent hits of dopamine - delivered by Amazon Prime and the likes - are being conditioned to link their happiness with consumerism. Basing our identities on what we own, creates a very fragile and self centered experience.

When my second son was 2 years old, he began playing ice cream truck. Handing me a large cone of vanilla ice cream (“Careful! It’s dripping!") and exact change ("Eleventy Dollars!”) - all in the form of simple, wooden blocks. Whipping out my phone, my immediate thought was “I must order him an ice cream set! I need to support his imagination!” Womp, womp, womp :( Luckily I caught my twisted thinking and put my phone back in my pocket, to enjoy my son’s already vibrant imagination.

What would he have learned if I had bought the set? He’d have learned that blocks aren’t good enough. He’d have learned that I don’t value his play, as it is, but that I think it needs to be enhanced with adult models.

When children have less they learn to apply their imaginations to what they have.

2. Poor Behavior

Adults seem to completely underestimate the importance of a child’s environment on their behavior. This is evidenced by typical preschool design. Everything is painted in bright, primary colors shouting for attention. Artwork plastered all over the walls, without rhyme or reason. And enough furniture and toys to last for 3 classrooms. When you create a soothing, minimalistic environment, children respond as all people would - they slow down, they calm down, they focus. If you were working at a cluttered, messy desk, with lots of computers, cell phones and gadgets vying for your attention - you might have difficulty settling into deep work too. That’s how children feel when they come into an intensely decorated preschool, or try to play in a playroom where the toys spilleth over.

3. Ecological Devastation

We all want to leave a better world for our children. Buying them more toys is doing the exact opposite. Most toys are made from plastic and made in China. The sheer volume of the toys, the way they’re manufactured, transported and then (very quickly) disregarded - makes them a real ecological threat. Saying no to more, and yes to less, means we can begin to gift our children a far greater gift than any Shopkin or Barbie doll: a clean earth. 

Although I don’t believe children need any toys in order to have a full, meaningful play life - I certainly love having some and gifting them to my kids. I think the key needs to be an awareness of which toys we have, and intentionally consuming less. Best of all? Children with less toys… play more. 

If you don't have children please pass this on to those you know who do - it can only help.

To learn more about Avital Schreiber Levy and The Parenting Junkie, visit https://www.theparentingjunkie.com.

Parents are invited to start decluttering and simplifying their play space with Avital’s guide: 10 East Steps to Transform Your Home into a Play Inducing Haven.