Minimalism is a trend that has been in and out of popularity recently. I love the book The Cozy Minimalist by Myquillyn Smith; it is all about how to merge minimalism (the art of having enough) and hygge (the Danish culture of coziness). Minimalism and kids seems laughable; kids come with so much stuff! But a lot of the things that we ‘need’ for our kids, are not actually needed. A few open ended toys that are age appropriate are all that they need to set their imaginations on fire. We are making sure to have some toys that are specific interest to our kiddos right now, but they could vary depending on what their interests are.
This is extra relevant to us, as we prepare to move across the country with only what we can fit in our SUV and that is all we will have for 6-8 weeks, until our furniture and things arrive in the moving truck. We plan on bringing a dozen or so books, and a dozen or so toys for them to use until August. (See list at the end of this post for more details). To prepare ourselves for the move, the boys and I have been slowly but surely going through our things (clothes, books, toys, household goods) and deciding what is worth waiting two months for. Everything else is either going in the trash (non-reusable) or taken for donation. I think we have made 3 trips to Goodwill this week.
Teddy (4, next month) is right on the cusp of understanding what it means to donate our things. I have included him in helping me to pack up the boxes of my things to take. Modeling is the best teacher after all! He isn’t quite ready to donate his own things yet, so that I have taken the lead on. It has been mostly books that they do not read or aren’t developmentally appropriate (a lot of 3rd/4th grade books from my teaching days), or toys that they have outgrown.
Jr (2, next month) has no idea what is going on, so I make a point to narrate what we are doing when we put the boxes in the car and drop them off at the donation center. Hearing the words associated with the action, and describing why we do it will help him to build an understanding of the joys of giving. This is something that we also do as a family around Christmastime.
My challenge to you is to find that balance of ‘enough’. Not so much that you’re overwhelmed by things, and mess, and constantly picking up. Not so little that your life feels empty and devoid of love. Just enough.
Toys we are bringing with us
- Magnetic tiles – Both boys love building with these! We have a combination of different brands of these, and they are all wonderful. The Picasso tiles came with a booklet of ideas for building that has inspired Ted a lot!
- Dinosaur figures – Both boys are currently obsessed with dinosaurs. The figures are by far one of their most used toys.
- Foam blocks – These foam building blocks are some of my favorites because they are soft and quiet when my little Godzillas decide to destroy Tokyo.
- Monster trucks – They love playing with these indoors and out.
- Lovevery kit – Jr got his most recent Lovevery box last week, and all of the toys in it are interesting for both boys. They use the animal figurines in their Dino/monster truck play. They like making different designs with the pegboard. Jr loves practicing his buckling skills with the buckle pillow.
- Play tunnel – This collapsable tunnel doesn’t take up much space (great for our move) and provides a wonderful opportunity for gross motor and sensory play, when I know that our furniture will be limited.
Living in Plaid 