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Original poster

Does your 9 year old dd still play with toys?

38 replies

LilaGlow · 27/10/2021 14:07

DD turned 9 in September and is in year 4. She plays with her dolls house, Lottie dolls, Sylvanians and loves arts & crafts activities such as making jewellery, bath bombs or pretend perfume. Her best friend doesn't play with anything and is mainly into dance (takes lessons) and watching YouTube clips. This friend also makes dance videos, which she posts on Tiktok. This has become an issues now as they don't have much in common anymore. The other girls in dd's year don't play so much either, they are into gaming, dance, makeup and watching YouTube.

Is my dd unusual or do other 9 year old still play with toys?

OP posts:
WeRTheOnesWeHaveBeenWaitingFor · 27/10/2021 14:09

My 10 year old year 6 hasn’t really ever played with toys but still watched my little pony and has no interest in tick toc. They are all different.

MilkCereal · 27/10/2021 14:11

Oh god I'm dreading that change to watching YouTube and gaming- my 8 year old still plays alot and cant imagine that changing in next 6 months.

Thesearmsofmine · 27/10/2021 14:13

My older two are 10(nearly 11) and 9 and both still play with toys. They don’t use Tiktok or watch much YouTube so I guess those things haven’t taken over from playing yet.

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thismeansnothing · 27/10/2021 14:14

My DD (9 - 10 early next year) still plays with toys. She loves her Switch don't get me wrong and would beon it all the time given the chance. But ibe set a time limit for that. But shes often in her room, CD player on and plays with her My Generation Dolls, Lego, Geomags, she writes alot and doodles, reads, and is currently in the kitchen rock painting.

PurpleGooglyEyes · 27/10/2021 14:16

My dd is almost 8 and doesn't play with toys that often. She likes to draw and loves gaming, and she does a lot of digital drawing and making videos on her iPad.

She plays with toys when she has friends round. She's an only child so maybe this is why? She's never really played independently with her toys.

Tillysfad · 27/10/2021 14:17

Both girls are really normal!

One of my DDs never played with actual toys, showed no interest in make up, but could while away an hour with an elastic band and a twig. There was some imaginary element to it, and if a Lego man or Sylvanian animal was to hand they'd get drawn into it, but it wasn't really playing with toys. It was her imaginary world and so much richer than lip gloss and tik tok (though that would have been ok too). There is no normal. Don't worry.

Tillysfad · 27/10/2021 14:18

Having said that, we don't allow gaming.

IWishIWasABaller · 27/10/2021 14:18

My daughter adores her toys still , loves barbies ,Lego, lol dolls ,my generation etc. Her friends are all the exact same. I think it's age appropriate after all they are only nine ! She also has a switch and watches YouTube kids videos but not a hope would she be allowed near TikTok or the like

GiantCheeseMonster · 27/10/2021 14:20

Mine does, very much so. So does my 11 year old. They’re all different.

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 27/10/2021 14:25

10yo (yr6) likes Lego, craft, board games and collecting things.
8yo (yr4) likes Lego, craft, barbies and OG type dolls.

stingofthebutterfly · 27/10/2021 14:41

My 11 year old still enjoys playing with dolls with her younger sisters. My 9 year old niece loves lol dolls and anything like that. It's completely normal.

Partyintheusa2012 · 27/10/2021 14:43

Yes. My DD was 9 in August and she still plays with toys.

Soft toys, Lego, American girl dolls, sylvanian families.

She loves Minecraft/roblox and has just started using her iPad to make movies starting her toys.

So I'd say she's slowing starting to move away from toys, but her Christmas list is toys toys toys.

Toottootdrive · 27/10/2021 14:47

Mine does. She can happily while away hours with her barbies.

She does enjoy drawing, dancing and playing video games but she still very much prefers playing with her toys. She has a younger sister which I think encourages it and also makes it more acceptable as she’s often playing for her.

qualitygirl · 27/10/2021 14:49

My dd(8) NEVER played with dolls or sylvanian families etc. But she doesn't have a phone or tik tok either. She plays sports, swims, surfs, kayaking, cycling and also loves arts and crafts. She doesn't play as such. If her friends call round they will do crafts, go outside and build a den or play on the climbing frame, swings etc.

There's no rules.

happytoday73 · 27/10/2021 14:51

My eldest would have done at that age... My youngest wouldn't have at that age...

Original poster
LilaGlow · 27/10/2021 14:58

Mine never played with barbies but I wonder if I should get her some for Christmas. Until what age are barbies usually popular? We've got the Lottie dolls, which dd loves.

OP posts:
drpaddington · 27/10/2021 15:03

My 9 year old doesn't really play anymore. She plays games on her phone, draws and writes, uses the trampoline in the garden, plays with her friends at the park or field near our house. She also has dance lessons and practices at home. She does occasionally play with her dolls- sets up little beds for them in her room with blankets etc.

idontlikealdi · 27/10/2021 15:04

My ten yo twins do, a lot. When they're at home together, not with their mates though.

FusionChefGeoff · 27/10/2021 15:05

DS9 plays with toys but only because he's only allowed limited screen time and eventually gets bored enough to get something else out Grin

PlanDeRaccordement · 27/10/2021 15:08

Mine did both. Games on her PlayStation and Wii and set up entire Sylvanian villages and then enacted our dramas ranging from a mischievous raccoon thief to a stuffed toy dragon breathing fire on the homes until it was tamed by the Sylvanians and became a vegetarian dragon.

thesugarbumfairy · 27/10/2021 15:10

I don't have one. But my 11 year old DS plays with toys. Dolls and Lego. He also loves his Nintendo Switch.

underneaththeash · 27/10/2021 15:20

My 10 year old only plays with toys if a particular friend come round.
She likes gaming, make up and we have a Cricut she loves.
We don’t allow any access to social media/YouTube/tik tok though.

Original poster
LilaGlow · 27/10/2021 15:38

@underneaththeash

My 10 year old only plays with toys if a particular friend come round. She likes gaming, make up and we have a Cricut she loves. We don’t allow any access to social media/YouTube/tik tok though.
Is that a label cutter? Can kids use them?
OP posts:
Xiaoxiong · 27/10/2021 15:57

My DSs (8 and nearly 10) play with toys, especially Lego, Playmobil, K'nex and an incredible marble run toy called Gravitrax, and crafts like clay modelling, stop motion animation and endless drawing and doodling. They do play minecraft on sunday afternoons as "golden time", and have a limited amount of supervised youtube time mainly watching videos of other people playing minecraft. Absolutely no tiktok or other social media at all and neither of them have phones (in fact in DS1's whole year group only 2 kids have phones, though many of them know OF tiktok they're definitely not posting on there). Your DD is completely normal as far as I'm concerned!!

Best way to get my kids playing with toys is to start decluttering them, then suddenly they want to play with stuff for hours!!!

Aroundtheworldin80moves · 27/10/2021 16:10

@LilaGlow

Mine never played with barbies but I wonder if I should get her some for Christmas. Until what age are barbies usually popular? We've got the Lottie dolls, which dd loves.
My 8yo is growing out of her barbies now, and 10yo outgrew them a couple of years ago.
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