To wonder if we rush our children through childhood too quickly?

[Notmymuse]

Ds is 5 - six in a few months - and a lot of the children in his class are already 6. Quite a few of the parents have mentioned that their child doesn't play with toys anymore now they're older so they had things like iPads, MP3 players, tvs, games consoles etc.
I've also noticed that my friends with similar aged children are starting to get rid of things like play doh, dolls, cars, trains, role play toys etc as they feel they are too babyish for their child. Many of these toys are aged 3 plus so if by 5 they've outgrown them all you don't get much mileage out of them.
I'm pretty sure at 5 or 6 I was still playing with toys. I work in a year 4 class and actually if we use play doh or 'proper toys' for anything they adore it. For example we had a wooden farm out the other day and there was a race for it.

I just wonder if generally now we rush our children through childhood. I suppose it depends on the individual child and what they like doing and I know some children never really like playing with toys at all. It just seems sad to think that at the age of 6 toys are babyish.

3 of the biggest threats to my kids' childhood innocence and activites have been:

• Competitive parents telling their kids about Santa/Tooth Fairy not being real (before the child has sussed it themselves). This also extends to competitive parents wanting their kids to act or look more grown up because they have their own hangups
• Schools imposing residential trips on kids (primary level).
• Schools giving out age-inappropriate sex ed lessons at primary level ('Living and Growing DVD') which is borderline pornography dressed up as education.
• Schools showing films that are PG to KS1 kids

Just my experience anyway...

Dd2 is 5 and has just been given a whole load of playmobil and other toys for her birthday. It's ALL currently set up as an elaborate world on my living room carpet and I'm under strict instructions that I MUST NOT tidy it away before tomorrow night. She still plays with Happyland and Duplo at the cm's house. I can't imagine her growing out of toys any time soon, she loves them.

Dd1 is 15 and has grown out of playing with toys (obviously) but she still has a load of them in her bedroom that she won't countenance giving away.

Great topic OP - I have wondered about this myself.

My dd is 9 and has a bedroom full of teddies, dolls etc. She plays with them endlessly but is considered "young" for her age by many mums I know.

The single threat to kids playing for longer are tablet computers and I hate that some schools now ask that each child has access to one. It's very hard to limit screen time when it's linked to school work IMO.

My child is in yr1 but we've managed to avoid talk of tablets so far. Maybe in a year or two, if one is asked for. I think the longest we can put it off, the better! Both dp and I aren't big on computer games so we don't see the need to encourage it.

I agree. Did some consultancy work for a major joy company a few years ago. They have a smaller and smaller target audience for their toys as children age out of them earlier and earlier.

They showed stats for the ages children play with toys, 50yrs ago boys played with toys until average 16 yrs, girl until 14yrs, and it's been going down ever since. When I did the work (6+ yrs ago now), they were looking at 9 yrs max for the boys, 7 yrs for girls. It's too young, really. I'd be really interested to know what the stats are now, as it was a while ago. I do hope they've stabilised or even gone up.

It's interesting to think 50yrs ago there must have been an overlap between jobs and toys. Or a huge split in social classes.

I remember playing with dolls intermittently until I was about 14 . I sold it to myself as playing with my younger sister but in reality she humoured me as from the age of about eight she preferred her playstation. I think some kids just like toys and others don't - the key is giving the ones who do the space to be themselves and not feel pressured by others - same as with anything really! I've never grown out of Lego...

I find the idea of little girls pamper parties a little bit sad. Where they all sit around at 7 years old, having a manicure, being made up and drinking pretend champagne. I remember parties being all about playing games, and running off energy like mad. I think that kids always look in their element running around a park, or play centre, or the beach. When they are away from all of the screens and running around, I think that they look happier.

I've just been thinking this. An old friend has a dd the same age as my dd (8) and all her photos on FB are of her having makeovers, pamper parties at sleepovers, apparently she's mad about 1D and she has make up on in every photo . My dd wears make up when she has her face painted like a butterfly, doesn't even know who 1D is (thankfully!) and still plays with and loved toys above all else. I'm very happy about this.

my girls are 12 and 14 and still play with their bratz dolls and teddies...

the difference is that now they have the manual dexterity and ability to create proper outfits for them - so the dolls all have evening dresses, bags etc and teddy has a bright stripey knitted jumper and a silky bow tie...

We play loads of board games at the weekend, we use all sorts of tech as well... age is just a number...

as DD14 reminded me the other day - "in 18 months I'll be able to get married and start a family of my own you know..." NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO......

(though slightly pleased, as an old fashioned fuddy-duddy that she put it that way round)

When my 14 year old sister came round yesterday, she asked where ds's Happyland was, so she could "help" ds play with it. - Ds is 1.
I couldn't find it, as we are hoping to move soon and some of our stuff is packed up.

Dsis made do with some Weebles, and got a bit carried away with the game! It reminded me of how I used to "help" another of my sisters play with Sylvanian Families, when I was 14.

The sister I used to play Sylvanians with, was talking about all the different Sylvanian figures she had a while ago. She was remembering them fondly, and reeling them off, all by name....I wonder if she knows that they aren't the names the manufacturers gave them but that, actually, each name was carefully selected by 14-year-old-me!

I hope that I haven't killed this thread!

My dd is 9yo and has played with her lego and playmobil for most of the day, I have no idea if its linked but dd has no internet access, no games consoles, no phone and I limit how much the telly is on.

I imagine when she reaches secondary age things will probably change but I absolutely want her to enjoy her childhood and play for as long as possible.

Reopening a zombie thread, I know!

I was told by my child's physiotherapist that a year 3 child was too old for using Playdoh to help build fine motor control. I quote "you need something more age appropriate". I was flabbergasted! I thought "am I really that out of touch that my just turned 8 year old is too old for Playdoh?"
I wouldn't buy it as a present for an 8 year old but surely if it's in your house, would you honestly tell an 8 year old they're too old for it.
Then the therapist proceeded to suggest that a reward for doing physio could be extra time on the PlayStation. We don't own a PlayStation or an X box or any kind of games console! He didn't have a clue what she was going on about.

At home he plays Lego, Playmobil, with his toy fire station, riding his bike, building dens, playing 'Mums and Dad's' with his 9yo sister plus some Apps/watching TV shows on his Kindle.

I know this thread is incredibly old but I still use my Mickey mouse bath towel and I'm in my 30's 😂