Why do they take EVERYTHING apart???

[BonzoDooDah]

DD (5) and DS (3) take everything they play with apart and leave it lying on the floor. Almost to the point where I think it is a "wind mummy up game". It's been going on for a couple of years with DD and now DS.

They have a toy upright dyson thing. Four days on the run it was in the middle of the floor in seperate pieces, yet I have never seen them playing with it. In the evening I put it together and put it away (in sight) and the next morning they have taken it apart again.

Playmobile castle - in pieces.

<a class="break-all" href="http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&hl=en&rlz=1G1GGLQ_ENGB294&biw=1412&bih=777&tbm=isch&tbnid=wlfpCAYW4c_NhM:&imgrefurl=<a class="break-all" href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Disney-Tinkerbell-Secret-Cottage-Playset/dp/B003DZ11CU&docid=j_-yFF0PuPrZHM&imgurl=http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41A9lYxhH5L.SL500_AA300.jpg&w=300&h=300&ei=meR-UMbcKaeo0QWklYH4Cg&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=78&sig=100216016056104810978&page=1&tbnh=135&tbnw=137&start=0&ndsp=29&ved=1t:429,r:8,s:0,i:96&tx=91&ty=72"?tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-behaviour-development-1590197-Why-do-they-take-EVERYTHING-apart" rel="nofollow" target="blank">www.amazon.co.uk/Disney-Tinkerbell-Secret-Cottage-Playset/dp/B003DZ11CU&docid=j-yFF0PuPrZHM&imgurl=ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41A9lYxhH5L.SL500_AA300.jpg&w=300&h=300&ei=meR-UMbcKaeo0QWklYH4Cg&zoom=1&iact=rc&dur=78&sig=100216016056104810978&page=1&tbnh=135&tbnw=137&start=0&ndsp=29&ved=1t:429,r:8,s:0,i:96&tx=91&ty=72" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Tiny Tinkerbell house is pulled apart into roof, two walls and a door every.day.

None of their playmobil people have any hair as they have all been scalped ...

I could go on and on.

Anyone have any clue why they play like this? Is it play or destruction? They play really nicely together most of the time. Really imaginative play - with voices and play acting. But I don't see them when they are taking things apart (cooking dinner etc) and they won't tell me why they do it when I ask

Think it is just natural curiosity! My two used to do this and to some extent still do. They always used to totally undress all their dolls too, take all the furniture out of the dolly house and put it on the floor, take all the barbies hair out of their lovely styles etc etc. you have reminded me how annoying this was - but then again I am
Probably quite uptight about such matters. My friends were much more laid back - I hate missing jigsaw pieces etc. they just shove them back in the toy box and don't care x

Its how children learn - by taking things apart.

Thanks for the replies. But all the time? No putting back? Again and again and again?

My twins were like this. They both had coupe cars for their birthday one year! But instead of 'driving' round the garden in them, they used to pretend they had a puncture or broken down. They used to take bits of trying to fix them. Kept them amused for hours!