What do you buy your DC that don’t like toys?

[roomnightmare]

I know it’s early but we have a lot going on this year so want to start getting prepped, not buying yet though.

I have 2DC, 8&6 that have 0 interest in toys. My son(6) has unopened boxes of lego sets, Playmobil and hot wheels from his birthday. He used to love these things but doesn’t anymore. The only thing he will play with (with me or dh, not on his own) is animals; he has at least 500 animals from Playmobil, Schleich etc. Also has buildings for these and accessories to make zoos/farms/aquariums etc. my DD(8) does like crafts (again, when I do it with her) but that’s it, her dolls/teddies/other toys are just ornaments at this point. She did enjoy getting bedroom accessories for her birthday. Honestly, I think that they’d opt for their budget in Robux! We do have a PlayStation which they share. We don’t have a garden unfortunately. What do you buy your DC that don’t like toys? I think I can sort DD out with crafts, stationary, bag/clothes she likes but I’m utterly stumped for DS.

Some kids just don’t enjoy toys though. I had one who loved playdoh, jigsaws, books, farm sets & the other had zero interest in any toys other that a football & all the associated things like pump, boots, nets etc & we still have things like Lego, train set which have almost never been played with.

Some of the things my DC liked:

Skateboard
Hoverkart
Swimming toys and swimming bag
Apron and miniature baking stuff
Slime making stuff
Pots, compost and seeds
Fluffy pjs
Tickets to a show
Board games
Musical instrument (guitar? Ukulele?)
Horse riding lessons
Streamers, bells, lights etc for scooters or bikes
Unusual sweets e.g. American or Japanese stuff
Lava lamp

So far for My DD7 who loves crafts I've bought a 3D printing pen, Drawing projector, Pour palz, Funko pops, Stitch lego and Angel lego

Something that springs to mind if your DS is interested in animals - a worm world tank, or something along those lines.

How about a hamster?

My 11yo hasn’t enjoyed toys since she was about 4, she’d just ask for the sake of asking when writing her list. She has always been into makeup, not encouraged by us but she likes it, she likes experimenting with it, she’s always been very good with it.

We are a very sci/fi, fantasy, comic book type family who like cosplay and comic conventions, we have bought tickets to these as presents in the past and met some of their favourite celebrities. Also tickets to shows, concerts, festivals when we know the acts are someone our DDs want to see.

Other things we’ve gotten and idea

Hover boards with go cart attachments
digital and instant cameras
bike cameras
Driving experiences
Our oldest begged for a switch for about 3 years in a row, she eventually got one but has only used it sporadically
Room accessories - eg lava lamp
13 yo has asked for a projector for her room this year.
3D pen

Bikes, surfboards, instruments (keyboard /guitar), karaoke machine, Family board games - Labyrinth, Catan, Monopoly, Cluedo Card games- Exploding kittens, Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza. Rubiks cubes.

This is so true, it really annoys me when people say you need to stop screens, like that will magically make the child suddenly like playing with toys. Our house is like a toy/book shop, every toy and book you could think of and yet one of my DDs has never bothered with toys or books at all.

My daughter got a dig kit last year that had real bugs in amber resin to dig up. It was a massive hit and she even took them into school to show her teacher in January.

She still enjoys getting them out to look at now.

My kids do/did play with toys and have very little screen time, but they don’t ask for or want more toys anymore - it does happen. They have enough Lego and reference books to supply a hundred kids for a hundred years, so they get very little to play with at Christmas now. I have had to slide back a few things I’d normally just buy as standard from sept/nov so they have some things to open. New hats and gloves (last years were washed and put away so they do still have some). Bath/shower stuff separate and different for each child which they really seem to enjoy. New oodie or dressing gown. Something for their rooms, reading lamps, posters, even framed artwork. Trainers I’ve strung out now everyone’s feet aren’t growing at such a bonkers rate, instead of September for the new school year, I buy in December. Art stuff I used to buy as and when as I consider it as borderline essential. Now they’ve got plenty of it, I buy extra special bits at Christmas like more specialist items.

I box up experiences that’s just for me and that individual child over the next month or so. So say for one child, tickets to Harry Potter in January with me and no siblings, boxed up in HP paper etc. Another might be tickets to a football match boxed up in the team colours. As they’re getting older they understand that spending for spending’s sake and ‘having stuff to open’ is ridiculous and not something we should be literally buying into. I get them stuff to open but I know it’ll get used for sure. So I’m leaning more towards things they need but will enjoy, plus some experiences. They get it and like it.

DGS likes books, games, both xbox and board. He does like lego though.

Musical instruments?

One of mine isn't a huge toy lover but does love art and will sit for hours drawing and colouring, doing crafty stuff.

Soda Stream was a hit with our DD. Bracelet making set. Digital camera that prints little photos (about 25 quid on amazon).

Tamagotchi!

I bought my dd9 for her birthday a kindle and that’s gone down really bad well. Shes currently reading Harry Potter at night x

Horse riding lessons and boots
Fishing expeditions and rod
Zoo tickets and yearly passes
Yearly subscription to Scouts and uniform
Swimming lessons and towell
Train ticket to somewhere adventurous
Tent, sleeping bag and torch
Trips to the animal shelter until the right pet is found
Bike and helmet
Aviary and Finches, Canaries or Budgies
Chook house and three hens
Landline connection - can phone relatives and friends

My dd who dosnt like toys likes art too, we got her an art table and supplies one Christmas which she loves. But she’s just as likely to spend hours in front of the mirror applying and reapplying make up. She’s very good at it and creative.

Stop-Motion Animation Kit I got ours from Amazon. It's been a real hit here for the past almost two years. He will create for hours. Uses Playmobil and Lego, but also makes his own characters out of playdoh and plasticine. Requires use of a computer but it's not solely screen focused.