What do your dcs actually play with?

[Cobweb95]

I would say that my 3 dcs have an average amount and range of toys. I don't think we're excessive, but they certainly have more than enough.

Was just thinking recently that whenever they play really well, either together or alone, it's not actually with any of their toys. Today it was dry and sunny for the first time in ages so I put bikes, scooters, roller skates out for them. When I looked out of the window to check they were ok, dd1 and dd2 were sitting under a tree engrossed in some make-believe game and ds was collecting ladybirds. Now they are inside, ds is making a Pokemon book with paper, pens, scissors etc, and the dds have taken cardboard boxes from the garage and made houses in them.

I regularly go through their stuff and donate toys to charity, but I'm thinking now, could I be really drastic about this?

Has anyone done that or does everyone else's dcs actually play with their stuff?

14hours that sounds blissful! I wish I had been tougher with the minimalism!

Making potions is fun - I remember getting into trouble for using my mum's bubble baths etc to make a potion in an old potty..

DD (7) prefers to role play and make up games rather than play with toys. She tends to get all her puzzles and doll house furniture out and use it as props for her role play games! She does play with her My Little Ponies but actually, come to think of it, I haven't seen her playing with them for a while. She also plays on her DS and loves going on the computer to play Moshi Monsters. I think I could probably cull quite a lot of her stuff.

DS (4 next month) loves his Buzz Lightyear toy thingy (technical I know but I don't know its actual name!) He also loves playing with his little fire engine toy which flings out little plastic water balls ... except we keep losing the little plastic balls which results in a massive tantrum. (Both me and my DS!) I could probably cull a lot of his toys too.

The thing is, I'm scared that if I get rid of them all, I'll end up wishing I hadn't. I got rid of their go-go's a few weeks ago because I was fed up with standing on them all the time and neither of them bothered to put them away and they were just getting kicked around the house. Now reading all your posts on how much your DC play with theirs, I am beginning to wish I hadn't!

Gogos are fun but be on your gards, there are even more painfull tha Legos when stepped on. We tend to use the Gogo as counter for other games.

Today, the 3 eldest have spent most of the afternoon skipping in the back garden with old ropes DH found in the garage. They are trying to replicate the routines they have seen on "Skip Nation"

stones, mud, grass, flowers - today I was throwing out an old buunch of flowers and they set up a flower stall in the garden and chopped up the flowers, and then made a 'ball' with their shed decorated with flowers, and then flower soup with flowers

basically anything outside is BEST

ds1 1 plays with buttons, electricity switches, the knobs on the washing machine, turns the computer on and off, and posting things into the letter box and through the cat flap.

but he likes to play with dd's oven and loves fire engines and cuddling abbies in bed with a story.

morningpaper that sounds very familiar - i think our dcs would get on well.

My DC have never had many toys because they were always happiest with cushions and blankets

They played with, and still play with now,

bikes
scooters
inline skates
balls
swingball

lego
pens and paper

DS's

cushions and blankets

They are 9 and 10