"Not many things in #momlife are as stress-relieving as a good old toy purge.
Of course, it works when the kids arenāt around, lest the toys in the donate bin suddenly become prized treasures. During these delightful moments of decluttering their playroom, I sometimes feel bad about the waste as I watch old favorites go into the garbage or the giveaway pile.
Iāve been a mom for nearly seven years now, which hardly makes me an expert, but I have learned a little bit about what kind of toys last by watching what my kids continue to play with. It also helps taking note of the ones my mom and mother-in-law kept and now use to entertain their grandchildren.
Some of the toys on this list started as 1st birthday gifts for my kids and continue to bring nearly as much joy as the day they opened them. Actually, on that particular day, the wrapping paper only brought them joy, but you know what I mean.
Toys for Imaginative Play
Iām still surprised by how much use some of these toys still get. My kids love to play pretend, whether it be dressing up, playing restaurant, or creating a world for their Little People Princesses or their stuffed animals.
Toys that allow them to create another world for a while have lasted in our house ā and I love that I can be a bystander in that world and not necessarily live in it.
Kid Furniture That Lasts
Kid tables end up as great investments. While you might buy them to have a craft or coloring space for your child, youāll find they are also wonderful seating for kidsā birthday parties, holidays, and more. Additionally, having an outdoor seating option for kids makes warm weather mealtime so much more fun.
My kids still love their anywhere chairs. As theyāve gotten older, the chairs have moved beyond bedtime stories and have been used as climbers, thrones, and even pushed together to become a rocket ship.
Inspiring Classic Creativity
While my oldest has started getting into the ābig kidā LEGO sets, she still loves to construct castles, zoos, and other imaginative scenes using Duplos and wooden blocks. Without step-by-step directions, these classic toys give her the freedom to create whatever she wants ā and her younger sister can build with her too.
As a toddler, my daughter used to “paint” our easel chalkboard with water and occasionally paint a picture. Now that my kids are older, they still love to paint, and we recently realized it also works great as a lemonade stand sign!
Toys for Outdoor Play
The simple joy brought on by playing with a ball starts when your kids are babies and can last until their teens. Of course, your kid will grow out of dunking on this kid-size hoop before they’re a teen, but its adjustable height will grow with them for a while.
