Author Topic: What is worth having for kids (entertainment-wise)?  (Read 12273 times)

Kitsune

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What is worth having for kids (entertainment-wise)?
« on: March 07, 2015, 02:01:54 PM »
I was hoping I'd be able to pick the brains of Mustachian-ish parents about what is worth keeping in the home for kid-entertainment.

Set-up: we're moving to the country with our currently-10-month-old baby, and planning on having a few more. We'll be living a short bike ride from my SIL and her kids and a few other similarly-aged kids. We'll be a bike ride away from a (iffy) playground, and 50km from the nearest "city" (though it's not really that big... we're really looking at 250km to come back to the city we currently live in for things like museums, zoos, shows, etc). So we're looking at having a bunch of kids in/around our house for the next 15-20 years, or however long it takes for our last one to turn into a teenager, without the easy option of leaving the house to access library/museum/etc without at least 45 minutes in the car.

So. Entertaining (older-than-toddler-aged) children at home WITHOUT excessive tv or video games. What do experienced parents recommend? What can I start looking for on craigslist/kijiji, rather than spending full price on once we move?

Based on my childhood, I'm saying a good collection of books (and this is eventually for the kid who currently spends 15 minutes straight flipping through board books, and whose first word is "ook!" while pointing at the bookshelves...). Art supplies (finger paints, construction paper, rolls of kraft paper, etc). Possibly a sandbox/swing set/slide/etc outside, most of which can be built for relatively little. Costume box of old clothes and random accessories.

Beyond that... what have your kids loved? What do they play with? What has absolutely been worth the money? What hasn't?

queenie

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Re: What is worth having for kids (entertainment-wise)?
« Reply #1 on: March 07, 2015, 02:06:32 PM »
Some people are really opposed to them (and I get it), but we love our trampoline.  We bought one with the net around it and have rules about doing flips and number of people allowed in it, but the kids have a lot of fun on it.  It depends on your comfort level with it.

A good quality swing set for sure.  And our sandbox has been a huge hit as well.  (We have 4 kids).  Basketball net.  Bikes/scooters.

How about a sprinkler?

Bstarr

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Re: What is worth having for kids (entertainment-wise)?
« Reply #2 on: March 07, 2015, 05:10:39 PM »
We will be investing this summer in a swing set... I think the entire family's quality of life will improve.  A sturdy chair for them to stand on while they help you do everything you do for the next at least 5 years.  While they are little, they just really want to do whatever you are doing.

Cassie

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Re: What is worth having for kids (entertainment-wise)?
« Reply #3 on: March 07, 2015, 05:45:44 PM »
When they are school age I would get them involved in scouts & non-competitive sports & then see what they enjoy.  Many people don't realize for example that your kids can play on a baseball team without being in Little League. Also lots of free play with the neighbor kids.

Emilyngh

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Re: What is worth having for kids (entertainment-wise)?
« Reply #4 on: March 07, 2015, 05:57:59 PM »
-A good fence around a part of the yard that you have a good view of through windows.

-a sand box and swing

-a good stock of craft stuff-eg, construction paper, paints, crayons, etc

-a well-behaved child-friendly dog or other pet (assuming you also are interested in having them and committed yourself)

-a mental list of age-appropriate chores that you can get them helping with early and then taking over




rubor

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Re: What is worth having for kids (entertainment-wise)?
« Reply #5 on: March 07, 2015, 06:41:23 PM »
This is a good topic- we have a 2 mo and a 20 mo, so I'll be interested in the replies. Our son's favorite toys at this point are 1) rocks and 2) cardboard boxes. Don't know how long that will last!

MayDay

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Re: What is worth having for kids (entertainment-wise)?
« Reply #6 on: March 07, 2015, 08:09:40 PM »
Trampoline, play set, sandbox, etc have all been popular here.  Our trampoline is a smaller indoor one, we felt more safe about that than a large outdoor one, although the kids would kill for a big one. 

Baby pools! 

As they get to teenager age, I would say make sure whatever house you buy has an "away" room, somewhere a bit off from the main living area, so the older kids can have a place to hang out.  Good idea to put your laundry machine in that room, so you can go "do laundry" when they are down their with their boyfriend/girlfriends and take a peek.  Not that my mom ever fooled me ;)

My kids love love love biking, scootering, etc.  When they were smaller they loved the cozy coupe.  They loved it to death, literally, apparently those things aren't designed to have 50 lb. 6 year old up on the roof.  Pick up a few if you see any for 5-10$, we found one on the curb for free once.  It was often fought over. 

Little tikes slide that is movable is nice as you can stick the bottom in the kiddy pool.  Water slide! 



caliq

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Re: What is worth having for kids (entertainment-wise)?
« Reply #7 on: March 08, 2015, 08:47:11 AM »
The one thing I notice is that your initial list seems to be quite indoor-centric (art supplies, dress-up, etc).  People in the country still send their kids outside to play!   

I grew up in the country -- there's a 10,000 + acre woodland hunting preserve behind my parent's house.  They own 7 acres and the hunters accessed the preserve from the exact opposite side, so we were allowed to play in the woods except for during the height of hunting season.   Honestly, some of my favorite memories are running around in the woods, unsupervised, for hours with my younger sister.  This was probably happening from when I was age 7 or so until 12?  She's 3.5 years younger, so in the early years we probably didn't range very far. 

Other things included the swing set, as others have said, biking on dirt roads that formed several mile long loops nearby, clambering around on big rocks in the yard.  I remember stuff like playing with sticks and making mud pies in the dirt drive way, mowing the lawn on a riding tractor (I steered and little sis sat between my legs and controlled gas/brake).  My dad's on a target pistol shooting team and we had a range in the back woods, so I was given a kid's sized rifle for my 6th birthday and did that for a few years. 

We didn't get a dog until I was halfway through high school but I firmly believe it would have enriched my early childhood.  Probably because I ended up as a huge dog person xD 

We were/are horse girls, but it can be a VERY expensive hobby, depending on what area of the country you live in and how much your children get into it.  I don't think I'd recommend it for someone pursuing ER unless you've got household income well into the 6 figures.  Unless you'd want to like, keep the horses at home, which we never did.  But that's a lot of work and not necessarily a huge cost savings.  It did teach us a ton of lessons about personal responsibility and hard work and dedication and all that.  And kept us away from video games and boys until a MUCH later age than most of our peers -- kinda hard to get a boyfriend when you're spending all your free time scooping up poo and throwing hay!

And I'm 23 (born 1991).  So it's not like screen time wasn't an option for us.  My parents were very strict about no 'fun' video games (once, a friend gave my sister her Game Boy after she had gotten an upgrade and my mom made my sister give it back!), we weren't allowed to watch cartoons (only PBS, Animal Planet, etc etc) and though I did have a computer in my bedroom, the only games on it were super educational.  I'm pretty sure it was a fight to get Oregon Trail, even. 

I also did a ton of reading, but I hated the library because it was 15+ minutes away by car, and I'm a very fast reader, so I could never take out enough books to last until the next library trip (I think our library had a limit of 3 at a time for kids).  My parents bought some of my favorite series and I ended up reading them so many times that the paperbacks literally disintegrated. 

DecD

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Re: What is worth having for kids (entertainment-wise)?
« Reply #8 on: March 08, 2015, 09:01:11 AM »
We have a swingset/playset we found on enormous sale and built ourselves.  We also have  tree nearby that's suitable for climbing.  So my kids' favorite outdoor activity in spring/fall is playing in the tree forts- one kid in the fort, one in the tree, we've got a bucket strung up between them that acts as a mail/delivery service.  Hours of fun.

Scooters, cozy coupe, bikes, sandbox.

A garden.  Gardening is my hobby and the kids love planting seeds & seedlings with me, digging in the dirt, helping harvest, etc.

We live in Texas so we spend all summer in the pool.  It wouldn't be worth the expense/trouble/risk anywhere else, but down here can use it April-October, and it makes the miserable summers actually enjoyable. 

Indoors- foam swords & nerf guns.  An enormous collection of handmedown brio/thomas wooden trains.  Matchbox cars.  Trio bricks.  Snap circuits.  We have an easel from ikea with a whiteboard on one side, chalkboard on the other, and a big roll of paper.  A play kitchen.  Really- it kind of depends on your kids.  Our two kids have very different personalities and gravitate to different toys.

zolotiyeruki

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Re: What is worth having for kids (entertainment-wise)?
« Reply #9 on: March 08, 2015, 07:15:39 PM »
Kitsune, you're already well on the way.  I don't have much to add beyond what the other posters have said, so I'll just add my assenting opinion on a few ideas:
1) get them outside
2) keep them outside

Especially if they have peers they can run around with, there's not a whole lot more you *have* to provide.  They'll figure out ways to entertain themselves, and that independence is a very important life skill IMO.  Playsets and sandboxes are great.  Bikes are great. 

Get a dinner bell, so you can get 'em home when the time comes.  I'm hoping my parents will pass theirs on to me in their will.  It wasn't big, but we learned to hear it from at least half a mile away.

Joshin

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Re: What is worth having for kids (entertainment-wise)?
« Reply #10 on: March 11, 2015, 06:44:24 PM »
* A ball
* A large magnifying glass
* Field guides to everything
* Quality binoculars and star maps
* Buckets and jars
* Plenty of debris and tools -- let 'em build their own entertainment!

Oddly enough, a tablet. We were media/screen time light until the kids were 6 or so years old, so they never got addicted to passive entertainment.

Our future engineer/inventor/mad scientist has reaped so much enjoyment from his tablet. Cheapest one out there, without a ton of memory and no SD card, so no games on it really. But he has the knowledge of the entire world at his fingertips. Right now he's building himself a Google Cardboard using his tablet for the how-to's and the kindness of a donated smartphone from a relative, while also scrounging up materials and researching how to build a small teardrop trailer to haul behind his bike for his summer project. This winter, that tablet helped him fix an old computer, and last year he built a radio telescope from an old DirectTV dish. The tablet, although electronic, made all this possible.

Kitsune

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Re: What is worth having for kids (entertainment-wise)?
« Reply #11 on: March 19, 2015, 09:43:37 AM »
Thanks for all the suggestions, everyone! I really appreciate the list of ideas!

Gone Fishing

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Re: What is worth having for kids (entertainment-wise)?
« Reply #12 on: March 19, 2015, 09:56:21 AM »
Sticks (bamboo is great), string, tape (duct is good but expensive) cardboard and a stapler.  My son can make just about anything he wants out of these items.

TrMama

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Re: What is worth having for kids (entertainment-wise)?
« Reply #13 on: March 19, 2015, 12:50:37 PM »
Ditto on the trampoline. Get one with a net and pads over the springs and you can start using it at 2 years old.

When I was a kid we lived in a similar rural setting. We had tons of fun with scrap lumber, hammer and nails building forts in the woods. My brother and his friend spent weeks "digging to China" using plain old shovels.

louloulou

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Re: What is worth having for kids (entertainment-wise)?
« Reply #14 on: March 19, 2015, 03:47:11 PM »
I have 2 girls aged 5 and 7. We live rural but in a small township. Things my 2 like to do-

bike
swim/kayak/play on beach (we live near a lake)
trampoline
Help with growing fruit/vegetables in garden. They especially love the strawberry patch!
going to the playground
arts and crafts- they spend a lot of time making things
dress ups/dancing/singing/making up shows
lego
board games

Pelky

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Re: What is worth having for kids (entertainment-wise)?
« Reply #15 on: March 20, 2015, 11:30:45 AM »
Games is an important one to me. Dice, deck of cards, dominoes, and some fun board games to play as a family
My little ones all LOVED our classic Radio flyer wagon. And it's so useful too.
Garden & sandbox tools. Workbench Tools. Cooking utensils - these can be age appropriate "real" ones or toy ones.
Get a craigslist train table. Even if your not into trains.  It works as a Lego table, matchbox table, puzzle table, dollhouse table, etc.
Balls. An infinite number of balls in all shapes and sizes.






nora

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Re: What is worth having for kids (entertainment-wise)?
« Reply #16 on: March 21, 2015, 09:04:50 PM »
There may be a toy library. Our local one we pay $40 a year and can get six toys at a time for up to a month each. This includes big outdoor things like slides and swings. A huge selection.

RunHappy

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Re: What is worth having for kids (entertainment-wise)?
« Reply #17 on: March 22, 2015, 06:56:39 AM »
I would say the biggest mistake people make is getting too many toys.

I'm a minimalist and that includes toys for the kids.  With my first child she was the first for everyone and showered with gifts until I put my foot down.  The toys she liked best were the ones that promote concentration, memory skills, and imagination.  Since you will be living in the country, the kids will need some outdoor toys, but as a kid I remember having fun with just a bucket, hose, shovel and a flashlight.  Give them a place to dig, run and roll around and just be kids and get dirty.


I found this blog post about kids toys inspiring:

http://www.livingwellspendingless.com/2013/09/13/why-i-took-my-kids-toys-away-one-year-later/

justajane

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Re: What is worth having for kids (entertainment-wise)?
« Reply #18 on: March 22, 2015, 07:06:29 AM »
While the kids will likely spend lots of time outdoors, there will always be rainy days inside. Here's what I would suggest:

Classic wooden blocks for building. We have at least three sets of the latter, and the kids can build elaborate structures. Also, some figurines that they can use to roleplay in their creations. Superheroes, little people, farm animals....anything will work.

Also, our boys have tons of Legos. It's our go-to gift from relatives, mainly because they don't take up that much space in the house.

If you want to go fancy (a.k.a. expensive) you could buy wedgits (http://www.amazon.com/WEDGiTS-Deluxe-Set-30-Piece/dp/B000068E3J). Those things are AWESOME. Frankly, I have as much with those as the kids do. 

For outside: I would definitely recommend a good quality swing set that will last for when they are older as well. Kids can swing for ages.


MrsPete

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Re: What is worth having for kids (entertainment-wise)?
« Reply #19 on: March 23, 2015, 06:26:23 AM »
A looong time ago I read something that struck me as odd, but it turned out to be true:  You'll get the most value from your dollar from the really expensive toys ... and the dollar-store toys.  It's the in-between things that get little play time. 

The trampoline was the single item that received the most playtime of anything my kids had.  Obviously they jumped on it, but they'd also go out and lay on it to read.  A couple times they slept out on it.  Other things that they loved intensely for years:  Their playhouse, their sandbox, their huge doll house, their American Girls dolls.  Oh, and their table/chair set and play kitchen -- those were used constantly. 

And the little dollar-store type stuff was loved fiercely for a couple days, then discarded.  For example, a little tea set or a yoyo.  Still, for a dollar, it wasn't bad. 

Something else I read once in a John Rosemond book (Christian author who writes about parenting):  Allow your kid to have no more than ten toys at a time.  If the child has too many toys, he plays with none and develops no imagination.  If he has only a few, they get used.  If my children were little again, I'd be more strict about this. 

Other thoughts:

- Don't skimp on art supplies
- An outdoor item that hasn't been mentioned:  Tether ball -- bonus: you can play alone
- Kids need to own books, but that's no substitute for the library
- Buy plenty of board games and play them regularly as a family
- When you buy a Christmas present, etc., consider going with something that can become a collection and be "added to" later:  For example, Lego kids always want more ... buy the American Girl doll for Christmas this year, and instead of another doll next year, add clothes or accessories ... dress up boxes need to be replenished with more stuff ...

On the subject of dress-up boxes:  That was another top toy -- my kids used it daily.  Last Christmas one of my no-children male colleagues was asking what he should get his 3-year old niece for a gift.  One of us ladies said, "A big tub with a few dress up items, then keep adding to it for years".  He was very uncertain, saying that didn't sound fun at all, and how long would that hold a girl's attention anyway?  All of us with girls assured him it was the perfect gift, and our teens still secretly enjoyed such things.  He bought it and said he was named Uncle of the Year for that gift. 

You mentioned a park nearby.  Whatever it DOESN'T have, that's what you should get in your own yard.  If that park has great swings, I wouldn't bother with them in your own yard -- I'd go with a good sandbox instead.  If the park doesn't have a slide, get a Little Tikes model slide. (another big favorite at my house:  The $2 yard sale slide -- as toddlers, my kids would slide 50Xs in a row, giggling all the while ... and in the summer we'd put it over the edge of their kiddie pool -- that was even better)

Someone mentioned a toy library.  We were members of a toy library when my kids were small, and WOW was it great.  We could check out "tubs" full of themed-items.  Perhaps this week we'd check out a box of puppets, and two weeks later we'd get a science experiment tub, then the next week it might be a doll house.  It was out of our way, but it was worth the drive. 

Final thought:  Don't feel that you have to entertain your kids.  I'm not saying ignore them, but by-and-large, we Americans are raising a generation that doesn't know how to entertain themselves or simply be quiet with their thoughts for a moment. 

Quinny

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Re: What is worth having for kids (entertainment-wise)?
« Reply #20 on: April 04, 2015, 09:53:21 PM »
Ditto on the dog. Our (animal control gem) was definitely more for me, but now I can let my kids (4 and 7) play in the backyard and I feel better with her on duty (cattledog, small urban fenced backyard).
My best free find of the year was a big bin of Legos in an alley (score!) and we dumped them on a table in the backyard. I don't worry about them getting dirty and dusty the way I would if I had paid for them and my kiddos play finding bugs and worms, then circle back to the robots and cars they've been working on. (If I had known this I would have put some out a long time ago!)
My four year old daughter asks for unstructured backyard time more than any other activity. I love it!

JLR

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Re: What is worth having for kids (entertainment-wise)?
« Reply #21 on: April 05, 2015, 03:41:46 AM »
Our kids (12, 10 and 7) have plenty of toys and video games, but also enjoy playing with all sorts of random stuff. At the moment their favourite game is to put our thongs/flip flops on the trampoline and try to bounce around so they fly off. They have all sorts of rules they've developed about what happens if one of the shoes hits you, how many 'lives' you have, etc.

Last year I bought some bamboo stakes for the garden. I never would have imagined how many hours they would spend doing different things with the spare stakes!

I guess I'm saying, kids will play with all sorts of things given the time and the opportunity. Or maybe I'm really saying, a sibling is the best toy??

deborah

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Re: What is worth having for kids (entertainment-wise)?
« Reply #22 on: April 05, 2015, 04:00:25 AM »
There have been some recent studies around here. They put junk into school playgrounds, and the kids used the junk to make all sorts of things - it was much more used and enriching than the standard playground equipment.

Dee18

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Re: What is worth having for kids (entertainment-wise)?
« Reply #23 on: April 05, 2015, 07:33:59 AM »
Tools.  Let them take apart old things and build new ones.  Let them build a fort or treehouse.

Secretly Saving

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Re: What is worth having for kids (entertainment-wise)?
« Reply #24 on: April 05, 2015, 08:20:44 AM »
One thing that I don't think has been mentioned that our children play with regularly is playsilks.  I bought some chiffon ones (WAY cheaper) off etsy instead of having the real thing since silk is expensive!  We also have a series of laundry clips that they can use to connect the silks together, to make forts, dress up, capes etc.  They are constantly pulling them out for some creative adventure!  To date, it is BY FAR our best toy investment.

Bob W

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Re: What is worth having for kids (entertainment-wise)?
« Reply #25 on: April 05, 2015, 11:07:27 AM »
Big cardboard boxes.

elaine amj

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Re: What is worth having for kids (entertainment-wise)?
« Reply #26 on: April 08, 2015, 10:46:24 AM »
Playsilks are a great idea! We had a big pile of throw blankets and my kids used them regularly. Playsilks would have been easier to use.

Looking back, the absolute best toy we every bought was their swingset. it was the only thing they played with consistently and did for many, many years. Completely worth it. The trampoline was ok - but my kids only cared for it when their friends visited. We got ours on sale for $200 so it was worth it, but would not have been worth $300-600 for us.

I loved tiling my playroom floor with foam tiles when the kids were little. It made a big difference for us.
The train table was good - but didn't get as much play as I thought it would.

Lego was great. Except for cleaning it up. I finally got smart and provided my son with a large throw blanket. He would build on that. When he was done, he would just pick up the corners of the blanket and pop the whole bundle in a plastic tote. Took 2 seconds (why didn't I think of that years earlier?).

Blow up pools, and sprinkler stuff were fun during the summers. Plus they're cheap. And ride on cars/trikes for sure.

Pigeon

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Re: What is worth having for kids (entertainment-wise)?
« Reply #27 on: April 08, 2015, 03:32:38 PM »
The best toy we ever got for the kids when they were little was a used play kitchen.  That thing kept them amused for years.  Legos are great, but stepping on them in the dark is not.  Jigsaw puzzles and craft supplies are hours of fun.  Books are essential and the library rules.

Your situation will be different because you will be isolated.  But to be honest, while I thought having a bunch of creative, natural type, educational toys and outdoors equipment would be a big draw, it wasn't.  We live in the burbs.  The kids congregated at the fancy houses with the finished basement, the swimming pool and the most expensive electronic gadgets, just as soon as they were old enough for that stuff.

TheGrimSqueaker

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Re: What is worth having for kids (entertainment-wise)?
« Reply #28 on: April 26, 2015, 06:57:50 PM »
Have you considered solo sports like archery or target shooting? You need a lot of space to do them well, and although it's possible to spend an obscene amount on the sports, the introductory-level kids' stuff isn't that bad. You may be able to get it secondhand, and if you want to go full DIY it's possible: I have a buddy who built a recurve bow for his daughter out of used skis.

Fancyacupoftea

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Re: What is worth having for kids (entertainment-wise)?
« Reply #29 on: April 29, 2015, 01:20:45 PM »
As a childminder (daycare for under 5s in UK), we find that the most well used things are what we would term 'open ended' toys. We have a mud kitchen outside and the kids cook up potions and mud pies. We have little stones, mud, sand which they mix together, and herbs like mint nearby that they put into the potions. This often becomes dinosaur land as well! Sand pit and water play.

Inside they all love small world play eg train track, dolls house, Duplo. Building blocks are used sparingly. Cardboard boxes (the bigger the better!) are brilliant! Tents, tunnels, space to roll around and wrestle. Pieces of material that they dress up in.

For older children, lots of board games, books, lego.  Outside - a den, sticks, mud, planks, tree stumps and let them go wild! Oh and definitely a trampoline!

formerlydivorcedmom

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Re: What is worth having for kids (entertainment-wise)?
« Reply #30 on: April 30, 2015, 09:34:22 AM »
Music is a big deal in my house.  From the time they were babies, I'd turn on the radio or put in a cd and we'd have our very own dance party.  They'll dance for an hour or more sometimes (and now they are 5-9).  I got my oldest her own radio when she was 5 (and a cheap mp3 player when she turned 7), and she'll happily sit in her room and listen to music while she reads or does crafts.  The youngest gets his radio this summer.

They love anything they can make a fort out of, indoors or out (cardboard boxes, old blankets, chairs, etc).

I grew up in the country without other kids to play with beyond my sibling.  We spent a lot of time making mud pies and riding bikes (get a good bike that can do "off-roading").  We also had dogs, and my parents raised a few chickens, ducks, and, occasionally, pigs and cows.  These were our pets, our chores, and, later, our dinner :( 

I live in the suburbs now, but my kids spend a huge amount of time outdoors when it's nice.  Bikes, walking (we do a family bike ride/hike twice a week), swing set, balls of all kinds, bats & pool noodles and sticks (they like to hit stuff with other stuff).  The girls will even put a blanket on the ground and bring their dolls outside and just play with the toys out there (for hours). 

Chalk if you have a paved driveway, paints (fingerpainting is only allowed outside after the great carpet mishap of 2014), bubbles (lots and lots of bubbles), etc.







Matt_D

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Re: What is worth having for kids (entertainment-wise)?
« Reply #31 on: June 11, 2015, 06:44:52 AM »
Things others have said that I particularly agree with: Art stuff, building toys (Duplos/Legos/blocks), outside play things, buckets/bins/anything that holds stuff, dress-up things

Additionally:
- If you have the space - a play kitchen with some pots/pans and play food. Better if the pots and pans are smaller old "real" ones! We have 2 girls, but whenever we have little boys over whose families haven't given them kitchen stuff, that's the first (and sometimes only) thing they play with! Ours is actually IN our kitchen, which has usually meant the kids play at making food while we're actually making food - and as they've gotten a bit older they've moved more toward helping us make food instead of just playing.

- CD player and kids CDs. I rip all the CDs so they're on my phone too, but my kids have been able to start a CD by themselves since about age 2. We have a CD wallet they all go in to minimize storage space.

- Some sort of toy animals (little plastic ones work fine, but not the very cheapest as those don't last). These get played with daily (usually in conjunction with the blocks/duplos).

- Puzzles. Some kids are better/more into them than others, but having at least a couple age-appropriate ones around is pretty useful.

- Balls. Various sizes, for indoor/outdoor.

- Sidewalk chalk (assuming you have an outdoor space to use it). We go through several boxes per year, but they spend HOURS filling our sidewalk and driveway! Also works on the wooden fence in the backyard!

- Kiddie pool if you've got space. Our youngest (4) spends literally 2-3 hours per day playing in and around the kiddie pool during the summer. Granted she's part fish, but it's been one of the best $10 purchases!

- Imaginarium bouncy horse ( http://www.toysrus.com/buy/rocking-horses/imaginarium-bouncy-horse-5f5e97e-11776559). Periodically goes on sale for $10. Has been used from ages 1.5 - 5, for hours and hours, way beyond anything we ever dreamed. We've had one for 5(?) years and it is practically a living creature at this point. Just don't leave it outside, the rubber/plastic will do funky things.

Avoid:
- Most branded things, most plastic, almost anything with batteries.


Also - don't get too many of these things at the same time... better to have just a few out at once! We know many people who do a rotation and swap toys in/out of bins in a closet or something. Or just keep purging/not acquiring. Hard part is that people keep giving the kids toys - as a parent you just have to try to steer the gift-givers in useful directions.



pbkmaine

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Re: What is worth having for kids (entertainment-wise)?
« Reply #32 on: June 11, 2015, 07:01:07 AM »
I never had a play kitchen, but we had a real kitchen and my mother bought me a small baking set with pie and cake pans and utensils. I cooked alongside her with real food starting when I was very small, standing on a step stool, wearing my own apron. I think this gave me a lot of confidence in the kitchen.

Matt_D

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Re: What is worth having for kids (entertainment-wise)?
« Reply #33 on: June 11, 2015, 07:06:15 AM »
+1 on books... can't believe I didn't mention that!

In addition to the library, we have had our kids subscribed to this free program (for ages 1-5 I think?): http://imaginationlibrary.com/
The books they send out tend to be very good, and we've found several authors this way. Mix of new and "classic" titles. We registered through a local org, but I think you can use the site to register too (hit "register my child" link at top).

For kids books, there are a ton of ways to pick them up used and very cheap too. Our kids read so much that using library-only would necessitate more trips to the library (and more books checked out at once) than I think we can handle... plus there are at least a couple dozen that get read obsessively!

Lyssa

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Re: What is worth having for kids (entertainment-wise)?
« Reply #34 on: June 12, 2015, 07:24:02 AM »
Board and card games, legos, old bits and pieces of fabric and wool, the opportunity to host and observe small animals (e.g. tadpoles), legos, some basic 'musical instruments' (flute, drum, etc.. No need to get anything fancy for small children, they pick up rhythm by banging two sticks together).

Insanity

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Re: What is worth having for kids (entertainment-wise)?
« Reply #35 on: June 12, 2015, 09:06:20 AM »
Our daughter is starting to spend her own money on things.  Hopefully she learns she needs to save also......  My wife isn't helping with that.

Sandy Beach

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Re: What is worth having for kids (entertainment-wise)?
« Reply #36 on: June 15, 2015, 09:41:48 PM »
My boys favorites were:

-Legos, lots and lots of Legos.
-Matchbox or Hotwheels, but don't bother buying the tracks, they rarely used those, instead just zoomed them around the house.  Don't buy the Dollar Store cars, they don't last.
-Puppets & putting on puppet shows
-Dressing up and playing pretend from the dress up box (cowboys, pirates, superhero's, etc.) Costumes are really cheap the week after Halloween & that's a good time to stock up.
-Arts and Crafts, but don't buy the cheap crayons, Crayola are much better and on sale when the have the back to school sales (also a good time to stock up on other art supplies)
- Tools (We gave them each a tool set one Christmas) and building supplies.  When the kids get older, they can look up plans online and do building projects.
- For the little ones, A Cozy Coupe (they loved this), the Little Tykes picnic table (just their size for snacks, playing with play dough, arts and crafts, etc.) These can be found very cheap at garage sales or probably on Craigslist.  We also had a little Tykes tugboat/sandbox that they played in for hours & it had a cover to keep the cats out (very important if there are any cats around).
- A few Disney DVDs - I know you said you want to limit the TV time, but there will be days when everyone is sick or cranky and having movie time can be a sanity saver.
- Balls
- Books
- A magnifying glass & binoculars to take on hikes to explore nature.
-Large Boxes are always fun.

What didn't work - those inexpensive plastic indoor tents.  They smell awful (off gasing) and the rip and fall apart.  You're better off with sheets over the back of chairs.  Also, don't buy too many of one toy, they don't need 3 fire trucks or 3 dump trucks.  We had way too many toys and they just ended up playing with the same things over and over.

Enjoy these years, they go by way too fast.  Take a lot of pictures and movies, you'll be happy you did.




patrickza

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Re: What is worth having for kids (entertainment-wise)?
« Reply #37 on: June 16, 2015, 05:08:02 AM »
I misread the title, I thought you were asking if it's worth having kids (entertainment-wise). My answer was going to be yes, they're very entertaining a lot of the time, so an expense well spent ;)

For my boy, the stuff he likes the most, in order are his tablet (nexus 7), his electric scooter (I got it free and fixed it for him) and his bike.

I definitely think the tablet is the best gift I've given him. It made him very comfortable with the tablet, and when I travel we can skype etc.

Matt_D

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Re: What is worth having for kids (entertainment-wise)?
« Reply #38 on: June 16, 2015, 08:24:35 AM »
I misread the title, I thought you were asking if it's worth having kids (entertainment-wise). My answer was going to be yes, they're very entertaining a lot of the time, so an expense well spent ;)

Ha, true! My kids crack me up pretty much constantly.

+1 on bike recommendation as well... I didn't mention as I don't consider bikes to be toys :)

MrsPotts

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Re: What is worth having for kids (entertainment-wise)?
« Reply #39 on: June 18, 2015, 07:38:27 PM »
Plastic storage bins and a label maker.

Legos, Legos, Legos.

A Legos sweeper upper

Rubber boots, buckets, trowels, plastic cool whip containers

Glue gun

Tape recorder.  Do they still make these?

Butterfly nets, styrofoam

Redstone5

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Re: What is worth having for kids (entertainment-wise)?
« Reply #40 on: June 24, 2015, 01:15:07 PM »
Trampoline! Great for outside sleepovers.

Snap Circuits (for kids 7-adult). My son plays with these for hours, making his own inventions. The best toy money we've ever spent, and teaches him all about electrical wiring. Very well made, safe, and sturdy. I highly recommend them.  http://www.snapcircuits.net/ 

Learning to sew, craft kits, hooking rugs, etc.

AZDude

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Re: What is worth having for kids (entertainment-wise)?
« Reply #41 on: June 25, 2015, 03:34:45 PM »
Stuff our daughter loves, found through trial and error:

White board and markers, legos, play-doh, sandbox, and if you get really fancy, a toy kitchen with accessories. 99% of the rest of the crap she gets from family friends is barely touched by her, ends up in her toybox, then is moved to the recycle pile, and eventually makes its way to a kids resale store where we trade it in for something useful, like clothes and shoes.

Erica/NWEdible

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Re: What is worth having for kids (entertainment-wise)?
« Reply #42 on: June 26, 2015, 11:16:20 AM »
Misread title as:
Is it worth having kids (entertainment-wise)?

:)