Toy Collection Guidelines: How Many Toys Do Kids Need?

How many toys do kids need? While it’s nice to have a number to shoot for, it’s more important to assess how many toys are right for your particular child and circumstances.

For example, as a stay-at-home mom, my kids are home a lot. We live in a 2000 square foot home and can fit the following toys into our home and outdoor space with ample space for running, dancing, and jumping.

Our Current Toy Collection

Our current toy collection includes indoor toys, outdoor toys, and some toys in each of my kids’ rooms.

Altogether, we have 48 toys (counting items like a basket of Hot Wheels or a shelf of books as 1 toy each) between my 2 kids. 

While this is a bigger number than I expected before taking inventory, there are not necessarily any toys I would get rid of right now. Each serves a purpose and my kids (1 and 4) play with almost all of them every day. They are also home a lot, so if they were in daycare or long days of preschool, we would likely have fewer toys. 

Indoor Toys

1. mini trampoline
2. play kitchen and toy food
3. mini ice cream cart
4. a small set of magnetic tiles
5. wooden train track set
6. basket of small balls
7. handful of puzzles
8. shelf of books
9. craft table with paper and markers
10. indoor wall climbing gym
11. kids’ plastic bowling ball set
12. pretend tea set
13. handful of board games
14. a small basket of stacking toys
15. hula hoop
16. bag of homemade playdough with cookie cutters
17. container of small blocks
18. hot wheel tracks
19. basket of toy cars and dress-up clothes
20. a small basket of animal and people figurines
21. egg carton full of homemade toilet paper roll people
22. keyboard
23. foam bath blocks

Outdoor Toys

1. water table
2. small slide
3. two outside bins of sand 
4. bowls and kitchen utensils for outdoor mud play and water play
5. bikes
6. scooter
7. mini wagon
8. dump truck
9. mini plastic pool
10. small bubble machine and wands
11. soccer ball and basketball
12. sprinkler toy

Kids’ Rooms

4 year old’s room:

1. tool bin full of Hot Wheels
2. shelf full of toy trucks and cars
3. 2 small toy parking garages
4. hot wheel race track
5. a small bin of miscellaneous “treasures” (eg. rocks in plastic containers, stamps, bouncy balls)
6. basket of stuffed animals

1 year old’s room:

1. books
2. puzzle
3. winding toy
4. music toy
5. blocks
6. basket of stuffed animals

Sometimes I feel like I need to go out and get my kids even more toys, but when I look at this list I know that they have PLENTY. I have to remind myself that having too many toys can be overwhelming for kids (and adults). Plus, it can be detrimental to building skills like focus, problem-solving, creativity, and imaginative play. 

If you feel like you need more toys for your kids, it’s a good exercise to write down everything you already have and then see how you feel.

Determining the Right Number of Toys for Your Kids

When deciding on the perfect number of toys for my kids, I consider the following questions;

1. Assessing My Home, Personality, and Lifestyle

How many toys comfortably fit in my home and/or in my yard? How many toys can I have without cluttering up my space? Will my kids have enough room to run, roll, and wiggle with the amount of toys in our living space? 

What is my tolerance level for stuff in my home? Am I easily overwhelmed when it comes to managing physical items in my home? How much time am I willing to spend managing and organizing toys? How much stuff is too much for me?

How much time do my kids spend at home? Do my kids spend a large amount of time at daycare, school, or other activities outside the home? Or, are my kids home for many hours during the day?

2. Adopting a Minimalist Approach to Toys

How do I declutter all the unused toys in my home? What do I do with excess toys? How do I talk to my kids about donating or selling unused toys? How do busy parents find the time to declutter toys?

How do I keep from accumulating too many toys? How do I know when I am buying too many toys? Why do I feel like I need to buy a lot of toys for my kids? Can I buy fewer toys, that are higher quality than what I usually buy?

3. Prioritizing Quality Toys Over Quantity of Toys

What are the best types of toys to stimulate quality playtime for different-aged children? How old is my child and/or what type of toy matches their developmental stage? What does a child need to stimulate imaginative and active play?

Where are the best places to buy kids’ toys? Can I buy some toys second-hand? What are the best places to buy second-hand?

1. Assessing Your Home, Schedules, and Ages and Number of Kids

There is no single right number of toys to have in a home. Every family needs to assess the size of their own living space and what is manageable for them. In my family’s home, we have two large communal rooms that can each comfortably house some large toys. If we only had one room, we would need to cut down on the number of large toys we have, and maybe have an extra bin or two of small toys. 

I would also probably reassess our toy situation if I was working outside of the home and my kids were spending all their time at daycare or activities outside the home. If this were the case, we would likely have fewer toys.

As a stay-at-home mom though, my 1 and 4-year-old are home a lot. So I am heavily invested in figuring out how to stimulate their play at home. Both for their development, as well as my sanity! Even though we go on plenty of outings, there are still a lot of hours spent running, exploring, and causing chaos at home.

So the focus needs to be less on how many toys a child has, and more on how many toys are appropriate given the size of a family’s home and what toys stimulate quality playtime and help kids develop their social, emotional, and cognitive skills. 

2. A Minimalist Approach to A Kid’s Toy Collection

Creating a home that is functional and uncluttered is a priority for busy overwhelmed parents. A clutter-free home also helps kids feel like there is space for them to freely exist, explore, and move their bodies. Let’s be real though, life can get a bit hectic with kids so I like to think a simple organized home is something to strive for, rather than mandate it as reality. 

3 good reasons to strive to create a clutter-free home include the following;

1. Less stuff for parents to spend time cleaning, organizing, and managing.
2. Less overwhelming for kids and parents.
3. More space for kids to move their bodies.

As I have thought about the toys in our home over the past few years, here are some of my minimalist values and principles around toy accumulation, management, and decluttering. While I do not always live in a way that reflects these values, I do my best!

• Prioritize open spaces
• Embrace the art of letting go and donating or selling unused toys
• Less is usually more
• Turn everyday items we already have into toys
• Focus on quality of play over quantity of toys
• Invest in a select few high-quality toys over a bunch of junk toys
• Let kids’ interests guide my toy purchases
• Honor toys and collections that are important to my kids

Open Space is One of the Best “Toys” For Young Kids

At the end of the day, the best “toy” in our house is open space so my young kids can run, jump, and dance. These are their favorite things to do. 

For example, my 4-year-old has a cardboard box parked under our dining room table that he runs around with and pretends it’s a car. My 1-year-old joins in and pushes her walker around as fast as she can. As such, we keep plenty of clear pathways!

Decluttering Toys Can Happen Slowly

Life often gets so busy, that instead of taking the time to filter through unused toys, we just add on more toys to the current collection. 

The good news though, is that we can declutter toys slowly. The process can take as long as busy parents need.

Additionally, overwhelmed parents do not have to set aside a special time to declutter toys. It can be done in small moments during a regular day. I try and take the opportunity to assess our toys while I’m sitting on the floor watching my kids play. 

Include Kids In The Toy Decluttering Process

I often catch myself thinking about how I need to set aside time after my kids have gone to bed to work on this or that around the house. Because let’s be honest, sometimes it’s really hard to get anything done with wild children tugging on your shirt every 5 seconds!

The truth though, is that kids love being included in what their parents are doing. For example, whenever I need to do some dishes and my 1 and 4-year-old are looking for trouble, I get a couple of dishcloths out and tell them to help me clean and wipe the cabinets down. They love this! 

So when I want to do a little toy decluttering, I invite my 4-year-old to sort through things with me. We talk about what we no longer use and how it would be better to trade an old unused toy out for something new and exciting. If we have collected more toys than our toy bins can handle, we will put several toys in the donate or sell bag and only bring 1 new toy in. 

If there is a toy that my 4-year-old is adamant about keeping, I’ll usually honor that and will check in about it another day.  

Surprisingly though, I find it rare for my child to protest when I suggest we donate a toy that he no longer plays with or that his baby sister is too old for now. The younger we start talking to our kids about concepts like donating and freeing up space in our homes, the easier it will be for them as they grow up to apply these concepts.

Balancing Kids Need to Collect with a Minimalist Approach

Collections are very important to kids. I’m not talking about collections of fancy gadgets or precious coins. Kids’ collections are oftentimes things that have little monetary value or are simply found objects, like rocks. 

As overwhelmed parents who just want to get rid of all clutter and live in a minimalist home, it is easy to see kids’ little collections as junk. When I think back to my childhood though, I remember my precious collections. There is something inherently captivating and special about being a kid and forming your own little world with special objects.

Kids often have very little control over their day-to-day schedules. Carefully collecting and organizing small objects is something that they can do and exercise their authority over. They are also learning about what they like and what it means to be responsible for something, as trivial as their little pile of rocks may look to an adult.

Additionally, they are experiencing what it is like to make something meaningful. And that is so important to learn how to do as you become an adult. Many people struggle with making meaning in a sometimes cruel and unforgiving world. If our kids learn the art of creating joy and specialness when they are young, they can carry that with them into adulthood.

Sometimes we need to step in when collections get out of hand or unsanitary (eg. my son started a collection of “hermit crabs” that were crumpled-up pieces of foil from his yogurts) but for the most part, we can leave kids’ collections to them. 

Do Not Be Tempted by Online Toy Sales or Cheap Toys

If there is a specific toy you have in mind for your child that you know will stimulate hours of creative play, and it’s on sale and within your budget, then buy it! If you start browsing through the abundance of toys marked as being on super sale though, know that you may end up creating more clutter in your home and work for yourself. Is that sale price worth your time and energy? 

Instead of buying a cart full of impulse buy super sale toys, save your money and put it toward a toy you have put some thought into. And if you can’t resist missing out on a sale (I love them myself), wait to buy that toy you put some thought into during the next sale.

There is almost always a sale happening these days, so you probably won’t have to wait long and you can feed your need to buy things on sale as well as get something that is going to add a lot of value to your kids’ lives.

Managing Toy Accumulation During Holidays and Birthdays

Toy collections tend to grow during the holidays and special occasions like birthday parties. These times are sooo exciting for kids. So how do we keep toy collections from becoming overwhelming during these times, while still allowing our kids the joy of opening gifts and playing with new toys?

There are a few different options, and only you will know what feels right for your circumstances. What feels right will likely depend on whether you have younger children or older children. Here are some of the different options on ways to handle gifts and an overabundance of toys;

Request secondhand gifts. I have a friend who requested secondhand gifts for her toddler’s birthday one year, and ever since I have loved this idea.
There are so many great used toys in the world, why not keep on recirculating them instead of contributing to more mass toy production and the environmental impacts?

Plus, buying used costs less than buying new so gift givers can usually give a better quality toy used, rather than buying whatever toy they can find that fits within their budget. I wouldn’t buy a stuffed animal secondhand necessarily, but a toy truck in great condition that I can wipe down, sure!

Share wish lists with family and friends. Many family members like grandma and grandpa love giving gifts to kids. Parents who are on a budget can especially appreciate the generosity of family in these cases.

If you know that there is a toy that your kid will love and get a ton of use out of, you can let family members know so that their money is well spent. Some family members may want to choose gifts to give, but chances are they may appreciate some help with toy selection.

Inform friends and family of a no-gift policy. More often than not, friends and family may appreciate a no-gift policy. There is enough stress circulating during the holidays, that not having to worry about buying a nice gift can be a relief for many. If you request a no-gift policy, you can still get your child exactly what you know they will love yourself.

Graciously accept gifts and donate or sell any that go unused. Sometimes it might surprise you what your kid ends up loving. So gifts from friends and family can be a real treat when they are something you never would have thought of for your child, and that your child ends up loving.

If by chance a gifted toy ends up buried under a mound of toys, you can still thank the giver and simply donate that toy so a different kid can enjoy it.

Have kids trade out new toys for old toys. When a kid gets a new load of toys, you can go through their old toys with them, and assess which ones no longer have much value for them. These will be toys that they never played with or no longer play with.

Kids are growing cognitively, physically, emotionally, and socially incredibly fast, so chances are they have outgrown something by the time the next holiday has come around. 

When I spent some time with my 4 year old going through his room (which was starting to look like a hoarder’s home), he ended up having a great time participating in the process. He was extra motivated when I told him we had to clear space and make room for a new train set. While we only added a train set, we decluttered a huge amount of unplayed with toys (and items from our recycling can) that he had started to collect.  

3. Housing Quality, Age-Appropriate Toys

When we started minimizing our toy situation at our house, I realized we had been hanging onto lots of toys that both my kids had outgrown. When we did put all those baby toys in a bag to donate, I realized we did not have as many toys as I thought. As such, I started thinking about what kinds of toys my growing kids’ would enjoy. 

Expanding Our Definition of a Toy

When we hear the word “toy” as parents, we often think of bright-colored, fancy light-up electronic toys or impressive kits with a hundred different parts. 

When a young child hears the word “toy”, they are far more open-minded than us adults. Oftentimes they would often rather play with everyday items they find around than house than all their fancy toys! For example, there is no better place to play than at the bottom Tupperware drawer in the kitchen for babies and young toddlers.

On an instinctual level, kids must know that these everyday simple household items stimulate their development. They learn to think creatively and develop their critical thinking skills as they explore and figure out how to use everyday items. There are no shiny buttons to push that light up and do the work for them.

It’s also easy to forget that simple items like crayons and paper can be toys! These are toys with endless creative possibilities.

Homemade toys like cardboard car ramps, laundry basket ball catchers, and toy people made out of toilet paper rolls also must be included in our definition of “toys”!

What’s a Quality Toy?

What makes a toy worthy of taking up space in a home? Here are my criteria for any new toys we bring into the house. New toys need to be;

1. Versatile. My kids have to be able to play with them in many different ways. For example, open-ended toys like magnatiles and wooden blocks can be turned into a hundred different things. 

2. Stimulate imaginative play, creative thinking, and problem-solving skills. Kids learn through play, so toys that encourage pretend play and step-by-step processes have huge developmental benefits.

3. Age-appropriate. Age recommendations on toys are usually pretty accurate, so checking toy boxes is a simple way to know if you are in the ballpark of what is or is not developmentally appropriate for your child. 

4. Physical engagement. Kids need to move. They have so much energy and their little bodies seem to want to be in motion all the time. Indoor and outdoor play equipment is great for getting kids moving if you can not get to a park regularly.

We have an indoor mini trampoline that gets used every single day, and I’m currently researching Swedish wall gyms and kids’ doorway bars and ring sets. Versatile outdoor toys include toy sprinklers, slides, mud kitchens, and water tables. 

5. Safe. For younger kids, any toys with small parts that detach are a no-no since they present a choking hazard. 

6. Supports skills development. For example, building types of toys require manual dexterity and hand-eye coordination. Play kitchens encourage creativity and imaginative play. Interactive group toys help teach turn-taking and social development. 

8. Supports independent play. Having toys that encourage some independent play helps kids get comfortable existing as indepent people. This is important as they grow up and have to make more of their own choices. Plus, it’s often the only time parents of young children get to catch their breath!

9. Durable. Kids like to throw things, bang things, and pull things apart. If you do not want to constantly be throwing things away, assess the quality and durability of the toys you buy. 

10. Longevity factor. Toys like building blocks, magnetic tiles, dress-up clothes, and indoor or outdoor play gym equipment are usually toys that get a lot of use long-term.

While some of these toys may require a bigger initial monetary investment, keep in mind how all those cheap plastic light-up toys add up and also usually have a very short life with your child. You may not end up spending all that much more, and could even spend less over the long term. 

11. Aligns with a child’s interest. Some kids are car kids, some are dinosaur kids, and some are baby doll kids. Your particular child is likely drawn to certain themes and types of play. Let them guide your toy purchase decisions.

Outdoor Toys

If you have a yard or even a very small porch or patch of grass outside your house, outdoor toys are a huge hit with kids. Kids love being outside!

Outdoor toys can be combined with mud, water, leaves, sticks, and running and jumping to stimulate some next-level play!

This summer, my 1-year-old and 4-year-old are having the best time with a water table, a small slide, pots and cooking utensils from the thrift store, and a couple of bins of sand. We can spend hours outside and I am only minimally involved in their play. So playing outside is not only great for active kids but also for burnt-out or overstimulated parents. 

Buying Toys Secondhand

We all want to make our kids happy, but we sometimes forget that little kids usually do not know the difference between a brand-new toy out of the box from the toy store or a toy in perfectly good shape from a thrift store or resale store shelf.

Teaching kids about buying secondhand is also a great lesson in environmental sustainability and financial prowess. It is our job as parents to prepare our kids for adulthood and be responsible stewards of our Earth. We do not want to stress our children out and talk about money issues, scary environmental concerns, or scarcity, but we can teach them ways to save, invest, live sustainably, and still get everything they need. 

There are so many great used toys in the world and you will find the best deals and a huge variety of toys at thrift stores.

You can also see if you have a local resale store. This way if you have some toys in good condition that your kids no longer play with regularly, you can take them to the resale store and get some money to put towards new toys. 

You can also check online platforms like Poshmark, Mercari, or Facebook Marketplace for gently used toys. Facebook Marketplace has a questionable feel these days with scammers galore, but I’ll still see what I can find before buying new.  

Homemade Toys

Some of my son’s most used toys have been homemade ones. Some of our favorite DIY cardboard toys for creative play have included car ramps and jumps, ball hoops, and forts. 

We have also started making little people out of toilet paper rolls that are used for imaginative play. Toilet paper roll people and animals can stand upright and kids can get creative with painting and gluing on faces, clothes, fur, feathers, etc. Stay tuned for a post on this project!

You can also collect objects from nature and turn them into interesting creatures. Here are some bugs that my son made from homemade playdough and leaves. 

Other homemade toys include;

• homemade playdough
• homemade kinetic sand
• toys made from cardboard boxes
• giant bubbles and bubble wands

Creating an Intentional Toy Collection is a Process

Like most things related to parenthood, I am learning about toy management as I go. Learning to declutter, curb impulse toy purchases, and think about what will help my kids’ development is an ongoing process.

Part of being a parent is constantly questioning and learning about yourself and your children. There is no final destination that is perfect parenthood. We do the best we can and trust that our kids will do their work of growing and playing. Even if we do not provide the perfect toys or if we provide too many or too little, they are resilient little things and will find ways to play and explore with what they have.