12 Toys, 2 Kids

We have ~10 toys in our home for both kids at any point in time. 15 is probably the max.

Shared by 2 kids: 1x Amazon Fire Kids Tablet

Belongs to the 6-year-old: 1x Strider Bike. The 2-year-old will get his own bike when he's 3-4.

Yep, what you saw above is pretty much our entire collection of 12 toys right now. So here goes...

Why do we have SO FEW toys?

The term "few" is rather subjective, but honestly, we barely need any toys at home. Our kids are at preschool and elementary school M-F for at least 7-10 hours a day. And there are tons of toys (and bigger ones) at school. So it's not like they don't ever get to play with toys. Even better, they have to learn to share toys with their friends.

Our kids also tend to focus on 1-2 toys at a time. They don't need to own a hundred toys at home. See that excavator toy in the photo? That's ALL our 2-year-old has been obsessing over recently, nothing else.

But isn't it sad for kids to not have lots of toys?

Actually no, because more toys won't make your kids happier. At least for long. Every toy your kid gets will eventually become boring and they'll want the next cool thing.

Remember how Serenism isn't about having things at all? Well, it's also about cherishing relationships and experiences over things.

We want our kids to grow up knowing that our love for them cannot, and should not be measured by the number of toys they get to have. Spending quality time and developing a lifelong, trusting relationship with them are what matter more.

So do you ever let your kids get new toys?

Of course. Nothing lasts forever. Toys break. Our 2-year-old's excavator was purchased to replace his broken fire truck.

And in the case of our 6-year-old who'd been pining for a hatchimal for months (an insanely long time for a kid), she had to pick a toy to give up in place of getting a new one. Giving up a toy means passing it along to another kid or donating/selling it if it's in excellent condition - otherwise it gets tossed. After all, Serenism means that you don't get to hoard things (toys) indefinitely.

So how do you make up for the lack of toys?

Here's our secret... we go out. A LOT. As a family. To kid-friendly places like zoos, aquariums, museums, theme parks and playgrounds. Even when it rains, we seek out malls or indoor playgrounds. At least where we live, there is no shortage of places to entertain kids. If you're clueless, you can search apps like Winnie or Yelp to get ideas.

And we go on family vacations. Our 6-year-old's classmates were so envious that she got to visit Disney World in Orlando this summer. See what I mean by "experiences" over things?

It's really not that hard for your kids to have fun and be happy without toys.