Is your house cluttered with toys that haven’t been played with since two Christmases ago? Or clothes piling up in your child’s closet even though they only have a few outfits they wear? Adopting a minimalistic lifestyle can help you declutter your home and may be beneficial to your kids.
What Is Minimalism?
Minimalism is identifying what is essential in your life and eliminating the rest. It sounds easy, but like most things, it is a lot harder to do. Things that you need are essentials like toilet paper, food, and a toothbrush. But do you need three iPads in your house? Do you need three tubs of toys for your two children? This isn’t living a strict lifestyle where you aren’t allowed to have fun or use electronics; it is more of continually asking yourself, “Do we really need this?”
How to Practice Minimalism with Kids
One of the best ways to help your child live a minimalistic lifestyle is to practice what you preach. Kids learn by watching what we do. Being resourceful in your own life is a good way to encourage them to do the same. There are ways you can gently put your hands into their life to help them along.
Clean Out Toys
How often do you go through the toys your kids play with? Of course, we want our kids to have everything they want, but being a parent isn’t just about making them happy. It is our job as parents to raise them as well. A great way to get rid of some of the toy clutter is getting rid of toys they haven’t played with in a while, are similar to other toys they have, or aren’t mentally stimulating or educational.
Reduce Screen Time
This is probably something we could all work on. With technology being so close and so advanced, it’s hard not to be caught in its hypnosis. But the longer your child is glued to a screen, the less they are communicating with others and experiencing the world around them. This isn’t to say that kids shouldn’t be allowed to play video games or watch TV, because technology can be very beneficial to brain development. But reducing screen time by keeping electronics locked up except for a special time during the day is a good way to control how often they are using their tech toys.
Clothing
It’s a lot easier to control a child’s closet because they are always growing. If it doesn’t fit, get rid of it! Easy, right? If you are one to get carried away with cute shirts or dashing jeans, take a moment to assess how many articles of clothing they have. Just because a shirt fits doesn’t mean your child is going to wear it. Asses your child’s closet and only keep the clothes that your child will actually wear.
Effects of Minimalism on Kids
Lack of Entitlement More Gratitude
There is both empirical evidence and psychology studies that suggest that a minimalistic life creates satisfaction. Satisfaction is the enemy of the entitled and fuel for gratitude. When your child isn’t expecting the newest toy or gadget, they are learning to be satisfied with what they already have. When you gift them with this special toy, they can become more grateful because they understand the value of getting something new because it doesn’t happen all of the time. This is a great character trait to learn early on in life.
Improved Social Skills
Being occupied with screens and toys takes away from the time they could be learning socials skills like socially acceptable behavior and social cues. Of course, they can learn these things in school, but it is important that they learn these social skills at home as well so you can have more say in their developing behavior. When your child isn’t glued to the TV, they are given the opportunity to socialize with everyone in the family or kids that come over to play.
Creativity and Problem Solving
Kids are geniuses. We forget this because sometimes we don’t give them every opportunity to stretch their brain. If your child isn’t playing their DS, they get a chance to use their own imagination. You would be surprised at what a piece of paper and a crayon can create! When your child doesn’t have a hundred different toys, they get to use their creativity and problem-solving skills to make the best of what they have. Children can be very innovative when given the room to explore!
