I see something interesting among my kids.
It started a few years back with J. But now, K is also part of the picture.
I notice that they always come up with their own games to kill time.
To give you an idea, here are some of things they have done:
1. started a mini watch shop: created watches with sketches on paper.
2. created own books: inside, you’ll find paintings and stories.
3. setup a mini restaurant by using exiting blocks and soft toys.
4. J created her own version of snakes and ladders board game – dice and all.
5. J created her own crossword puzzle for K.
6. running a restaurant by taking order and preparing the food.
I could be wrong but I have a strong feeling that this has got to do with toys.
To be more accurate, limited toys.
You see I am not the type of father who drowns his children with toys until they can’t breathe.
I shamelessly admit I hardly buy toys for J and K.
Not entirely bad though.
Because they are “forced” to think of something new to beat boredom.
They are “forced” to create their own games… usually with limited supply of materials.
By doing so, they unconsciously stretch their little minds to invent something out of thin air.
This is quite cool actually.
On one hand, I don’t need to worry what toys to buy for them (read: save money) to keep them happy.
On the other hand, they have the room to be more creative.
Moral of the story?
Don’t over-shower your child with toys. When playing with toys, there’s a limit how far the child would stretch his mind.
Without toys, sky’s the limit. Children can make up anything when there are no rules.
Even a piece of paper can be turned into something alive and interesting.
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