Are too many toys BAD for your child?

Toys are not inherently BAD, but is there such a thing as too much of a good thing?

That’s exactly the question I explored during our last Montessori Monday’s LIVE session!

It’s no secret that most Montessori homes on Instagram look like they’re out of a Minimalist Magazine. But why? Is it because too many toys is actually bad for your child? Or is there some other reasoning behind the simple, decluttered, look of a Montessori home?

Well first of all, YES – less is best. And there are 3 reasons WHY it’s better to have a minimalist, decluttered home when you’re practicing Montessori.

1.) Too many toys can cause diminished concentration

Studies have shown that children who have too many toys get distracted easily and cannot get quality playtime in. In the Montessori world playtime equates to concentration and there will be no amount of concentrating if your child has a million toys calling his name at once.

2. Too many toys can overwhelm your child

Along with not being able to concentrate, your child will likely start to feel overwhelmed with choice. They may even become indecisive and not play with anything at all. I have a lot of parents who tell me, “My kid just doesn’t play with anything!” This is usually a huge red flag that there are too many toys out at once. Montessori suggests just 6-12 toys out a time for our 0-3 year olds.

3.) Too many toys can over-stimulate your child

Lastly, and this was a huge one for us, over-stimulation. When my daughter was a toddler she would get very easily overstimulated. The only way we could help her regulate this feeling was by preparing her environment to meet her needs. This included limiting toys to 6-12 out in the work area at a time. But it also included changing other areas throughout our home and changing how we parented.

In the Montessori Home Challenge we are going to cover the 4 things you can do to get started EASILY with Montessori in your home.The transformation we’ve made in past challenges have been absolutely groundbreaking. Many parents message me on the final day of the challenge to tell me how helpful this has been for them and how much more concentration their child has now.

Join us for the next challenge to transform your home on Nov 1st-4th!

Before you leave, I’d love to know – after reading this post, do you feel like your child has too many toys? If so, do you plan to minimize their amount of toys. If not, how do you make sure you don’t overwhelm them with too many toys? Let me know in the comment section below.