Your kids still play with toys?

[HawkOptimist]

Specifically kids in the 8-12 range. I was a kid at the height of the Transformers and GI Joe glory days in the 80s. When I was 12 I got a sh!t ton of both toys for Christmas… GI Joe jets, action figures, Optimus Prime, MegaTron, etc. Couldn’t get enough! Legos too.

Besides Nintendo, Speak and Spell, and a few others, there weren’t any electronic devices or phones or a gazillion TV channels competing for our attention, so if we weren’t outside we were playing with toys. It was our creative outlet.

Fast forward to today. My 12 year-old son hasn’t played with a toy since he was 8. He’ll maybe do one Lego set a year. My 9 year-old son will occasionally pick up a toy, but for the most part they’re only interested in their tablets, gaming consoles, and phone (my ex got our 12 year-old his first phone when he turned 12 in October). Will also add my oldest spends a lot of time in sports when he’s not in school, so it’s not like he’s sitting on his a$$ all the time.

Does this sound familiar to anyone else? Or do your kids still have interest in and play with action figures and sets, toy cars and trucks, Legos, Barbie dolls, etc?

 

[SoProudNole]

Yes.

 

[Colonoscopy]

I still have the same proctoscope I got as a 7 year old.

 

[fredjr82]

Not any more outside of Legos or video games.

Daughter is 11 -- Uggs, Hair Straightener, floor mirror, gift cards, stocking stuffers.
Son is 11 -- Lego Porsche, 3D Print Pen, gift cards, and stocking stuffers
Daughter is 8 -- Beanbag chair, arts and crafts, gift cards, stocking stuffers.

None to very little (my parents may get them some toys) for my kiddos this year. We're probably out of the toy phase at this point. We're getting closer to the cash/gift cards exchange as it will be easier to let them pick what they want.

 

[bunsen82]

Son does a couple lego sets a year, still plays with his legos frequently. The other toys seem to have gone by the wayside. Tablet is by far #1 piece of entertainment and we are having to limit to 2 to 3 hours a day, I think would be on all day without it.

 

[ping72]

I still buy OP’s mom toys for Christmas.

 

[QChawks]

nope, my 10 & 12 year exclusively play video games

if for some reason they can't, then they will shoot each other with nerf guns
once they hit about 8 years old it was all electronics

 

[beanerhawk]

I have a granddaughter that is 8 that doesn't play with toys anymore. She likes art so she'll draw or paint, she reads and plays video games. Watches Youtube. It blows my mind.

Now the wife and I, we'll still play with a toy or two now and again. If you get my drift!

 

[jasonrann]

Is a tablet a toy?

 

[QChawks]

Is a tablet a toy?

if it's not sold in the toy aisle, then it's not a toy

 

[Greenway4Prez]

No, and it’s sad. I really worry about what this is doing to kids’ brains.

 

[Whiskeydeltadeltatango]

My daughter is 17 months. Right now we are having alot of fun matching the pieces of wooden puzzles and saying what they are "apple" "strawberry" "car" "cow" ect. She's at a really cool stage where watching her match the items makes my heart warm. And she has a little pedal bike she plays on and the books where you push a sound maker as you read. She loves her troll book.

 

[IAFB2021Champs]

Growing up in the 90’s I feel like I played my fair share of Nintendo and Super Nintendo but I feel like I spent a ton of time outside playing. I grew up in a tiny town where I could roam anywhere and my parents weren’t worried.
I think that’s the bigger issue today. Kids can’t play outside so they play on tablets and phones. I feel bad for them as I had a ton of fun playing outside.

 

[Randy Marsh]

Have 10 and 7 year old boys, plus a 1.5 year old girl. The boys rarely play with toys, maybe once or twice a year they’ll entertain themselves while barred from other options but they’ll play with their sister and entertain her with her stuff.

They are out in the neighborhood a ton, usually until dark. They do play on their iPads quite a bit, but also are heavily involved in sports so they are very active and need to have other stuff done before playing on the tablet. It’s still probably too much but it keeps me close to sane.

 

[hawkbirch]

We still have lots of Barbies and American Girl dolls but they don't get played with much. They are 12 and 10 and this is the first year with no toys on the list. It's all skin care, slime, hair stuff, clothes.

 

[bunsen82]

I have a smaller trampoline down in the basement that my daughter jumps on for hours. Between that or doing cartwheels and other tumbling exercises on a mat she seems to be constantly busy, then will go play with her barbies, toys, or more than anything now fidgets (absolutely obsessed).

Bounce Pro 7-Foot My First Trampoline Hexagon (Ages 3-10) for Kids, Blue/Green - Walmart.com

Tomorrow Buy Bounce Pro 7-Foot My First Trampoline Hexagon (Ages 3-10) for Kids, Blue/Green at Walmart.com

www.walmart.com

 

[jasonrann]

No, and it’s sad. I really worry about what this is doing to kids’ brains.

Dude, don't get me started.

To make matters worse, my wife's (no pic) family essentially creates hoarders every generation. Every birthday and Christmas is a GIANT deal. I'm not kidding, both of our kids get at least 15 presents on both occasions not including what they get from us. Our house is basically a storage locker for toys. Daughter and son's room both full of toys, both family rooms full of toys, garage is full of toys, backyard has a swing set and miniature trampoline that get used a few times/year not including the toys on the patio. Absolutely maddening.

For this Christmas, we talked to our daughter about going through all of her things that she doesn't want to play with anymore so we can donate them to families that are less fortunate. She has a beautiful soul and has embraced this project bigly. That will help.

 

[TheCainer]

Shoot. I still play with my toys.

 

[cjnoles9399]

Daughter just turned 9 and still wanted a Barbie house and got one for her birthday. She plays with them some by herself and when friends are over. This is the last year of toys though. We didn’t buy any for Christmas because she wanted a guitar and needed a new tennis racquet.

 

[Greenway4Prez]

My daughter is 17 months. Right now we are having alot of fun matching the pieces of wooden puzzles and saying what they are "apple" "strawberry" "car" "cow" ect. She's at a really cool stage where watching her match the items makes my heart warm. And she has a little pedal bike she plays on and the books where you push a sound maker as you read. She loves her troll book.

We have a 9-month old boy, and there’s just something about how excited he gets when he tries to crawl after the cat, opens the pages of a book or wrestles one of his stuffed animals. It’s the sweet, funny innocence of how happy he gets at all the little things. Life needs a pause button.

 

[Whiskeydeltadeltatango]

We have a 9-month old boy, and there’s just something about how excited he gets when he tries to crawl after the cat, opens the pages of a book or wrestles one of his stuffed animals. It’s the sweet, funny innocence of how happy he gets at all the little things. Life needs a pause button.

Drink that up brother.

 

[SansAgain]

I have four boys. You have to have the basic fundamental toys like blocks or Tonka trucks when they’re young, but I don’t recall toys being a thing after three. I know by five they were more interested in fishing, sports and Lego Star Wars or Marvel Ultimate Alliance on my Xbox.

 

[B1GDeal]

My older boys probably stopped playing with toys when they were in about 4th or 5th grade and even then it was just randomly playing with action figures from time to time. Outside of that it was watching YouTube, playing video games or playing outside. My youngest is 8. He probably hasn’t really played with toys in 2 years outside of a random occasion. He still likes to draw, but he’s basically a teen… plays video games, watches YouTube, plays on his nerf hoop on his door a lot, and with a few neighborhood kids. Loves listening to music too. All of them play(ed) sports year round so that keeps them busy too.

 

[Doodads and Hoohah]

A little bit of nerf guns. One son does Legos. My 12 year old played with hot wheels until about a year ago. Sports stuff also but now it's YouTube, video games and they do some puzzles and games every now and then.