I could have saved alot of money (and space in my house) if I had known that my kids would really only enjoy playing with a handful of toys over and over again. This makes Christmas difficult, since they already have everything they need; I watch them open stuff that will be ignored for the next 364 days. If I really think about it, there are 5 toys that they have played with consistently for the last 5 years:
I could probably call this "storyboarding" or "two-dimensional pretend play" but what it is is pieces of felt (lots of little ones that like to get sucked up by the vacuum or hide under the couch) placed on boards covered with felt. These were mostly purchased at Bargain, Bargain, the Bargain Shop and came in different themes like Princess or Farm or Jesus (we didn't get those, regretfully). I made some specialized pieces of my own from some expensive wool felt I got on etsy, but honestly the cheap acrylic felt lasts longer.
Wooden Blocks
Sometimes they're food; sometimes they are a platform for more complicated Lego buildings, sometimes D puts them under her feet to pretend they're roller skates. Either way, they are played with literally every day. When they stop, I will cry.
Playmobil
I played with these when I was little, my husband and mother collect them, we have more than enough for 5 families, and the kids pore over the catalogs picking out which sets they're going to get for next christmas. Boys love them, girls love them, and they come in every theme imaginable. Plus, you can take their heads off. It does, however, hurt like a bastard when you step on them in the middle of the night.
Dress-up clothes
This is so easy. Buy a large basket, or trunk, and fill it with random dollar-store hats, velvet dresses, and post-halloween sale costumes. Refresh as necessary.
Play-dough
Back when I had alot of time on my hands and limitless patience, I would make playdough with A every week or so. After a few months, I realized that the store-bought playdough was better in every way. Maybe not better for the environment, maybe not cheaper, but it looked, smelled, and felt better than anything I could ever make. So I buy it and just live with the guilt. The girls never say they want to play with playdough when I ask, because it sounds so lame, but I just put it out every week or so and they make stuff for hours.
-Tal
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Upon your recommendation, I got some wooden blocks from granny's. T isn't into them yet. But I'm excited for them for later. Ill need felt dolls too.
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