What Age Did Your Kids Lose Interest in Toys?

My daughter is 12 and still plays with Barbie. She mainly cuts and styles their hair but she still likes them. Let her have them as long as she wants them.

I am in my mid 30's and I will still play barbies... I will still play legos.. (Dh will be 40 soon and he still plays legos too)
Usually we are playing with the kids but still playing😉
So I will never put an age limit on my kids stuff. As I notice them not using something I will store it away or re-home it so it can still get used. If it's broken I toss.
I go by their interests not an age lable

Weaning kids off toys? Deciding for them what's fun and creative, and what's not? Sounds to me like she's trying to prove something - something that doesn't need to be proven.

I think, if you look carefully, you'll see that the conversation and the level of play has become more sophisticated - that is, they are using the same toy for some new things or adding a slightly older perspective to the old toy. I read something about a girl who played "princess" all the time, and her dad played her "chief advisor" - they sat and discussed the needs of the principality, the needs of the people, and the ways in which the monarch (the daughter) could solve those problems. Executive skills, prioritizing, discussion of social issues and educational needs, and more - all from playing "princess." This little girl wasn't waiting for a prince to come rescue her - she was running the show. So - it only matters that they are having fun. I'm guessing there's some learning involved.

I wouldn't let this mom occupy any time in my head. You, and your daughter, don't need that kind of dismissiveness. When the kids are done with the toys, they'll move on to something else.

I've never heard of weaning a child off of imaginary play! Weaning in what direction - weaning towards encouraging more addiction to screen time?

Never wean off anything unless you have a beneficial developmental next step in mind. When it comes to "filling free time with imagination and harmless toys", I cannot imagine what the beneficial next step to get away from that would be.

The only somewhat similar concept I've heard is, sometimes if a child is really rough with toys (breaking them, sticking them in mud, etc) a parent might try to steer the child towards taking better care of toys in order to introduce the child to "fancier" toys (for example, not spending money on an American Girl doll until the child develops a style of play that will not destroy it).

Our son still loves Legos and he's 20.
A lot of the time as new toys came in we made room by donating things he didn't play with much anymore.
I think it's fine to let the kids decide when they are done - no weening necessary.

I think most of us would be happy to have our children playing with real toys for as long as possible, which translates into less screen time, social media exposure, etc. I can't imagine trying to "wean" a child off of toys - let them be kids!

My step-daughter never really played with dolls but did craft kits and things like that into middle school. My oldest son is 21 and still buys himself Lego kits and RC cars. My younger sons are 13 & 15 and due to, I think, having older siblings they mostly stopped playing with real, hands-on toys like action figures a few years ago, maybe ages 10? They still play with Nerf guns, board games, RC cars, sporty stuff, and maybe Legos every now and again. And the younger one likes to make slime and putty and things like that still.

Probably around 10 or so is when my boys stopped. I would have never thought to "wean" them, lol! Her comment sounds like it was kind of an insult, as if she is more evolved and better than you and your kids. Is this a new kind of mom? I hope not. Arbitrarily killing off creative play in children is not a good idea in my opinion. I'm not really sure I even understand what her reasoning would be.

Mine stopped around 11 or 12 with the exception of lego. Lego seems to be ageless. I think around that age they stop pretend playing and start putting that pretend into real life situations with friends and family as they try to figure out who they want to be.

12-13.

Weaning her kids off toys? That's warped.

My oldest will soon be 13, and I cannot remember the last time he played with any toy. Then again, he wasn't all that big into toys. He was more of a riding toys and sports related kid. My youngest is 10, and he will still sometimes play with cars, but he prefers building things.

Honestly, who cares? I don't know why you would need to wean a kid off toys. I've always just gone with their interests. Now, I'm not going to buy my 10 year old any more toys, but that's because I don't think he would appreciate them. He will play with what's here or what's at someone else's how, but he really wouldn't get excited about a new toy.

If I thought my child was lacking in some way - needed more exercise or needed to strengthen in some intellectual way - I might introduce a new activity or something. I have trouble seeing a scenario where I would need to take away something ... unless it's taking away their phone because of bad behavior :-)

weaning her kid off TOYS?

:O

gads, my boys had their tomagachis and stuffed animals and remote cars into their teens.

i can't imagine wanting or encouraging kids to stop playing.

khairete
S.

My oldest now 20 didn't play with toys a lot unfortunately he watched more TV and played video games once he was 11 or 12. My youngest now 17 still played with backslides at times. So I think it depends on the kid. How old are these kids. I have never heard of weaning a kid off toys that's a little crazy to me.

Weaning kids off toys???? That's really weird imo. Why? makes zero sense to me.
Probably at age 10 or so. My son stopped before my daughter. He had interest in video games sooner than her. She kept playing with things like zoobles etc. Pretty sure by 12 though, she was done for sure. She never really liked barbies, stopped playing with them by age 6 or 7. Both kids loved legos for along time, drawing, board games, crafts, stuff like that.

I’ve never seen a college age kid with Barbies or Hot Wheels in tow! Let them be kids!!! If they’re having fun, let them be. My daughter LOVED action figures. I still have a few of her favorites because it makes me smile when I see them.

Imaginations are not to be stifled, but celebrated. Believe me, she will give them up in due time. Savor every moment - as a mom with one in the military and a son who towers me and is learning to drive - time swiftly turns. ❤️

My youngest is 13 and still loves playing with hotwheels and legos. His brother is 15 and, while not his first choice of activities, he will play these things with his brother from time to time. Kids have all the time in the world to be adults, lets let them be kids for as long as possible.

This lady has issues if she is throwing a comment like that. It’s hard to know how to respond to a comment that’s so unexpected. She sounds a little insecure and wants to show how “advanced” her kids are. Lol. My daughter still has interest in barbies. We have 2 huge houses in our kitchen and I hear her hilarious stories she makes up with the characters. She can play them until she’s 20 for all I care. Who knows, maybe it’s developing her skills as a writer for soaps.

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This lady has issues if she is throwing a comment like that. It’s hard to know how to respond to a comment that’s so unexpected. She sounds a little insecure and wants to show how “advanced” her kids are. Lol. My daughter still has interest in barbies. We have 2 huge houses in our kitchen and I hear her hilarious stories she makes up with the characters. She can play them until she’s 20 for all I care. Who knows, maybe it’s developing her skills as a writer for soaps.

My son is 12 and seemed to start losing interest shortly after his 12th birthday. I've found it kind of sad because I loved how creative he and his friends could be playing with his toys. Computer games are just not the same.

That said, he recently asked for a Lego set and he and his friend had the best afternoon putting it together. Anybody who wants to "wean" their kids off of toys is a bit off their rocker, in my opinion.

Maybe her kids are allowed too much screen time. Toys lose their luster when you get easily entertained by a screen all the time. Put it back on her and ask her how much screen time she allows her kids? That's what is probably killing their imagination. My daughter is 9 and likes to play with her plastic horses, her doll house, lego, board games, lincoln logs (still!), magnatiles (still!), in the sandbox, and also outside riding her bike, scooter and using rollerblades as well as playing pretend games or tag with neighbor kids. My son is 15 and stopped playing with most toys around age 11 or 12....now he likes to read, ride his bike, hang out with friends, play pool or ping pong, shoot hoops, throw a ball/frisbee and of course be on the computer. My daughter's best friend who is 10 is a lego fanatic and plays with his legos constantly!!

Around 10 or so, for the most part.
Not sure why a parent would "wean" a kid off toys (?) I've personally never heard of such a thing.

My kids are 9 and 11 and still play with toys. Mostly they want to play outside or do video games, but both my kids still use toys. I agree with the shock of someone actually weaning their kid off toys...what??? That's nuts. My 11 year old mostly only plays with Legos, she's still super into them and uses them to create her own things. My 9 year old sometimes plays with action figures but mostly he will go outside to play. This is totally normal. They both play board games and card games with their friends and family, they love nerf guns and laser tag. I think we should all be encouraging our kids to do MORE of this kind of stuff. It helps with interpersonal skills and problem solving and all kinds of things. Plus it keeps them off electronics and using their imaginations!

pre-teen about age 10

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pre-teen about age 10

I noticed my oldest stopped asking for typical toy gifts around the age of 10. He became more interested in collectible items, movies, and video games. He does still has fun with his nerf guns, action figures, etc. on occasion though.