When you move abroad with kids every year, one thing that you have to learn to deal with is figuring out what they are going to play with for 9 months without packing so much that the extra luggage costs are more than the toys are worth. I have a couple of solutions to make this easier:
1. Help the kids to learn to play with less. I actually like coming overseas because the creative juices start to flow again. An empty shoe box of Joe’s can be turned into a space ship or a doll house.
2. Purchase a few toys that will get lots of playtime in 9 months. We almost always buy a basketball and soccer ball wherever we go. We have also found that things like a kitchen set, baby stroller and lots of crayons and coloring books will get their money’s worth.
3. Save light, small toys for overseas time. I keep certain toys stashed away during the summer so when they come out of the bags when we get to our destination during the season, they are new. The ones that get saved for this purpose are always the light, small, packable ones.
My favorite light, small toys are what the kids refer to as their “boys and girls”. Basically they are any small figures they can play with.
Abby got her first small figure, a Polly Pocket, at age 3. And I really thought it was going to be my nemesis. The pieces are all SO tiny and I figured I would be picking them up from everywhere and she would grow tired of it quickly. But I was wrong. Abby got a case to go along with her Polly Pockets and we used some small plastic storage containers to keep the small shoes and other accessories separate so she could easily find them. And she still has the same case today (even though the handle has broken) that is now stuffed full with Poly Pockets, doll house dolls, Star Wars figures and Disney Princesses. Elijah now has his own bag with sports figures, action figures, Matchbox cars, Star Wars figures and Toy Story characters. And then this past fall, Naomi got her own bag as well that has started to fill up with her own “girls”.
When the kids get them out to play, it amazes me how many fit in a case. They take over the living room and set the girls and boys up for a full fledged battles. It always amuses me to see who is a “bad” guy and how they reason it out. Or they set them up in pairs so that each boy is married to a girl. Or they might be a part of a made up story about a gymnastics competition. They really use their imaginations with them and it is fun to see.
So as long as Joe is playing, I am sure we will continue to stuff the “boy and girl” bags full of figures in order to have hours of playtime when we move abroad.
As you know, I’m not a big fan of having a house full of toys, so TB has limited numbers of toys, as well. One thing we always have on hand though– art supplies. Sometimes that means old magazines for collages. Other times paint or clay. It’s amazing what a purple blob of paint looks like to him compared to me (and I always find a way to come up with something other than purple blob). Another great “toy” for us– CLOUDS! I loved figuring out what the clouds looked like as a kid, and TB loves it too.
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I just bought a couple princess figures over Christmas. I used them on our flights. She got to open one on the way to Buenas Aires and the other when we were flying to Santiago. These were a hit and kept her occupied on the flights. She still plays with them here and all her friends love them too! I never would of thought a couple $5.00 princess figures would get so much use! I will have to add a bag to our toy collection and start buying more!
you have to move every 9 months? eeks.
where are you currently? we are in singapore.
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We move every 9 months, but we keep a home base in the U.S., so it is not a full move
We are currently in Sicily with about 6 weeks left here before the kids and I head home for the summer. My husband will still be here until May-JUne depending on how well his team does in playoffs. Thanks for commenting!