10 Amazing Ways Minimalism Benefits Kids

When I share that I blog about minimalism, one of the most common responses I get is something along the lines of “Oh that sounds nice but I have kids. You can't really do minimalism with kids." The truth is that minimalism benefits kids in some amazing ways! That is, of course, the subject of this article- to shed light on some of the very practical (and research-based) benefits of kids having less stuff.

1. Discarding strengthens decision-making muscles!

Life is all about choices and being accountable for those decisions. Choosing to get rid of one toy in order to make room for another helps to exercise that decision-making muscle and develop an important skill. The more they exercise making their own decisions and practice building confidence in their ability to do so, the easier they'll find the practice later on as an adult.

Making decisions about belongings may be one of the few decisions they get to make.  A great place to start might be choosing between two toys. This allows them to prioritize and take ownership of the process. They might also like to help in choosing where to donate!

Let's be honest, there are so many people who are not used to making their own decisions, even as adults. Some can't trust their own decisions without calling mom or another person to help make their decisions. It's empowering when you start to feel confident and comfortable making your OWN decisions and owning that. This is a great opportunity for your kid to start dipping their feet into that.

Having too much stuff and too many decisions, on the other hand, can lead to decision fatigue. "Decision fatigue is the idea that after making many decisions, a person’s ability to make additional decisions becomes worse," (Medical News Today). This is just another area where having less can support the practice of decision-making.

2. Responsibility becomes easier with less stuff.

Let's say you bring home a new puppy and put your kiddo in charge of clean-up, playtime, and generally taking care of the pup. Now consider that you’ve brought home 5 new puppies and told your kid the same thing. Your child is going to learn absolutely nothing about responsibility because they aren't equipped to care for 5 puppies. Seriously, is anyone?

What they'll learn instead is that responsibility is impossible and requires major help from mom and dad. They can learn to be responsible with a manageable amount of belongings that have an established home, but a hundred belongings cluttering the floor will bring them to think “I can't do this”.

If your kid is drowning in toys on every surface and floor space, it's going to be very difficult for them to exercise responsibility in decluttering and cleaning their room. There's simply too much stuff to be responsible for!

Thinking of it, I have so many adults come to me saying "I don't know where to start." Well, if some adults don't know where to start, think about how your kid might feel. It would be unrealistic to ask them to maintain and manage that amount.

"Responsibility is important because it provides a sense of purpose, in addition to building resilience amidst adversity on an individual and societal level".

Steve Rose, PhD

In setting them up for success, you're also building their confidence! They won't learn to default to feelings like- "I can't. It's not possible for me to have a clutter-free space", which is an all-too-common limiting belief that can leave even the best adults struggling in their home. That kid's going to turn into an adult who feels like "I can't, it's not possible for me to have a clutter-free space."

3. Donating teaches kids generosity.

I can’t even tell you how many donation trips we make in a year. A lot. My kids are a very active part of that process to the point where they will have bags or sections of their own stuff for my next donation trip.

Interestingly, generosity has been linked to the survival of the human species over the century and continues to support the health, wellbeing, and oftentimes continued survival of our species even today. Even to the giver, research shows that "generosity appears to have especially strong associations with psychological health and well-being" (Berkley).

Not only does it contribute to the health and wellbeing of both the giver and the recipient, but it taps into the natural tendencies of children.

"Research conducted over the past few decades provides strong evidence of intrinsic generous behaviors in children. This evidence suggests that generosity is deeply rooted in human psychology—that the instinct to help others is at least partially innate and not purely the product of social and cultural conditioning."

Berkley

Learning to give on a regular basis is a character-building exercise that can start very young. Sometimes, the more of a history your kid had with a certain donated toy or item, the more character-building that happens in the process!

Not only does donating aid in teaching generous behavior but so does sharing which is also enforced by having fewer belongings that require sharing in order to play.

4. Minimalism prevents entitlement in kids.

One of the ways minimalism benefits kids is by eradicating unpleasant attitudes of entitlement. Nobody wants to have ‘that kid’. You know the one that's throwing a tantrum in the store when they hear the word "no". It’s not cute. (What’s even less cute is an entitled adult later on in life.)

You're raising a kid who will someday become an adult. An entitled kid today, is either going to be the entitled adult of tomorrow or is going to go through a LOT of growing pains along the way to grow out of it.

So, don't feel guilty when your kid really wants something that you could totally afford and you still say "no" (regardless of your reasoning). Making them happy today may not make them happy tomorrow. ;)

5. Having fewer toys encourages gratitude.

If you're sick of hearing about the virtues of gratitude then I recommend you take a look at the science. Tons of research has been done, attributing gratitude practices to physical and psychological health, increased happiness and life satisfaction (Berkley).

An article posted by Hey Sigmund shares that:

"Gratitude also has the capacity to increase important neurochemicals. When thinking shifts from negative to positive, there is a surging of feel-good chemicals such as dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin. These all contribute to the feelings of closeness, connection, and happiness that come with gratitude."

Hey Sigmund

Minimalism benefits kids by negating the expectation of receiving. Because these kids aren't used to receiving extra "stuff" frequently, they naturally become more grateful (even surprised) when they do receive things. Each gift becomes all the more special.

Maybe you can relate to this. When my oldest was little she would get PILES of gifts for Christmas. Seriously, it was almost an anxiety-ridden amount of things from every family member she had. It was like a marathon of unwrapping, tossing the gift aside, opening another, and repeating.

I'm sure it was disheartening to all of the people who had taken the time to pick out the perfect gift for her! Truly, there was no real gratitude in any one of those gifts because there were just too many and it was overwhelming.

It's hard to appreciate things that are always there- that's true of all of us. It's the nature of our brains to disregard the "usual" and focus on the unusual.

6. Fewer toys lead to better social skills.

While we want our kids to learn independence, we also want them to have strong social skills and good friends. If they have a million things to occupy themselves with, then that’s exactly what they’ll do - occupy themselves with things.

According to an article by Verywell Family, "researchers from Penn State and Duke University found that children who were better at sharing, listening, cooperating, and following the rules at age five were more likely to go to college. They also were more likely to be employed full-time by age 25."

Having fewer toys not only encourages sharing but also encourages kids to create new games together and to operate in teamwork and imagination. This is great for both brain development and social growth!

With less stuff to occupy their attention, people are naturally brought together - even if it's initially out of boredom. This is something we've noticed even more as my girls have aged. We've found that when they're grounded from tech, they love spending time with us even more!

It just goes to show that when things are removed, we're more drawn to each other which is just another way that minimalism benefits kids. Regardless of the reason - boredom, grounding, no electricity- those moments bring you even closer together.

This, in addition to the major social detriments that can come from hoarder-level environments. High levels of clutter and chaos can lead to social inadequacy and the inability or unwillingness to have friends over.

7. Minimalism benefits kids by encouraging creativity!

There’s something exciting about the electricity going out. At first, everyone's upset, but once acceptance kicks in people get creative. You dig out the candles, lanterns, and board games.

Once you’ve gone through all of the details about what can’t be done - it's hard to read by candlelight, laptops don't stay charged forever, and no electricity means no wifi, too 😩- you let yourself find ways to enjoy the change.

Maybe you start a fire in the fireplace or go for a walk outside for a change. Eventually, the electricity comes back on and the spell is broken. For a few minutes, there may even be a little disappointment. It's the same way when kids have a reason to pull out their creativity in order to entertain themselves. There might be initial resistance if they're not used to it but it doesn't take long to see them light up with creativity and fascination.

8. Child behavior improves with less clutter and chaos.

A study published in the Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology shows the effects of a chaotic environment on children. "Noisy, crowded homes characterized by a lack of routines may undermine children’s ability to regulate emotions and behavior and may provide children with opportunities to act out." You can see more psychological effects of clutter here.

So, clutter and disorganization (chaos) can have a negative effect on the behavior and emotional stability of children. Minimalism benefits kids by providing the opposite of a crowded and chaotic environment. It offers structure and simplicity.

9. Less chaotic environments make for happy parents.

Having less to pick up or stub your toes on is definitely going to make you a more pleasant person to be around. A minimalist lifestyle encourages you to be more peaceful and intentional about your energy and time. Your kids can sense that and mirror it.

A study done by UCLA observed 32 middle-class Los Angeles families. They found that “all of the mothers’ stress hormones spiked during the time they spent dealing with their belongings.”

Clutter has also been linked to major psychological and psychosocial impacts. Research has shown cluttered environments to result in feelings of low self-worth, anxiety, and depression. This is one of the many Social Effects of Clutter. In this way, minimalism benefits kids by benefiting the parents.

10. Having fewer distractions improves learning.

Princeton University found scientific evidence in a study that showed how distraction from too much stuff in sight can impede the ability to focus.

Multiple stimuli present in the visual field at the same time compete for neural representation by mutually suppressing their evoked activity throughout visual cortex, providing a neural correlate for the limited processing capacity of the visual system.

Princeton University

This can add barriers to scholastic learning and can be particularly stressful for kids with autism, ADD, or ADHD.

Minimalism benefits kids in some incredible ways.

It can be difficult when your kid wants something and all you want to do is make them happy; or when things are incredibly stressful and a meltdown from your 3-year-old is the last thing you need; or when a family member tells you how sorry they feel for your kids that you're limiting the influx of toys (my least favorite).

However, if you're able to stick to your guns and hold tight to the research and the REAL ways that minimalism benefits kids - you'll find that it only gets easier. At some point, you won't be able to fathom going back to the cluttered way :).