Are there gifts you can give that inspire kids to want less stuff?
Kicking off a series of posts on clutter free or minimalist inspired gifts with 10 Books to Inspire Kids to Want Less Stuff. Want to discuss big topics like consumerism, minimalism and materialism with a five year-old? These books are a gentle entry into why less can be better.
Kids are no stranger to the messages of advertising. They are constantly told to want more and newer stuff. From ads for toys and video games to the illusion that that newer and more expensive bike will be more enjoyable to ride (truth: it won’t be!). We’re in a battle to show our kids the value of the simple pleasures of life that don’t come with receipts.
How can you get your kids to stop asking for stuff? Start with yourself. Are you constantly discussing the new things you want or pining for a better kitchen/car/vacation? Is your iPhone upgraded as soon as a new model comes out? If so, you’re modelling the exact type of behaviour that you want your kids to reject.
Parents can teach their kids to want less stuff.
Remove the influence of wanting more stuff for your kids.
Watch fewer commercials. Cut the cable or seriously limit cable television viewing. If you can’t do that, record shows your kids watch with the commercials removed. A streaming service like Netflix is a great option. Cut that advertising line to your kids as much as you can. What they don’t know about they won’t want.
Show the value in activities, community and relationships over things. Develop some family activities that are free and/or do good in the world. Cycle or hike together. Take the dog for a walk. Visit your library. Volunteer. Show your children the pleasure and joy of an active life that gives back to your community.
Talk about how you decide on what to buy and where to spend your money. When your kids hear and see that you would rather put your money into time together camping than buy a new car, they’ll see what you really value. Discuss how much home repairs cost and why, while the kitchen is dated and old, it won’t be remodeled anytime soon because there are more important things to spend money on. Share your savings plan, how you plan to retire and the real decision you make right now that affect how the family spends money.
Give modest but meaningful gifts. Don’t give your kids everything. They really don’t need it. Even if they want it desperately. Even if you can afford it, don’t buy them everything on their Christmas list. Put meaning and effort into time together or giving to causes that are important to you.
Give books with a message that resonates.
We do still have some books. While there aren’t too many on the shelf my Kindle over-floweth.
By far our kids have the biggest book collection. We’re still in a train stage so there are quite a few of those and we’re enjoying a big book of Curious George and the Little Wombat stories – Sometimes I Like To Curl Up in a Ball is my favorite.
Our favorite books tend to have honesty, sharing and simple adventure as themes. Great lessons and entertainment for the preschool set.
Are there books on minimalism for children? Or more accurately, are there books for young readers that have simplicity or anti-consumerism as the moral of the story?
We do have one beautiful book that has generosity and simplicity as the big lesson of the story. The book is The Quiltmaker’s Gift by Jeff Brumbeau and Gail de Marcken and we received it as a gift from family.
This is a story about finding happiness through generosity and giving. The king in the story wants everything and anything. He demands gifts and has rooms filled with beautiful things. But one thing he does not have is a beautiful quilt made by the quiltmaker.
The story of how the king eventually gets one of the quilts is a beautiful lesson in finding purpose and happiness in simplicity and generosity.
I found myself tearing up the first time I read the Quiltmaker’s Gift to my oldest son. The story is very touching and really struck my have less give more nerve.
The illustrations are gorgeous and so detailed; younger children will enjoy the bright colors and fairy tale like scenes while older children will enjoy the depth and detail of the watercolor illustrations. Everyone will love the story.
If you haven’t read this book search it out from your local library and keep it in mind as a gift for the young people in your life.
10 Books to Inspire Kids to Want Less Stuff
Want to share the message of wanting less stuff with young kids? Here’s a list of engaging and meaningful books that young children will enjoy. And they share the message of wanting less stuff.
The Perfectly Orderly House by Ellen Kindt Mackenzie
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
The Quiltmaker’s Gift by Jeff Brumbeau
Too Many Toys by David Shannon
The Gift of Nothing by Patrick Mcdonnell
Little Bird by Germano Zullo
Have You Filled a Bucket Today? by Carol McLeod
More by I.C. Springman
Stuff by Margie Palantini
These books would make wonderful gifts for the young people in your life or be a great addition to your library reading list.
More posts about kids and stuff:
How to stop gift mania in young kids.
Note: I have included affiliate links in this post. Should you purchase something through the link I would receive a small advertising fee. If you would prefer not to use an affiliate link simply go to Amazon.com and search the title of the book.
Have you read Simplicity Parenting? I am surprised its not more known in the minimalist community. I personally love the book cause its focuses on simplifying the environment, routine, events and one other topic I cant remember.. lol…
Great book
Jen – It’s one of my favorite parenting books. I recommend it here all the time. Didn’t get a mention here because I was focused on picture and story books for kids. Cheers, Rachel
I know this post is a bit old but I had to comment to add a book I just love: “The Short but Incredibly Happy Life of Riley” by Australian writer Colin Thompson. It’s about a rat named Riley and why he’s happier than people. Basically it’s about being content, and it’s very funny. A picture book but I used it as a youth worker with teenagers and they loved it 🙂
Thanks, Chantel. Great to have another book on the list 🙂
If you don’t mind a Christian themed book the The Little Gate by Nick Butterworth is a short simple one too.
Love the blog btw.
Love this list! There are some titles here that I will have to hunt down at our local library. I just discovered The Giving Tree last week and read it to my four year old. The book did bring tears to my eyes. My son’s reaction was ever so cute, though. He went around the house telling his siblings (all three of them) that the tree had nothing left! He kept exclaiming look! All it has is a stump! The boy took EVERYTHING! It’s a stump! I just posted about how difficult it is to find good books at the library and shared our favourite picture books.
On another site i read there were mentions by some bloggers that they feel comments are down. And I promised myself that I would take today to thank all the bloggers I read every day and appreciate so very much.
You are one of the ones on my daily check in list, so THANK YOU for all your efforts to share your world and ideas.
Wow, thank you. That is really nice to hear.
Thanks for the recommendations! I put some on hold at our library. We love YUCK! Waste for the environmental message about having too much.
I must check these books out…they look great. I love books which promote wonderful values to children.
We have ‘The Present’ – also titled ‘The Gift’ outside of the UK. That’s worth a read.
I only read ‘The Giving Tree’ for the first time last year. Knew nothing about it, it was part of a book containing short stories. I surprised myself by crying at the end. The kids were quite bewildered!
‘The Present’ is a favourite here too. 🙂
Great illustrations also – simple!
I cried at the end of the Cat in the Hat once. Henry was too young to comment or really notice.
Oh, and we’ve been reading The Polar Express a lot lately and if it’s been a particularly lovely day with the kids I tear up at the end of that one too.
My Mom dropped the Polar Express DVD off last week…haven’t watched it myself though. Talking about crying, Leah’s reading Hetty Feather by Jaqueline Wilson (Tracey Beaker Author – writes a lot about mother-less Kids). She told me how sad it is – had tears in her eyes last night. It’s so lovely when they they are touched so much by a book…
Thanks for this list! I’d add The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister too.
Thanks for this! I’m always looking for good book for my daycare kids. Have you read “Pumpkins: A Story of a Field” by Mary Lyn Ray? Another great one for inspiring generosity and simply living.
This is great! I just ordered berenstein bears Trouble with Things to help communicate these ideas to my littles.