Think minimalism is only good for your home? These 5 incredible benefits of minimalism for kids will show you what it can do for your family too!
This post contains affiliate links. See my Disclosure Policy for details.
Minimalism is a word we are all hearing lately, thanks to the incredible popularity of Tidying Up with Marie Kondo. While it has been popular in Japanese culture for a long time, Marie Kondo has introduced Americans to the idea of limiting our possessions to only those that spark joy.
It sounds impossible until you understand that minimalism doesn't mean the extreme examples that we sometimes see in the media. It simply means committing to being intentional with the things that you own, how you spend your time, and to striving for simplicity in your life and your home.
Now that sounds a lot more reasonable, right? Our family has started to embrace minimalism and beyond just having a cleaner, more organized home, I've been surprised by what it has taught our kids. Marie Kondo may talk about the life changing magic of tidying up, but there's also a special magic in minimalism for kids.
What Minimalism Can Do For Kids
Minimalism teaches your kids the difference between want and need
Minimalism focuses on keeping the items that we truly love, and the items that we need for daily life. When you introduce minimalism to your children, you are teaching them the difference between knowing what is a want and what is a need. This applies to their toys, clothes, and even their daily lives. This is a very valuable lesson that can keep your kids from buying their way into debt as adults, or making bad purchasing decisions.
Your kids will be less distracted
Extreme minimalists may part ways with their TVs and even extra chairs in their home. This might sound crazy to some of us, but the goal is to eliminate the distractions keeping them from enjoying life. When your kids practice minimalism, they are learning to eliminate distractions and will, in turn, be less distracted! When you own less, you have less to focus on! Minimalism minimizes distractions for your child and allows them to focus on what’s important to them.Kids learn to value experiences over things
Most minimalists prioritize experiences over things. When your children practice minimalism, their mindset may shift this way too. When you have limited items, you leave your space open to experiences through play and fun. Your kids will learn to value these experiences over the stuff they can buy in a store. Experiences may come in the form of family trips, play time, or just memories made at home.
Minimalism feeds contentment
Keeping up with the Joneses is very rarely due to wanting the same things. We tend to want more and crave more things because we compare ourselves to others. When you practice minimalism you find yourself wanting fewer things. When you want fewer things, you start to feel content with what you have and what will come. Minimalism feeds this contentment and helps kids learn to be grateful for what they have.Minimalism keeps you organized
The less you have, the less you have to clean and organize. Minimalism will keep your kids organized because they have less things they are responsible for. When everything has a home and a place to go, clean up is easy. When they have less to pick up, organization and cleaning take less time. All of these add up to keeping your children’s lives organized all the time.Ready to try minimalism with your family?
Check out my 10 simple ways that you can start your journey to become a more minimalist family here, and be sure to grab the FREE printable checklist too! Click here to get started.
