Minimalism: What it is about? And Practising it with Children

As parents, we always plan to give the best to our children. The best education, best clothing, best food, best toys, the list can go on. Ever wondered why? The answer is obvious, isn’t it? Because we ‘love’ them and also because this is what we saw our parents strive for when we were kids. 

It is a parent’s natural instinct to want the best for their child. But have you stopped to question yourself if, wanting the best for your child equates to giving them the best that you can afford? In a generation of rising income levels, does offering the best that you can afford really give them what they need in the long term?

This is where the idea of minimalism comes in. 

Minimalism is more than just getting rid of excess. It is about filtering out all the noise and focussing on what is important. Important for the long term.

Benefits of inculcating minimalism in kids:  

• Encourages Creativity: Kiara loves playing with building blocks. Most often when she doesn’t have exact parts to build what she has in mind, her mom sits with her to build it with pieces they have. Kiara’s mom noticed that her child was always beaming with joy at the end of it. Not only because she could more or less make what she had in mind, but because she now has the confidence to create what she wants even when the exact fit is not available. Isn’t that a lesson we all want our children to learn in real life? 

• Encourages Sharing: Not having everything teaches the value of sharing among kids. It encourages them to ask and give, thereby, developing communication and social skills. 

• Be Clutter-Free: Having a lot leads to clutter. Cluttered wardrobes, cluttered rooms, and a cluttered mind. It leads to a stressful environment. Cut it out and make the environment more relaxed and spacious. 

• Encourages Thrift: Minimalism encourages kids to spend on a budget, to choose only what they really want vs whatever catches their fancy. It encourages them to spend consciously. 

Ways to instil values of minimalism in kids:

• Hover Less Around Your Kid: Children are naturally quite capable of keeping themselves engaged. It is when we as parents/caregivers start monitoring every move of theirs and restrict them, does the need to provide more to keep them engaged arise. As time goes by, they become more and more resistant to your constant warnings and the situation only aggravates. It is okay if your child ate up some mud and got an upset tummy. Part of parcel of growing up.  

• Entertain Less: Don’t we as mothers love to plan our child’s routine to a perfect T? Craft activities taken from the internet, screen time, park time, eating time, sleeping time. Planned activities no doubt bring about some sanity to the day. But it also makes them habituated to being entertained all the time. Have a time of the day when there is no schedule. 

• Ensure the Child is Well-Rested: It is said that a children's’ growth takes place during their sleep. Too much activity makes them overwhelmed and they are unable to feel sleepy. Have less for them to focus on, so they are well-rested. 

• Buy Less: This holds true for the entire family. You can’t be buying the latest phone every six months and telling your child that she can’t have the best toy at the store. 

So, don’t you like the idea of minimalism? What will be your first steps towards incorporating it in your child’s life? 

Stay Tuned! Stay Relevant!