The reasons for such child sabotage are sometimes not as harmless as it seems to the parents.


Why does a child break toys: how to behave as a parent and what to do

1. Why does a child break toys

  • out of curiosity
  • toys not for age
  • such temperament
  • bad quality toy
  • bad state of health
  • expressing anger and demanding attention


2.  What if the child is constantly breaking toys?


If the severed heads of recently purchased dolls are lying around the apartment, the paws of teddy bears donated literally the day before yesterday, or parts from a truck and other toys, from which, as they say, only horns and legs remain, then this article is definitely for you. 

The reasons for such child sabotage are sometimes not as harmless as it seems to the parents. Therefore, it is important not just to accept with tenderness or humility the period when a son or daughter literally crush and break everything that they see and do not take care of their own and other people's things, but try to understand why they are doing it.

Today we will look at several key reasons that encourage a child to break their toys and tell you how it is advisable for moms and dads to behave in such a situation. 


Why does a child break toys

Out of curiosity

First and foremost, there is no need to panic if you notice that your child regularly spoils the toys presented to him. This rule applies to absolutely all the reasons that we will talk about. 

First, consider the most innocuous and most obvious - banal childish curiosity. It is to us, adults, that it is clear what this or that doll is made of, what the machine is made of, and so on, but the child is not. 

When he was very small, such interest dormant and waited for its time. Upon reaching 3-4 years of age, curiosity for everything that surrounds him gradually takes over. Active cognition of the surrounding world, also expressed in the sorting of toys. The kid looks at what will happen to the typewriter if you first remove one wheel from it, and then the second, third, fourth. As a result, the truck is dismembered and abandoned, because interest in it disappeared as soon as it ceased to function. 

In this case, parents must, together with the child, disassemble at least one of his toys and show how to put them back together. It is important to explain to the baby that any thing requires care and attention. So she will serve him much more, and then she will be able to please someone else.

This reason should not worry the parents. On the contrary, it would be much worse if the son or daughter did not show interest in dolls, teddy bears and other toys. An apathetic child is what's really not healthy. 

Toys not for age

The age at which they are oriented is not just written on the toy. This means that right now this gift will be relevant and safe for the baby. And also that right now the child's brain is ready to perceive what this developmental toy carries in itself. 

Gifts that are not age appropriate can provoke the same self-harm in relation to toys. This is because the child may not understand how to interact with her, but at the same time he will not lose interest. Therefore, he will resort to the simplest and most logical way: he will disassemble, see what it is. So at least he will understand something about the thing, the purpose, which is not clear to him or not interesting.

Parents and donors like toys that are late or ahead of the child's age need to be more careful. And if the gift has already been handed over, then you should at least explain what's what, and not leave the child alone with a strange gift. 

Such temperament

It is possible that the child spoils toys not out of harm, but because he was lucky to be born a choleric, who, unlike sanguine people, phlegmatic people and melancholic people, due to the peculiarities of his nervous activity, has intolerance and increased emotionality.

In other words, a choleric child breaks toys simply because he has not yet learned to pacify his ardor. 

Choleric children are distinguished by prohibitive activity, it is difficult for them to sit still and concentrate on one thing for a long time. In addition, it is difficult for children with such a temperament to perform clear movements. It is important for parents of choleric people to focus on games that develop fine motor skills. 

These kids are usually in a hurry and are constantly distracted. They may not even notice how they accidentally broke something. However, if you do not let such unconscious behavior take its course, and engage in a certain program, then with age, choleric people become more careful and persevering. 

Poor quality toy

If a child breaks the same toy or similar ones from time to time, then it may not be just him. Perhaps the quality of the toy itself suffers. By the way, now it is found at every step. Many manufacturers make goods for the little ones of insufficient quality. 

Moreover, such toys can look quite dignified. However, appearances in this case are also deceiving. 

Bad state of health

For some reason, adults sometimes ignore the fact that a child may not always be in good spirits either. It only seems to us that children live and do not worry about anything. In fact, they have experiences and problems that are relevant to their age, which, in particular, can provoke the very state when literally everything falls out of hand. 

In this case, it is not necessary that the baby has a temperature or he whimpers. In a poor emotional state, children become a little more awkward and, as a result, can destroy and break everything that is nearby (like adults). 

In the end, banal indigestion can be the cause of poor health  - and then the likelihood of crippling dolls, animals, robots and cars will be much higher.

Expressing anger and demanding attention

So we moved on to the reasons that are unhealthy. The child, guided by them, literally signals that he lacks parental attention. 

A toddler can take out his anger on things that mom and dad slip him instead of spending time together. So a son or daughter wants to achieve minimal interest in themselves, a reaction to them. These feelings are destructive for children. They feel abandoned. 

It is important for parents, no matter how busy they are, to find several hours in their schedule or spend weekends with their child so as not to raise an unloved person with a bunch of complexes. We all know how badly this later affects adult life. 

Another explanation for taking out anger on toys may be the child's discontent and irritation due to some kind of prohibition. A chain reaction is triggered here. Parents scold the child, for example, for the extra candy they have eaten or do not allow him to take it, and then he comes off on those who are weaker than him - on toys. After all, he cannot answer mom and dad in this way. 

In fact, this is the transferred aggression against the parents. But do not be afraid of this and draws a parallel with films about some maniacs. This childish behavior is quite natural. 

As he develops, the child learns to have his own opinion, desires and begins to resist the will of the parents. In young children, this is expressed in fairly simple offenses, in adolescents - in misunderstandings more complicated. Toys and other things literally take a hit. Thus, children make their first clumsy attempts to assert themselves and their rights, to defend them.

It is important here, having noticed a child's resentment, not to leave it unattended. Wait until the child has cooled down, go up to him and calmly discuss the situation with him without reproach and moralizing, including explaining that taking out anger at those who are weaker than you is not an option. It is much more important to learn how to reasonably express your dissatisfaction.

This moment can be a great starting point for teaching your child to dialogue. 

2. What if my child is constantly breaking toys?

We have discussed the most basic reasons why a child can break toys. As you can see, there is no disaster in this. Everything is quite logical and fixable. The main rule that parents should adhere to is not to shout or scold their son or daughter for such tricks. This will only make things worse. 

Now it was the turn of the thesis to tell how mothers and fathers need to behave with child destroyers. 

Try to establish the cause of the incident

Focus on the options listed above, because there is little point in asking your child. He himself does not know why he did this, or he knows, but he will not say because of shame. And you, having analyzed the situation and the events preceding it, may well figure out what's what.

Give your child enough attention

If a broken toy is a signal that there are too few of you in your baby's life. It's time to fix it. Believe me, the time spent with the parents is much more valuable for the child than the next purchase. 

Don't set a bad example

The child is sensitive to all the behaviors that you demonstrate. And if you show him that you can express your anger and anger by breaking things, then he will break toys every time he experiences negative emotions.

Consider the interests and level of development of the child

Toys should be interesting for him, and play with them should be within his power.
Don't buy cheap toys, or be prepared to break them. In principle, when a child is in the stage of a very active study of the surrounding reality, it is quite possible to purchase toys for him "for one time", which will not be a pity at all. But then don't blame the kid when he breaks them.

Give your child the opportunity to show strength without consequences

If your child likes to test all sorts of things for strength, there is no point in weaning him from it. It is better to direct his destructive energy in a direction where it will not cause significant damage. For example, build a sand castle and break it.