Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion what do your kids play with?

It is comforting to see that the general pattern is - our kids don't play with typical "toys"... always worry if this is sign of a problem (asperger's,,,) but it seems pretty average for gifted kids.
Do you all agree?
Right now my kid is texting from my cell to my husbands cell having a text message convo with himself.... I doubt that many 5 year olds would find this fun!!!

Mine totally would!!!

Mine had an old iPhone with no phone service but loaded with games and wifi email used by the gp's. He lost it. Or threw it away. He told me a monster ate it. I'm still mad. I don't want to talk about it. He changed his story to say a monster ate it then spit it in his hand and he took it and hid it from the monster and now he can't remember where. I don't see how. The only monsters are on tv. He says he has monsters in his room and showed me these tiny figurines of the incredible hulk and black spiderman. He mostly plays with cars. He has a huge collection he's been building for years from squishy baby tonkas to his latest a garbage truck. His truck shaped flashlight has rescued several cars with it's tractor beam. His ford truck has fed the cows. Today I saw him put his yellow 4 door international pick-up on a stool and announce, "this is the greatest and the best truck ever.". He's been watching monster trucks on the tv with his dad, you can tell. He wrecks his trucks, flips his trucks. Takes care of his trucks. It looks like they all have personalities. He lines them up side by side so they can all watch tv and leaves them there. He let's the tv babysit his trucks. That's not so bad. I don't like when he lines them up behind me to watch me work.
Ok, his life's not all cars. Although at the hubby's request we don't let the boy play with things that aren't his toys. Pots and pans, random stuff on the desk or kitchen table. He has a real drumset from the music store for up to 13 yr olds. He has a how to drum DVD that he asks for now and then. Since the drumset's in the corner of my living room he runs to it when there's a catchy song in a movie.

Oh yeah, I started this post to re-mention the common rule of thumbs for uncommon kid's. Forget the manufacturer's suggested age. I think a lot of the computer stuff the boy does is for 6 yr. Olds. He's also keeps playing with this Mozart music cube which is a block for babies that plays a different song and lights up depending on which side you touch. It's meant for six months olds. He loves the battery toys, hex bug battle bridge, looked like a boring one trick pony to me, but he loves it. He's got that blues clues animated dog furry robot thing. He sits against the wall and let's it walk into him. Looks like it tickles. It tickles him anyway.
On and on, Supermind magnetic, trio blocks, erector Jr, solo operation w/o batteries (he calls it playing doctor). We don't get out of the house much. An awesome convertible desk/easel with crayolas, markers, and tempra paint. I had the paint put up. It was by request only. One day he showed me a painting. I went and looked at the paint. The lid was on right. It was put away properly. There was no mess. I gave him the paints too. That reminds me to go post my Christmas tree story on the creativity thread. Ps I second kidzui. $7/ month, over 5,000 clean YouTube videos, disney, nick Jr, kid safe google, like a kid encyclopedia. Hard to install. Ask customer service for help. Other wise you might end up with a Lego looking failure screen. and starfall's already approved but stuff like Cernland you have to manually approve.

Not really...I thought it was different when he was younger I guess. But I saw his face light up when he does stuff he loves. I watched a couple years ago as people got him random toys like action figures for his birthday and he was polite, but totally disinterested. Someone got him a zhu zhu pet for a birthday and he said "Oh, I guess this one if for my little sister" and then gave it to her. He still plays with tons of stuff...but it not the typical toy stuff that other kids his age play with most of the time. He still has some of the same interests like building stuff...but he is more likely to search stuff on his computer, play games, send us random emails (yesterday one was about how he read that some people think the sun will explode in 5 million years). Today he was somehow fascinated with how the brain works. He still has a variety of interests in many different areas so I am not concerned at all. When he was 4 or 5 he told me "some people think ________ is fun, but to me fun is MATH!" and his whole face lit up. Honestly, I can't remember what the blank was but it was some toy that others were interested in. There are many other signs of aspergers that don't have to do with playing with toys at all, and my son doesn't fit those so it was not a concern for us. I did go through a time when he was around 3 that I wondered more about it...but lots has changed.

I have a five year-old: Chico loves costumes (actually, all three of my boys do). I think it's a really terrific investment to sew up some flexible costumes (by flexible, I mean things that can be multi-purpose, like capes, cloaks, tunics, scarves, hats, belts, etc., especially reversible ones) and throw in a little junk jewelry, maybe. These have had really lasting play value here, and the first thing the boys' friends head for when they come over is the tickle-trunk (anybody but me remember Mr Dressup?? :D).

The other main plaything here is cardboard--nothing gets recycled here until it has been repurposed and reused several times!

peace
minnie

shellymos
My DS would enjoy talking to your DS!! Thanks though, I've never been concerned about AS or anything like that, more of a nagging feeling about avoiding stuff, like drawing or writing because he isn't that good at it. But also that it seems in some way a bit limited - which is very odd thing to say about someone who imagines all the time!!! I think i am just concerned his needs aren't being met, that we just haven't found the right thing - although he is happy so I am sure this is about me!!!

DeHe

Ds 5 doesn't really play with toys either and never has. He likes to create/build and plan but doesn't play. Due to a hectic schedule during the weekdays he only has about 45 minutes to play and he usually chooses to watch Brainpop videos. He does like to play games like Monopoly etc. and he also likes his Leapster. He does however like to invent games and play them and most of the time they involve running around and going crazy though with rules and structure. Ds like math workbooks, being read to, and mazes as well.

Wow I thought my DD9 was the only one! She has so many boxes! She is really into Littlest Pet Shops, but she doesn't "play" with them she creates things for them like buildings...she even made a trampoline one time out of sticks and plastic wrap. She has been using hot glue guns for years now.
The day after Christmas she woke up...instead of playing with all her new toys she watched a documentary on the building of cathedrals during the Renaissance!

DS8 has never been much for toys. He has a huge collection of Bakugan, but he doesn't really play the game, he just collects them. His latest fascination is video editing. He got a video camera for Christmas and spend most of his free time filming us and then downloading and manipulating the film. I'm considering having him do next year's Christmas film. We send out a video every year to family in lieu of cards chronicaling our year.

He does love board games as long as there is an adult available to play with.

Our son mostly plays with puzzles, mazes, building toys, software, board games, his camera, and toy weapons.