These days especially, I feel like there are very few things that survive childhood. The toys that seem indispensable one Christmas morning are forgotten by spring. The trendy gadgets come and go so quickly. The piles of brightly colored plastic eventually make their way to donation bins, garage sales, or the back corners of closets.

But every once in a while, something lasts.

A book becomes dog-eared from being read over and over again.
A wooden toy gets smoother from years of small hands touching it.
A favorite sweatshirt gets handed down to a younger sibling.
A dollhouse becomes part of the family story.

Those are the things I’m interested in.

Not because they’re expensive.
Not because they’re trendy.
Because they endure.
And perhaps because they remind me of my own childhood and that some of the most meaningful parts of childhood have remained remarkably unchanged.

Wonder.
Imagination.
Curiosity.
Storytelling.
The simple joy of creating something from almost nothing at all.

In a world that increasingly moves faster and louder every year, I’ve found myself returning to the things that slow childhood down.
The things that ask children to participate rather than simply consume.
The things that leave room for imagination.
The things that become more loved with time instead of tossed in a box.
These are a few of the pieces that continue to earn their place in our home.

Books Worth Returning To

The books that stay with us tend to be the ones that have survived generations before us. Not because they’re old but because they’re timeless.

Stories have a way of connecting children to something larger than themselves. They invite imagination to do some of the work.

Lately, my daughter and I have been reading Anne of Green Gables together. There’s something comforting about watching children discover the same stories that captivated readers a century ago.

Nearby you’ll usually find collections of Grimm’s Fairy Tales, Moomin stories, Charlotte’s Web, The Velveteen Rabbit and other classics that somehow never lose their magic.

For me, the best children’s books don’t simply entertain. They expand a child’s inner world.

Toys That Ask Something Back

I’ve always been drawn to toys that require participation.

Open-ended toys. Wooden blocks. Magnetic tiles. Train sets. Dolls and prams. Art supplies. Dress Up clothes. The kinds of things that become ten different things before lunch.

One of my favorite examples is a wooden dollhouse that has somehow survived years of play without losing its appeal. Inside that house lives a small family of Maileg mice who have somehow managed to survive years of imaginary adventures. The house doesn’t light up. The mice don’t talk or perform. The children do. And that’s precisely the point. The imagination creates the experience, not vice versa.

I’ve found that the toys my children return to most often are rarely the ones that do the most. They’re the ones that leave the most room.

Clothes They Actually Live In

Much like the toys we keep, the clothing that survives in our house tends to share a common quality. It gets better with use.

The sweatshirt that softens with every wash.
The jacket that survives years of adventures.
The pajamas that make their way from one sibling to another.
The pieces that are worn because they’re loved.

We’ve consistently returned to a handful of brands that seem to understand childhood the same way we do: Patagonia for outdoor adventures, Hanna Andersson pajamas that somehow survive everything, Tea Collection for everyday play, Aviator Nation for soft California comfort, and Janie and Jack for the moments worth dressing up for.”

Childhood is active. Messy. Creative.

The clothes should be able to keep up and hopefully be passed down. 

The Creative Corner

If there’s one category that has earned its place over and over again in our home, it’s creative supplies.

Sketchbooks. Colored pencils. Paint. Markers. Construction paper. Tape. Scissors. Nothing complicated. Just tools that allow children to turn ideas into reality. Melissa & Doug, Crayola & Ooly always bring things to life in our house. I also recently discovered these beautiful water color sets by Emily Lex Studios.

Some of my favorite afternoons have begun with the words: “I’m bored.” And ended with homemade books, invented games, cardboard creations, performances, and projects I never could have planned myself.

Creativity rarely arrives on a schedule. It needs a little room. A little freedom. little boredom.

What We’re Really Collecting

As the years have rolled on, the less interested I am in collecting things. In fact, I’m a bit of a minimalist by nature (much to my husband’s hoarding dismay). What I’m really trying to collect are tried and true pieces. Memories. Stories.

The objects that remain tend to be the ones attached to those moments.

A favorite book.
A treasured toy.
A well-loved sweater.
A collection of baseball cards spread across the kitchen table.
A dollhouse that has hosted hundreds of imaginary families.

The best things in our home are rarely the newest. They’re the ones that have been woven into our family’s story. Perhaps that’s what SoCal Scandi Kids is really about.

Not filling childhood with more. But choosing a few things worth returning to.
Again and again.
Year after year.
Child after child.