The Scarcity Factor and Children
The Scarcity Factor and Children
I came to an amazing realization today after almost 19 years of parenting about the scarcity factor and children. Do you know what the scarcity factor is? It is basically the fear of missing out. If there is less of something, we seem to want it even more right? Marketers use this technique all the time to sell us their products. Well, yesterday I figured something out.
A friend of the family gave the youngest in our family an old Perler bead set. You know the tiny, plastic beads that you put on the templates and iron it together? The ones that when you go to iron them you risk dropping them, your kids will be crying and YOU have to fix all those tiny beads with your big fingers? Good times…
Anyway, our 8-year-old and 4-year- old spent literally hours on Sunday and Monday independently making different heart shaped Perler bead plastic fusion crafts. We only had ONE plastic heart template though so they had to take turns. There was a little arguing but not ridiculous. When one was creating the other one played with something else while they waited and watched.
Yesterday, I was in Walmart and saw more Perler beads with more plastic templates. I definitely knew I wanted to buy them. The kids created with the heart template for HOURS imagine if they had more templates. That would mean even MORE HOURS of independent play. Ten dollars later I was good to go, dreaming of my afternoon of getting things done while the kids created.
Guess what? Neither one of them used it after we opened the new pack! No interest and it sat on the dining room table. That was it – the scarcity factor was over. No one wanted to play with it now that anyone could at any time.
It made me think about other scenarios. Think about when the kids have friends over. Ever notice that toys your kids never play with suddenly become awesome because a friend is using it. All of a sudden they have to share something, fear of missing out hits and that toy becomes popular again.
How about when an older sibling gets a toy that a younger sibling really wants too? My kids beg and beg for something. Then once they get it and they both have it, suddenly it is no longer so amazing.
If the goal is independent play, the moral of the story is LESS IS MORE!
Need ideas to keep your children entertained with independent play? Check all of our NO PREP super fun printable activities:
Pretend Play Doctor and Hospital
