toys and 18month old..is he bored?

[toscacat]

My lo has two favourite toys...The toy kitchen and his ride on Thomas.  He will thread beads if I suggest it or play with his farm but he doesn't tend to go to his toy box and get things out himself to play. Is this just the phase or is he bored of the toys. We have a fair few so I wonder if we would be better with a toy cull for a while and only have two or three out until he appears bored.

He is great at playing on his own if I set it up or suggest he plays with x but he doesn't go to the toy box and get x out to play without me suggesting it.....is this the normal developmental stage for 18month old....how can I engage with him more?

[creations]

Sorry you didn't get a reply yet.

Sounds totally normal for kids of most ages I think.

Invitations to play are useful - this is where you get out a few things and leave them in an inviting or unusual place for him to discover. It may be a different combination of things or lining his animals up in a row for instance. Doesn't need to be too demanding on you and can lead to lots of play.

Toy rotation is useful too. Take away most of the toys and those left behind will be played with more. Rotate every two weeks or so.

There are quite a few ideas for invitations to play and toy rotation on pinterest and parenting blogs if you google it. Definitely worth reading up on in a bit more detail.
hth

[toscacat]

Thank you....I won't  go and spend a fortune in a toy shop then