Guide to Open-Ended Toys

When it comes to purchasing toys for kids, consider the quality and kind of play children will experience. Creative toys that offer open-ended and endless possibilities are often the best choice.

What Are Open-Ended Toys?

Open-ended toys allow children to direct the play as they choose. Such toys don’t feature a set way in which they should be used. For instance, they generally don’t feature a cause and effect, such as toys that talk when you press a button. Open-ended toys allow for interpretation and experimentation.

Benefits of Open-Ended Toys

Creative toys that allow children to experiment and try their own ideas out for activities foster positive behaviors such as exploration and ingenuity. Open-ended toys encourage imaginative play, which teaches children to think for themselves and to become resourceful. The more thinking a toy requires, the better the toy is for the child. Open-ended toys tend to also cause a child to develop various skills, including fine-motor and thinking skills and language development.

Open-Ended Toy Suggestions

Generally, simpler toys offer open-ended play opportunities. Toys that have stood the test of time are often open-ended toys. These include:

  • Building blocks. The classic building block offers hours of open-ended play opportunities. Blocks that come in different shapes and sizes will keep kids occupied and developing many skills, including visual-spatial skills and problem solving. Get children wooden, plastic or even foam blocks.
  • Sandbox. The sandbox offers children the space to create and let their imaginations soar. A wide variety of sandbox options exist, including ones that provide shelter from the sun. Sandbox ideas for little tykes include encouraging them to make a castle or a giant super highway with cars and trucks.
  • Arts and crafts. Give a little one an art set, and the sky is the limit as to what can be created. With paper, paints and glitter, a child can make masterpieces that are totally unique each and every time. Ideal art supplies include finger paints, nontoxic sculpting clay and washable markers.

Julie Bawden-Davis

Julie Bawden-Davis is a bestselling journalist, novelist, blogger, and YouTuber. A prolific author, Julie writes in several genres. She enjoys creating page-turning suspense served up with a dose of romance, garden books that turn any brown thumb green, and spiritual books meant to enlighten and inspire. Widely published, Julie has written 45 books and more than 4,000 articles for a wide variety of national and international publications. She lives in Southern California, where she enjoys sunny, blue skies most days and year-round gardening. Julie gains inspiration from being surrounded by plants when she writes.