What are Open-Ended Toys?

We love open-ended toys as they can be played in different ways driven by your child’s creative mind and wild imagination!  Think of doll houses 🏠, wooden blocks, pretend food 🥑, they can be played however the child wants and are perfect to promote pretend play, language skills and social interaction 👧 👦.

 

Crucial for Early Childhood Development

Children develop their imagination from ages three to seven. Open-ended play is crucial during this time because as their imagination is developing, it needs to be engaged and stimulated! Open-ended play benefits your child by fostering essential intellectual abilities to create a stable foundation for a successful future.

Our Grimm’s rainbow is a perfect example of an open-ended toy that can be played endless ways…

Social & Emotional Intelligence

Let’s play cooking! Who is the chef? And what should we cook today?🧑‍🍳 🍳

Have you seen your little ones play with children their own age? It is lovely to see how they interact with one another, not only do they learn to share and take turns, they also develop caring natures and sympathy for others.

When children play with open-ended toys with other children, they learn to read social cues (tone of voice, facial expressions, body language) and how to respond appropriately. Their brains are in a better state to learn to read these cues because they are relaxed and having fun  – no rules, just imagination! The pressure is off and each child is exploring and creating in their own way.

Leadership & decision-making skills

What should they make with a set of building blocks? A castle? A house for their favourite doll? 🧸

Open-ended play gives your child the opportunity to be a leader! When children aren’t given instructions they make their own. Rather than telling a child how to do something, open-ended play leaves the decision-making up to them. As they play with a set of building blocks, they’ll build a creation entirely from their imagination. They become the creative leader of their play time and develop critical decision-making skills.

 

Share with us your favourite open-ended toys and fun ways to play! 👇