WHY WE HAVE OPEN-ENDED TOYS! (AND A FEW OF OUR FAVOURITES!)

We really want our kids to grow up to be creative, inventive, imaginative, resourceful, problem-solving people. So we give them toys that allow them to be those things now! For us, that’s open-ended toys, and a whole lot of wooden and rainbow loveliness!!!  

But to start with, what is an open-ended toy? The simplest answer is that it’s a toy that can be used in a multitude of ways. We have Grimm’s rainbows that become boats, and hills, and castles, and fences, as well as being stacked in numerous ways. We have play silks that become rivers, and fields, and costumes for all kinds of plushies (and children!). And we have magnetic tiles and blocks that become robots, and rockets, and skyscrapers and caves! The child has to create with the toy, rather than the toy having a set, defined purpose. And usually, the toy grows with the child, from them doing very simple activities with it as a baby, to creating fantastic worlds and adventures when they’re older.

Toys that have a set purpose have limited uses – a pirate ship is always going to be a ship! It might be able to pass for a fishing boat, or a row boat, but when your child has finished with sea-bound adventures, there’s not much else you can do with it. But when the pirate ship is made from a curved piece of wood, with colourful planks and building blocks, those bits can quickly transform into other things when the pirate finds land!

It requires more input from the child, of course. These toys are often referred to as 10% toy and 90% child! But in our family that’s what we want! We want those opportunities for them to be creative, and imaginative, and to invent things and build them out of what we have. The toy encourages all those lovely values we’re wanting our children to have! Yay! (And there’s an added bonus – they look beautiful on our shelves!)

So with that in mind, here’s a handful of our favourites…..

GRIMM’S

A classic brand – wooden rainbows, stackers, building blocks, and people!

If you’re interested in building your Grimm’s collection, I have a post on Grimm’s toys that won’t break the bank here.

Grimm’s toys can be found at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk

BARK BLOCKS

Great for building forests and natural landscapes. Plus a challenge to build with!

Bark Blocks can be found here.

MAGNETIC TILES

So pretty, and click together easily for little hands.

Magnetic Tiles can be found at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk

LEGO

Another classic! A rainbow of colours that can be anything you want it to be!

Lego Classic can be found at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk

TEGU

Fab wooden blocks that are magnetic for building things that move!

Tegu can be found at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk

PLAY SILKS

Brilliant for landscapes, and becoming costumes for toys (or smaller children!)

Sarah’s Play Silks can be found at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk