Unlocking Imagination: The 10 Must-Have Open-Ended Toys for Your Play Space
Forget the latest fads and invest in toys that will foster creativity, learning, and lasting memories
It’s almost Christmas and you might just be frantically looking for gifts for your child (or other relatives). One of the most common difficulties for parents is finding a toy that will go the distance. At this time of year, the store shelves are filled with plastic play sets and the ads bombard us, and our children with the latest ‘must-have’ toy. Often these toys end up ignored after a few months which can be frustrating - especially if you’ve spent a lot of money.
With that being said, toys do serve a real purpose. Whilst it’s true that toys can entertain and occupy our children, they have so much more value than that.
Throughout history, toys have been used to teach children. Whereas once upon a time, there was a more survival-based reason for this, for example a child receiving a bow and arrow replica to practise hunting, there’s no denying that toys have a real educational value.
In fact, I’ve written a whole mini masterclass on the topic of toys, because I am that passionate about the power of intentional toy choices. You can access the course here, by becoming a member.
If you currently struggle to get your child to play independently, then you might need to take a look at the toys you have on offer in the play space because the more open-ended toys you have in the play space, the better.
All of the toys featured in this list are ones which my children play with on a daily basis – they are always on rotation because there are just so many ways for them to play with.
I do not have affiliate links with any companies and I don't have any brand partnerships either. All of the present ideas that are listed are items that we own. And it's not just items we own in order to fill out this list, they are all items that my children love.
If you haven’t had the opportunity yet, take a look at the This Playful Home Holiday Gift Guide for 2023.
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10 must have open-ended toys for the play space
The beauty of open-ended toys is the fact that they grow with your child. The Grimm’s rainbow featured in the photograph below was a Christmas present for my daughter when she turned 2. Fast-forward six years and she is still playing with it - just in a different way.
Open-ended toys can be combined in a number of different ways and over time, you can also add to your collection. For example, after buying a ‘starter’ train set, you can gradually build onto it over a series of Christmases and birthdays.
One of the main issues I personally have with toy and play space posts on Instagram is the fact that they give the impression that you have to buy all the toys immediately. Our own reality is that we’ve been slowly building up a collection for the past 14 years - since my eldest was small.
1. Wooden Blocks
Wooden blocks are the absolute play heroes of our play space – they can be absolutely anything my daughter puts her mind to. From a more traditional ‘wall’ to a person, the beauty of blocks is that they don’t just have to be a block.
One of the major benefits of buying a set of good quality blocks is the fact that they can also grow with your child. We bought our set from Grimm’s Wooden Toys for my daughter’s first birthday and as she has grown, so has the play potential.
Starting out with a simple ‘knock the tower down’ game to more elaborate houses and towns now, wooden blocks are really a toy that lasts for years AND can be passed down.
Recommended age: 1 year + (also check manufacturers recommendations)
2. Magnetic Tiles
Similar to wooden blocks, magnetic tiles also grow with your child and the play potential explodes the older your child gets. Begin with a starter set, then slowly add more pieces - such as the magnetic ball run kit - to add even more play potential.
Magnetic tiles are a toy that truly last the distance. Now at the ages of 5 and 8, my youngest two children play with their magnetic tiles and ball run every single morning before school.
My recommendation is to buy the best you can afford. The super cheap sets have in the past been linked to breakages and magnets can be extremely harmful is swallowed.
We have both the Connetix tiles and Children’s Hub brands.
Recommended age: 2.5 years + (also check manufacturers recommendations)
3. Animal Figurines
Our favourite brands are CollectA and Schleich. Whilst they are a little more pricey than other brands, the animals also look much more realistic and they last ages too – ours are years old and haven’t shown any wear and tear despite being roughed around by an exuberant toddler!
Recommended age: 2.5 years + (also check manufacturers recommendations)
4. Gluckskafer Building Slats
These Gluckskafer building slats are great for creating towns, slides, flat lay pictures (as shown in the first photo) and balancing structures.They also work well for colour matching activities and early math activities too.
Recommended age: 2.5 years + (also check manufacturers recommendations)
5. Play Silks
Play silks are a brilliant additional to the play space – we have them in several colours. For Christmas and birthdays, we even use them to wrap the presents in an effort to be just a little bit more sustainable!
My children mainly use them as a small world landscape, a baby doll blanket or as a cape/dress for dramatic play, but the larger silks also make great dens too.
Our play silks are by Sarah’s Silks but you can also buy alternative brands on Amazon.
6. Grimm’s Wooden Rainbow
There’s so much hype around the Grimm’s wooden rainbow – yes it does look pretty displayed on a shelf but it is also a really awesome open-ended toy. From tunnels to bridges, ‘cakes’ to animal pens, the rainbow is a great functional toy.
My children love to use ours with the Grimm’s semicircles which does add extra play possibilities.
7. Miniland Dolls
Spanish brand, Miniland is our go-to for dolls. Not only are they anatomically correct but they also help to promote diversity awareness too.
Miss 8 loves using her dolls for dramatic play scenarios – they attend ‘school’, go on shopping trips, drink tea and cake, take visits to the doctors and often sleep in her bed too.
We have the dolls in both ‘toddler’ and ‘baby’ sizes. I’d recommend the baby size for very young children (12 months plus) and the toddler dolls from around 3. The toddler dolls are quite large so can be a little trickier for small hands.
8. Grapat Carla Set
If you want to get started with loose parts play, I really recommend the Grapat Carla brand. Grapat is another Spanish brand and it specialises in loose parts play.
The Grapat Carla set includes rings, coins and ‘nins’ (peg people) that can be used for a whole range of early learning activities from posting activities for toddlers aged 12 months plus to colour sorting and counting for pre-schoolers.
We have combined our with the Grimm’s trees – another great option for loose parts play.
9. Wobbel Board
During the last three lockdowns, the Wobbel board has been an absolute godsend! With parks closed and limited garden space here (we live in a Viennese apartment), the Wobbel board has really come into its own.
The wobbel is a great open-ended toy for gross motor skills – mine use it to rock, jump, slide and even do yoga but it’s also great as part of play too. Mr 2 loves to use it as a car ramp and my eldest tends to use it as bridge in small world play.
We have combined ours with the IKEA gym mat to prevent fingers getting trapped underneath.
10. Cars And Trains
We’ve been collecting cars and trains since my eldest (now 14) was a toddler. I’ll be forever thankful that we kept the huge collection because we still use them every single day in play.
Now we’ve reached the tenth and final must-have open-ended toy, I’m sure you can see how well they all fit together for play. That is the real beauty of open-ended toys – you can use them in multiple ways and with a range of different age groups. The play just expands and develops as your children get older.
Share your favorite gift ideas from the guide in the comments below
Have any of these suggestions made it into your shopping basket? Or do you already own any of these items? I would love to hear your own thoughts and suggestions so please leave a comment below.
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