What is open-ended toys?

Open-ended toys are growing in popularity, but what kind of toys are they and why are they so successful? I'm a mother of two daughters, and we've been playing with open-ended toys for years. Since 2021, I've been making open-ended toys for my webshop. I'd love to tell you why we love these toys so much.

Imaginative toys

Open-ended toys are also called open-ended toys. What you do with them isn't fixed. They're imaginative toys.

• It doesn't have a manual like a game that tells you how to play.
• It has no standard outcome like a puzzle that always looks the same.
• No fixed pattern like a ring tower where the rings always have to be placed on the tower in the same way.

It can be anything you want and this can change every game.

What is the difference between open-ended and closed-ended toys?

A good example of a closed-ended toy is a puzzle. There's only one possible way to play it, and that's to fit the puzzle pieces together. At some point, the puzzle is complete and the game ends. You can only start over.

With open-ended toys, there are no rules (except those you, as a parent, impose). A play cloth is a good example of an open-ended toy. For you, it might be a piece of cloth painted a pretty color. For your child, it might be a dress, a blanket, a tablecloth, a flag, the base for a hut, or a doll's bib. There are no rules, no expectations, and there's no point at which it's "finished." Unless your child decides otherwise. It's open-ended.

What are examples of closed-ended toys?

• Puzzle
• Shape sorter
• Ring Tower
• Specific toy cars such as a police car, ambulance, or garbage truck
• Busyboard
• Step

What are examples of open-ended toys?

The range of open-ended toys is growing because they're becoming more popular. But open-ended toys aren't new. A wooden block set is a great example of an open-ended toy that's been around for years. A block set can become a castle, but the blocks can also be food for a doll or used for stacking. Below you'll find more examples of open-ended toys.

• Balls (all shapes and sizes)
• Bean bags
• Wooden figures (for example Grimm's friends in boxes)
• Block set
• Play cloth set
• Magnetic tiles
• Toy animals
• Neutral wooden cars
• Climbing frame
• Balance board

Toys that grow with you

Because open-ended toys don't have a single purpose and can be used in countless ways, they evolve with a child's interests and development. The toys themselves remain the same, only their uses change. Here are some examples using sensory bean bags :

• A baby plays with sensory bean bags by touching them, lifting them, and exploring the textures. Babies love sensory play because their senses are developing rapidly.
• A toddler plays with beanbags by carrying them from A to B or putting them in baskets and then taking them out again. A play phase that parents often recognize when children open and empty cupboards.
• A toddler will likely love playing toss games with beanbags. And our rainbow beanbags are popular for sorting by color with other open-ended rainbow toys. At this age, children progress through the play phases of sorting and positioning, as well as throwing and dropping.
• Preschoolers are increasingly engaging in role-playing games in which beanbags serve as beds for animals, pillows for themselves, cakes for cuddly toys, or stepping stones for walking on.
• As children get older , their role-playing skills develop, and beanbags will be used in countless ways. Even an 8-year-old still enjoys throwing games with enthusiasm.

Educational toys

Open-ended toys are incredibly beneficial for development. They stimulate imagination and problem-solving. Your child can figure out for themselves what it is and what its possibilities are. There are also countless educational activities to consider.

• We use the beanbags for color recognition . First the rainbow and later the pastel beanbags to learn the difference in color tones.
• We also use the bean bags for counting and math games. I place a number on the floor, and together we place the correct number of bean bags next to the number. We also practice small sums using the bean bags as math tools.
• You can also encourage accurate throwing with beanbags. You can improve this skill by gradually making the target smaller or moving it further away.
• Left, right, above, below, behind, in front? These concepts are best learned by experiencing them, by throwing beanbags in that direction. A child learns to make connections more easily by doing it. Throw up, throw down, or throw left and right.
• We use the play sides to recreate shapes, numbers, and letters on the floor. I draw them on a piece of paper, and then we place the play sides in the same shape on top or next to it.
• I recently taught my daughter to braid with play silk. I made a start, and in a weekend she was able to braid.

In the examples above, you see how the toys stay the same, but the play changes. This means you can buy fewer toys, and you and your children can use them in creative ways. And these educational games have another advantage: how much fun is it for a child to learn with their own toys?

Sustainable toys

Companies create open-ended toys designed for years of play. The materials they choose are often durable and resilient, ensuring long-lasting play. Investing in open-ended toys means children will often play with them for years. Because these toys have a long lifespan, younger siblings can play with them too, and they can even be sold secondhand. There are now online stores dedicated entirely to sustainable and open-ended toys.

As you know, open-ended toys come in many shapes and sizes. The choice is enormous! They're imaginative toys that stimulate creativity and problem-solving. They're often durable and built to last for years of fun. We've built a nice collection, but this is our top 10 open-ended toys that have been a favorite here for several years.

I make play mats and sensory bean bags for my Little Botanic webshop . These are also included in our top 10 open-ended toys. Everything is handmade from sustainable materials for years of fun.

I hope my blog has given you a better understanding of what open-ended toys are and what you can do with them. I could write blogs chock full of play ideas, so I'll share some more information below.