Engaging in Play Through Open-Ended Toys
Written by: Rebecca Smith, MACP, Registered Psychologist, Counsellor, Family Ties Association
Wanting to increase your child’s creativity and imagination? Wishing your child will develop a strong sense of confidence and make their own decisions? Looking for individual and group play activities? Well, some open-ended play may be just what you and your child need.
You may be thinking, what is open-ended play and what are open-ended toys? Well let me try and explain. Open-ended play occurs when a child engages in unstructured play that encourages the use of their imagination, creativity, social skills, problem-solving skills, and emotional intelligence. All of the aforementioned skills are strengthened when engaging in open-ended play, which in turn, helps children thrive as they grow up.
Now, what makes a toy open-ended? Here are three differences between a ‘regular’ toy and an open-ended toy.
1. For the most part, an open-ended toy can be played with or manipulated in multiple ways and a child can play independently with it. There is no specific ‘how to’ guide that comes with the toy or a ‘right vs. wrong’ way to play with them. As beautifully noted on the Stories of Play website, open-ended toys are “90% child and 10% toy”. Hence, the creativity, imagination, and personality of each child makes the toy come alive in different ways. One child might use a cardboard box as a house, another a rocket ship and a third child may see it as a boat.
2. Just as each child’s imagination/personality changes the purpose of the toy, the way a child plays with the toy changes as they get older. As a child’s mind develops and grows, they have an increased sense of curiosity, critical thinking, and imaginative play. As such, when you give a 1 year old an open-ended toy, chances are they will still play with it when they are 7 years old, but in a whole new way. Wooden blocks previously used for stacking and knocking down may turn into creating a whole castle and kingdom! Such a great way to minimize toys around the house and to save money long term (who doesn’t want that?).
3. These toys don’t have batteries; generally, toys with batteries have a single purpose in play and often don’t spark creativity as much as an open-ended toy. With open-ended toys, children have the ability to move them as fast or slow as they like and use their imaginations to create their own sound effects. This can be great as these toys won’t leave you scrambling to find batteries when it ‘dies’ and you will not find yourself having to constantly listen to the same annoying song/beeping.
I encourage you to see what you have around your house that can be used as an open-ended toy, but if you need some ideas, I’ll leave you with these suggestions:
· Wooden blocks
· Magnetic tiles and/or blocks
· Wood Peg dolls
· Lego & Duplo
· Silks & fabrics
· Rainbow stackers
· Animal figurines
· Nesting toys (cups, boxes, dolls)
· Cardboard boxes
· Clay and/or Playdough
· Sand
If you aren’t entirely sure what all of these items are, don’t worry, when I read this article to my husband, he didn’t know all of them either. Each item is a quick Google away, with lots of ideas on how to use them and where to find them. If all else fails, buy one and let your children show you how they work, the opportunities are endless!
References:
DiYanni, C. (2021, March 31). The Incredibly High Value of Free Play. Psychology Today. Retrieved September 19, 2021, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/play-and-imitation/202103/the-incredibly-high-value-free-play
Top 10 Must Have Open-Ended Toys in Our House. (n.d.). Stories of Play. Retrieved September 19, 2021, from http://storiesofplay.com/top-10-open-ended-toys/
What is Open Ended Play?. (2020, January 9). My Happy Helpers. Retrieved September 19, 2021, from https://myhappyhelpers.com.au/blogs/my-happy-helpers/what-is-open-ended-play