How Open-Ended Toys Could Make You a Better Parent.
Why play is important and types of open-ended toys.
I did not have many toys growing up.
I spent most of my childhood days playing in the field close to home.
That field became my imaginary toy box. Together with my friends, we would gather leaves and sticks to make our imaginary magic wand.
I had the best time of my life and learned so much about myself and others during our playtime.
We sometimes take ‘Play’ for granted. We underestimate the power of ‘Play’. We want our children to behave well and play quietly to have calm and peace at home.
But if we observe playtime, we will see that children strengthen their motor skills, develop cognitive skills, and learn to socialize with each other during playtime.
So, what happens at playtime?
Play falls into two main categories — structured and unstructured. Structured play is goal-driven and involves some form of problem-solving abilities.
An unstructured play, which we know as free play, has no rules, no expectations. Free play nurtures imagination and creativity skills. Both categories are essential for a child’s development.
Play is not frivolous: it enhances brain structure and function and promotes executive function (i.e., the process of learning, rather than the content), which allow us to pursue goals and ignore distractions
– extracted from https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/142/3/e20182058
When ‘Play’ becomes a learning opportunity for young children, the toys that children play becomes equally important.
In general, there are 2 types of toys.
Conventional toys which you want to avoid.
Cars, plastic dolls, robots, or even fire station sets are fabulous toys that can be bought at a mouse click. They come packaged in pretty carton boxes and usually require only batteries to function. They are often plastic and have no distinct smell. They are hard and overly smooth to touch.
Most take little imagination or creativity to put the toys together. Some of these toys can be difficult to share and promote little teamwork or social sharing.
In some cases, they can be expansive and may only be used for a limited time or until the battery runs out — Eg. Motorized robots which only marches forward or backwards.
While they provide much-needed distraction for parents & children, they offer little benefit in nurturing children’s cognitive or social skills. Some even hardly require children to move. A good example is a motorized car in which a child can sit in and navigate the plastic vehicle.
Opened-ended toys which you want more.
Discarded boxes, art papers, wooden blocks are items that offer unlimited possibilities as open-ended toys.
These toys allow children to continue the exploration of nature and the real world. These toys are versatile and encourage children to use their imagination.
We love how children can reuse these toys several times and engaged themselves for hours. These items can be used on its own or can be used together with other things.
They are beneficial in supporting children’s motor skills and cognitive skills. They provide an avenue for children to practice their social skills when shared. And above all else, promote fun and healthy mental agility.
Here are some of my favourite open-ended toys
1. Boxes
Cardboard boxes! It is known to be one of the most versatile ‘toy’ for a child. Children of all ages have found endless ways to use boxes.
Even for adults!
Check out the structures Monomi Ohno has created. They are mind blowing!
Boxes can be torn apart and glue back again. They can be folded or unfolded. They can be close to make a block or open to form a container. Children use boxes to create tall structures like buildings or tents. They use them as climbing blocks.
Moving large boxes around builds muscles and helps with children’s motor skills. Children learn to be creative and solve problems when left alone to modify these boxes with their friends. They use them as sailboats, motor vehicles, or to push other children around in them like a trishaw.
The best part is children get to use the same box in different ways. And this great ‘toy’ is readily available and more so with online delivery these days.
And if you ever run out of ideas, check out the book ‘Not a Box’ by Antoinette Portis for inspiration.
2. Sticks
Sticks are like magical wands or swords to children. They use it to wave or point around. They use the sticks to walk around, climb, jump over. Sticks are almost like children’s gym equipment.
They come in all lengths, widths, and forms. Sticks need not be straight and smooth. Any tree branch will do.
The best thing about sticks is that they have a ‘woody’ smell of nature, unlike the plastic commercial toys, which are cold and lifeless.
Children can cut and tie sticks together to form shapes. Some use it to create a walking maze. Some use them with boxes to create their very own obstacle course or even use to learn math. They can be painted or glam up as the ever-famous lightsaber in Star Wars. Throw in a few rocks or pebbles, and quickly children will create a make-believe campsite in the middle of your living home.
3. Clay
Clay is an exciting item that can keep children occupied for a while.
Clay comes from the earth and smells almost like your neighborhood park.
When mixed with water, it can be mold into many different shapes. Children get to practice motor skills with their hands and legs. Clay can be rolled, step on, flatten and knead into many little pieces that could form a more significant object. Quite often, these are used to create imaginary creatures or funny shaped humans.
And if you do not have clay, baking flour in your kitchen works beautifully too. They bring the same amount of thrill to children when they dip their hands into the flour mixture and shape them into gingerbread man.
Clay is an exciting element to use in learning about weights.
And the best part is clay is born out of mother nature and has its aura compared to the soulless toy shop’s plasticine.
4. Paper
Paper is a common item in every home. It can be in multicolor and texture. Sandpaper feels rough, while a glossy gift wrapper feels smooth and shiny. Paper can be torn, crunched, soaked, and shredded, or folded into pretty origamis. Kitchen rolls are heaps of fun if you can bear with the mess. Children are intrigued by the endless supply of this paper.
Paper can come scented or unscented. They need not be expansive. When mixing with other mediums such as water, oil, or paint, children could use them to learn science and art. Try to use paper with light. You might even get a shadow puppet drama when children immerse into their make-believe world.
There are plenty of things such as pebbles, rocks, sand, dried fruits, leaves, shells, or plants which can be used to simulate the outdoors at home. Due to their texture and structure, these items enable children to use their five senses during play.
Most of these items evolve into another object or purpose when used together or separately. It requires children to use imagination and explore the potential to turn these items into something they can use or imagined.
Besides providing fun, children learn social skills using them with friends; They can be shared in various ways and are often cheap to buy or easily sourced. They are great learning tools when put together. You will find that some of these items are utilized for teaching STEM subjects at schools.
Just in case, you need a quick guide for opened-ended stuff you could use at home.
1 year to 3-year olds
Delicate items can be squeezed, pressed with soft sounds. E.g. old sock stuff with dried beans or even sands, books, art crafts, paper, etc.
3-year olds to 5-year-olds
Items that require assembling. E.g., random pieces of paper and wires to put a lantern together, jigsaw, stick, woodblocks, shells, buckets, boxes, kitchen towel rolls, etc
5 to 7 years old
Items that resemble mini-projects. E.g., building an airport, flying machine. Any random items including light, water, mud, animals, plants, DIY kits, pins, sticks, wooden blocks, baking utensils, strings,etc
Children can use any of the items across all ages as long as they are ready and able to handle them.
