Open-ended toys are toys with no set way to play. There are no instructions, no end goal and no single right way to play with them. Blocks, stacking shapes and simple figures are good examples. A child decides what the toy becomes, so the same toy can be played with in hundreds of ways.
At Tollers we believe some of the best toys don't just have one purpose or one way a child can play with it, a few wooden blocks become a house. A rainbow becomes a bridge. A cork rocket heads off to the moon, only to return five minutes later as a spaceship carrying a family of bears.
None of it was planned, that's the point. Open-ended play gives children the freedom to generate their own ideas and encourages them to explore their imagination by creating their own characters, stories and worlds.
Toys should give children room to think. We're not looking for toys that do all the work for them. We're looking for toys that last, both in quality and in the number of ways a child can play with them.
What are open-ended toys?
The main point and feature of open-ended toys is that there is no set way children can play with them or a fixed end result.
A collection of small wooden figures could become a family, a group of farm animals, characters in a story or simply objects to arrange and move around. The possibilities aren't built into the toy itself, they come from the child's imagination and the way they choose to play.
A jigsaw puzzle, for example, has a particular finished picture, whilst a set of wooden blocks can be anything a child can think of and build. Neither is necessarily better or worse, but open-ended toys leave much more room for the child to decide what happens.
Why open-ended play matters
When children play with toys that don't have those set instructions, they have to use and develop their problem solving skills through play, unlike having toys with a set direction. How can I connect these pieces to make something new? How can I build a tower that doesn't fall down? These problems they run into whilst playing create the opportunity to test out their own ideas, planning and adapting how they played before.
Our favourite open-ended toys for children under 5
If you're looking for a beautifully made toy for a child under five that sparks imagination, here are five of our favourites for children under 5.
Le Toy Van Rainbow Tunnel Toy
The wooden rainbow tunnel toy by Le Toy Van is the first great example, and one of our personal favourites. Five rainbow coloured arches which are easily stackable and made to balance and build with is an instant classic in any toy box.
It's a simple toy that can’t ever be forgotten because of its bright and bold colours but also because of its never ending ways of play, one day it’s seeing how tall you can stack the arches before it falls, next its a set of tunnels for toy cars to race through, or even helping little ones to learn the colours of the rainbow.
And as children grow, the ways they use it change with them. My boys love stacking, building and racing their cars through the arches. It’s a beautifully made, durable toy that stands up to endless play, and their imaginations never seem to run out of ideas!
It's a lovely example of a simple toy doing so much without batteries, instead It's powered by imagination. Suitable for children 12+ months.
Elou rocket cork toy
The Elou Rocket takes that fascination of taking off into space and turns it into a simple, tactile toy that leaves plenty of room for imagination and a million adventures to explore.
It's made from natural cork which is a great sustainable material, but whilst being environmentally conscious is a great feature, this material is also very lightweight and durable, so it's easy for little hands to hold. It's created with hours of play in mind.
The rocket might be heading to the moon, delivering supplies to a faraway planet, taking off from the sofa, flying through the kitchen, and landing somewhere entirely unexpected. Like many of our other open-ended toys, its simple yet effective exterior leaves room for the imagination of the child playing.
Suitable from 12 months+, the Elou Rocket is a thoughtful gift for little explorers, and a wonderful addition to a collection of open-ended toys.
Cubika fairytale wooden blocks playset
There's a reason wooden blocks have been a staple of children's playrooms for generations. They don't need to be complicated to be brilliant. With this block set from Cubika, it has more of a specific theme and colour palette, but what you build and how you play is still up to interpretation and imagination of little ones.
What we particularly love about fairytale-themed toys is the way they can encourage storytelling and shared play. A parent can join in with a familiar story, while a child can take the lead and decide what happens next. It might be a princess who saves the day, a castle that needs rebuilding, or a completely new adventure with a happy ending.
Elou cork shapes building blocks
Block playsets are truly a playtime classic, similar to the Cubika block set, this one from Elou is a set of 18 different shaped and coloured blocks that can be stacked or built into anything you can imagine, but made with their stand out natural cork.
If you're looking for something with less of a theme, these blocks can genuinely become anything you want, and can fit into any stories children think up. There's a mix of smooth rounded edges, circles, triangles and classic square blocks so the possibilities are infinite.
Just shapes, and whatever your child decides to do with them.
The cork makes these particularly enjoyable to handle. They're lightweight, tactile, and quieter than traditional wooden blocks, which is a welcome bonus as my sons love these toys, it's one of their playtime favourites, which means they're constantly being thrown around or stood on but despite this they stay in great condition because of their durability.
Tender Leaf Toys Mountain Pass Stack Block Set
There's something rather special about toys that allow children to create their own little worlds, and the Mountain Pass Stack Block Set from Tender Leaf Toys is a beautiful example of just that.
This set has natural wooden shapes and a mountain-inspired design, which sets you up with an endless amount of mountain range adventures to explore.
One of the best parts of these toys is that they don't come as a part of a set with anything else, you can mix and match it with other toys so children can create their own little world full of different characters. It could become a mountain range for little wooden animals to explore, a road for toy cars or a campsite for tiny explorers.
Open-ended toys by age
Open-ended toys for children aged 0 to 2 years
For babies this age, open-ended toys aren't as much about imaginative play at this stage but they do still offer benefits. Grabbing, holding and shaking toys is how babies explore objects, with open-ended toys such as the rainbow tunnel toy lets them naturally explore different shapes, sizes and colours all in one toy.
Open-ended toys for children aged 3 to 4 years
At this age, little ones are becoming more curious, independent and imaginative, and toys without a set purpose give them the freedom to explore, experiment and play in their own way. Whether they're stacking blocks, creating pretend-play adventures or exploring different shapes and textures, these toys help develop creativity, problem-solving skills, hand-eye coordination and early communication. Open-ended play also encourages little ones to build confidence, make their own choices and discover new things at their own pace, making every playtime an opportunity to learn and grow.
Open-ended toys for children aged 4 to 5 years
Their play can move beyond simply exploring what an object can do and towards creating their own stories, characters, worlds and games. Imaginative play becomes more complex at these ages, so children can use the open-ended toys to create their own games, think of their own rules, create more complex structures, like the fairytale set by Cubika mixes functional shaped blocks with a set theme for story telling, to develop their pretend play and thinking skills.
Open-ended vs closed-ended toys
Closed-ended toys tend to have a clear purpose such as, simple electronic toys with set functions that maybe play predetermined songs, sounds or responses when buttons are pressed. In these specific toys, that is their only function, so it doesn't allow your child to explore any further and once your child has explored every feature, there isn't anything else to learn from that toy. Whereas we explained with open-ended toys, children are able to grow up with these toys as they can think of new ways to play with them each day as their imagination grows.
FAQ
Why are open-ended toys good for child development?
Open-ended toys give children the freedom to decide how they want to play, and this freedom creates opportunities for them to practise a wide range of skills, such as imaginative play, creativity, fine motor skills for younger age groups, problem solving and critical thinking.
What are open-ended toys?
Open-ended toys are toys that can be played with in lots of different ways, without a set outcome or one “right” way to use them. They give children the freedom to explore, imagine and decide what the toy becomes through their play.
The Tollers View
Our job at Tollers is to search the toy market and find toys that fit our values and these open-ended toys, that are built to last and promote imaginative play, definitely fulfil those values.
Other than fitting with the values at Tollers, open-ended toys offer so many benefits to children growing up:
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Encouraging flexible thinking through problem solving with toys.
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Supports language and storytelling.
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Encourages creativity and imagination.
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Supports longer, deeper play because there's so many avenues to go down.
Finally, these toys grow with the child's development, babies use these toys for knocking down and exploring shapes. Toddlers can make simple towers, roads, and arrangements, and as they get older they can design complex structures, games, models, or imaginative worlds. All with the same toy!
The exact ages and abilities vary from child to child, but the underlying principle is that the toy doesn't have to become obsolete as soon as a child masters one particular skill.
