Starting an Open-Ended Toy Collection: Our Top 5 Items

Jess Chu (@learnandbloom) for Oskar's Wooden Ark | October 24, 2022

Over the years, we have grown our collection of open-ended toys from Oskar's Wooden Ark. We truly believe in the value of open-ended play, the potential it offers and the ways it encourages imagination, creativity, critical thinking and exploration. An open-ended toy does not have one specific purpose, but rather promotes various ways of playing across multiple ages. In this blog post, I share the top 5 most used and loved open-ended toys in our home, as well as the ways we incorporate them into playtime!

1. Building Blocks

Building Blocks are the cornerstone of our open-ended collection, a ‘must-have’ for our home. While they are an investment, they are used almost every day by my boys (ranging from 1 year old through to 6 years old). ⁣Our Grimm's Building Sets are not just used for building; they’re often the loose parts used to improvise for things we don’t have. A simple block can be whatever their imagination allows - a telephone, a telescope, stepping stones or even 'ingredients' for a potion or stew.

2. Grimm's Rainbow

My boys like to use the Grimm's Rainbows to make stacks as well as simple ball runs. They often use it to make circles, turning them into enclosures for animals, faces with different emotions or a little obstacle course. The rainbows are also incorporated into constructive play when they’re building and make the perfect arches for bridges and tunnels.

3. Loose Parts

Loose parts are open-ended materials that can be moved around and tinkered with. My boys use loose parts all around our home - paddle-pop sticks, lids, blocks, balls, Grapat Mandala Pieces - anything that can be taken apart and put back in various ways! They use loose parts to add to their small world play, for pretend play, for transient art, for counting, and for demonstrating their understanding of different concepts (eg. forming letters, numbers or shapes).

4. Peg Dolls

Rather than character figurines which can only be one specific character, peg dolls can be any person the child chooses. They could be a doctor, shopkeeper, librarian or teacher, just to name a few. Peg dolls encourage role play, helping children to get into the character of another person. My boys always use them with their block play and for narrating stories.

5. Gluckskafer Building Slats

The Gluckskafer Building Slats pair beautifully with the blocks from the Grimm's Large Stepped Pyramid - both are mathematically proportionate to each other so they’re great for exploring number concepts. My boys like to use them to make roads, enclosures and bridges, as well as for loose parts and symmetrical constructions - another staple in our playroom!