One way to encourage your kiddos to open-ended play from our previous series is to invest in open-ended toys. These toys will encourage communication, creativity and imagination, problem-solving skills for all ages.
Building blocks is one of the essential toys for open-ended play. With its versatility to play, kids can build different structures, create patterns and shapes, practice letters and numbers, create and imagine. Place these blocks on the floor and observe what your kids can come up with ;).
Kitchen sets or mechanic sets are just two common things you’ll see in every kid’s playroom. As young as they are, engaging them in cooking, imagining serving their siblings as customers, fixing their car toys, or playing with carpentry tools will help them learn different roles and behaviors. You can also play with them and ask open-ended questions! You’ll be surprised at how they give you answers and express their thoughts and ideas.
This toy plays a large role in imaginative play. When we think of stuffed animals, we can consider so many scenarios. Your kids can have a picnic with their teddy bears, or they can even be the patient in a doctor-scene play or any other scenarios that can come up with your kids’ imaginative minds. Other than that, kids can practice talking, teaching, and taking care of them; these stuffed animals can also bring comfort and companionship to your kiddos.
As parents, we love dressing up with our kids whenever there are different occasions. Dressing them up like a fairy, superhero, their favorite cartoon character, or “what they want to be when they grow up” costume will give them the confidence to imagine like they are true in real life. Dress-up play will take your kids to their wildest imaginations and will go beyond where and who they want to be.
With kids’ imaginations, you can recycle the cardboard boxes from your packages and turn them into open-ended toys. Kids can decide what they want to make with boxes or pillows into something they can use for pretend play. Give them the boxes and follow their lead in exploring imaginary things and places to make it into a house, plane, car, robot costume, or puppet theater.
Open-ended play allows our kids to express themselves to play creatively and freely. Brainrich Kids Play Gym provides physical activities while promoting creative play. They can actively climb, swing, balance, and play with the play gym simultaneously, transforming it into something they want. Like what they can do in a cardboard box, they can level it up by creating a fort; transform this play gym into a pirate ship, castle, or reading nook! Adding pillows and other accessories can make it more creative and entertaining too.
