Open-Ended Play

Open-ended play has no set rules or expectations. There is no right or wrong way to engage in open-ended play. It’s more about having children use the materials that are there to be creative, experiment, and invent. When you have the kids pick the materials or themes, themselves, often they will be more invested in playing.

Open-ended toys are toys they can play with in different ways, which means they’ll play with them longer, and they can be more creative in their playtimes. There are so many great toys that are versatile and kids find so many different ways to play with them.

Open-ended play is perfect for practicing flexible thinking and for seeing someone else’s point of view. The same materials/prompts can lead to very different creations.

Here are some ways you can spark some open-ended play:

Tinker Tray

Set out several different materials and allow children to free play with it. You can give them a specific prompt (“Can you make a face with these materials or create a design using what you have in front of you?”), or you can leave it even more open-ended. See how your child responds to both options. I like using trays with several compartments and a cover because they can be easily stored and pulled back out again to use. And you can also easily change the materials out. If you run out of something, add another item that you have to that empty space.

Invitation to Create

This is similar to the Tinker Tray, but more of a focused approach around a theme. Some examples are an invitation to create robots or or an invitation to create faces or an invitation to create art with leaves. You can set out related materials and see what they make. For instance, if you wanted to make an invitation to create robots, you can put out paper shapes of different colors and sizes, cardboard, pipe cleaners, larger pieces of paper, googly eyes, metal brads, and glue and see what they create.

Invitation to Play

This is similar to the invitation to create, but instead of creating something, kids are playing with the materials. You set out materials that fit a theme, and then you invite the kids to play and see what happens.

Here are some examples of invitations to play:
• Fairies - small fairy figures, twigs, shells, smooth stones, and seeds
• Knights - knight figures, dragons, dragon eggs (marbles) and horses
• Dinosaurs - toy dinosaurs, rocks, pretend trees, plastic easter eggs
• Outer Space - black play dough, tiny stars, sparkly pipe cleaners
• Superheroes - superhero figures, other figures, and blocks

You can have a space on a rug, a table, or in a tray for them to play. When you use a tray, you can also incorporate some sensory play by adding in different types of sand, water, play dough, water beads, or shaving cream - whatever you feel comfortable with the children using.