My selective list of best open-ended toys encourages communication, exploration, creativity, visual discrimination, and problem solving skills for a wide age range.
This gift guide has been curated by what entertains my children (ages 3 and 6) and their friends, my 3 nephews (boys ages 10-16), and even myself.
I call these “forever toys” – toys that will grow with your toddlers, preschools, and elementary school-aged children!
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Minimalist’s guide to shopping for open-ended toys
Less is more: the benefit of few toys
For the past 3 years, I have tried to institute a “no gift” rule in our home with little success.
Clutter is the ultimate distraction, scarcity encourages creativity, and oceans are filled with plastic.
Over the years, I have decluttered and donated most of our toys…and we still have a lot! But I strongly believe that few toys are far better than multiple mediocre toys.
As I write this post, my kids are playing in an impressive chair and blanket fort that they’ve created next to their cardboard box house!
And nothing beats going outside to the park and beach!
When loved ones insist on gifts
However, the reality is that friends and family still insist that they need to gift something.
I can’t seem to change their minds, so as a result, they try to ask for recommendations.
It’s a win-win: they feel happy to give while we are more likely to receive useful, quality, open-ended toys.
We now get fewer easily-broken plastic toys that would end up in the trash anyway!
Gift guides: educational resources for children
This post is the last of a 4-part gift guide series:
- 5 Reasons Books are the Best Gift for Multilingual Kids
- Favorite Educational Montessori Inspired Toys from Etsy
- Ultimate Gift Guide for Kids Learning Chinese!
- 10 Best Open-Ended Toys That Promote Creativity and Learning
What makes the ideal toy for kids?
My personal checklist for deciding whether to purchase toys reflects the American Academy of Pediatric (AAP) guidelines and includes the following:
[ ] Open-ended
Kids can play independently without instructions or guidance by parents.
The same toy can be used in multiple ways, and the way they use it will change as they grow.
These toys are gender-neutral, timeless, and free of commercial branding.
In addition, an open-ended toy should encourage critical thinking and questions such as:
- I wonder how this looks if I put it here?
- Does this fit together or not?
- Will it roll or stay in place?
[ ] NO Batteries
The big down-side of battery-operated, cause-and-effect toys is that they often interrupt focus and limit imagination.
On the other hand, toys without electricity allow your kid to make up their own sounds!
Open-ended toys also encourage kids to feel and move different parts on their own accord.
As stated by the AAP:
Electronic and digital add-ons increasingly found even in physical toys may actually hinder caregiver-child interactions.The harmful effects of screen time also are an important consideration, especially for young children.
BONUS: no digital toys means no annoying sounds to bother mom and dad!
[ ] Environmentally-friendly
My 6-year-old daughter has seen photos and videos of the consequences of plastic which motivate our preference for natural materials like wood.
That being said, there are a few circumstances where we do use plastic, but I will include alternative materials when available.
10 Best Open-Ended Toys That Kids Will Love For Years!
Send this list of best open-ended toys to relatives and friends who insist on getting something for your kids!
You can also find many open-ended toys conveniently listed in our Amazon Associates Storefront.
- Easel
- Play silks
- Plain wood blocks
- Jumbo droppers
- Grimms rainbow stacker
- Legos /Mokulock wooden building blocks
- Earth tiles / Magnetic tiles
- 100 Board
- Realistic toy animals
- Wood peg dolls
1. Easel
The easel is the centerpiece of our kids play-and-learn area.
My daughter loves to write on the easel; my son likes to doodle all over!
I use it to teach my kids Chinese; and our nanny uses it to teach Korean.
We have had our Melissa and Doug Easel for over 5 years, and the height is adjustable!
My son has been able to reach it since he was standing as a baby, and my 6-year-old daughter currently uses the middle height.
I’ll link the other whiteboards that have caught my eye, and you can compare reviews to see which works best for your family!
Purchase links:
- Easels
- Dry Erase Markers
- Expo (also available here)
- AmazonBasics – this set includes yellow!
2. Play silks / Play scarves
My kids have played with play silks almost every day since they were babies!
These were first used to play peek-a-book. Now they use it to create forts or little blankets for their stuffed animals.
We also use play silks as an eco-friendly way to wrap presents.
Purchase links:
3. Open-ended toys: plain wood blocks
The staple of all open-ended toys is the humble, plain wood block!
Natural colors allow for kids to focus on size and weight discrimination while building!
I think this is an important long-term skill as you don’t typically see homes built with multiple colors.
Purchase links:
That being said, we have also been gifted the Guidecraft Rainbow Window Blocks – 40 piece set (20-piece set here) which my children love.
They like to pretend their buildings have windows, and these blocks are also great for teaching color mixing!
My daughter also noticed that some of the triangle blocks could be combined together to make bigger triangles, squares, or rectangles depending on the orientation and shape!
4. Open-ended toys: droppers and pipettes
Droppers and pipettes are very inexpensive and both of my kids kids have gotten so much use from them!
Toddlers can practice simple transferring of water and will love squirting water out!
Older kids can enjoy doing science experiments with droppers and pipettes!
Purchase links:
- Learning Resources jumbo eyedroppers – set of 6 with stand
- SENHAI Silicone and Plastic Pipettes Transfer Eyedropper with Bulb Tip
5. Open-ended toy: Grimms rainbow
Our kids love the Grimms rainbow, and when they aren’t playing with it, it looks pretty stored away on the shelf!
I previously purchased a cheaper wood rainbow from Etsy, but the wood was rough, and the pieces did not stack well.
On the other hand, Grimms toys are almost always excellent quality. The surface has a slight texture so that the pieces can balance, but there are no rough edges.
We have been gifted various Grimms products by relatives. If I had to choose one, the rainbow stacker is the best.
The natural version allows my children to focus on size discrimination, while the colorful Grimms rainbow brightens up our otherwise neutral room. There is also a pastel Grimms rainbow.
Although the more Grimms blocks that you get, the more you can build, and I think the semi-circles make the rainbow more versatile.
However, beware of the Grimms addiction!!!
Purchase links:
- Grimms extra large 12-piece rainbow stacker – traditional colors – here and here
- Grimms extra large 12-piece rainbow stacker – pastel colors – here and here
- Grimms large 12-piece rainbow stacker – natural
- Grimms semi-circles – traditional colors
- Grimms semi-circles – natural
6. Open-ended toys: LEGOs / Mokulock wooden building blocks
When I asked my sister-in-law which toy her 3 sons (ages 10-16 years) have enjoyed most over the years, she immediately replied “LEGOs”.
Honestly, my husband is still into LEGOs and he loves to get our nephews new LEGO sets every Christmas.
However, I am bothered about all of the plastic and believe LEGOs are worth looking for from secondhand shops.
To promote creativity, I recommend getting open-ended creative brick boxes rather than specific building kits.
For those looking for an eco-friendly alternative, Mokulock offers an eco-friendly, gender-neutral, wood Lego blocks.
They are pretty expensive now, but I hope the price goes down if they become more popular over time. Note that Mokulock blocks are incompatible with regular LEGOS.
Purchase links:
7. Open-ended toys: Earth tiles / Magnatiles
Many friends consistently rank the colorful magnetic tiles at the top of their recommended toy list. Earth tiles are wood versions of the popular Magna-tiles.
I love the idea of teaching kids magnetism with natural materials and calm, neutral colors.
We currently have the original Magna-tiles, but I’ve included a few other options below if you want to find something within your budget.
Purchase links:
Similar popular toys:
8. Open-ended learning toy: 100 Board
The hundred board from Treasures from Jennifer is one of the best hands-on educational resources.
It comes with colorful wool balls for color matching and pattern formation.
Toddlers who are past the mouthing (choking-hazard) stage can improve fine-motor skills and pincer grasp by putting the balls into different holes.
Older kids can work on skip counting and other math exercises. My daughter also enjoys rolling playdough balls into the different slots.
You can purchase number coins separately, which my daughter uses with our printable Hundred Chart.
Read this post about the wood hundred board for learning ideas and where to buy!
9. Realistic toy animals
I once debated between plastic toy animals versus wood toy animals, but the detail in the plastic toys is impressive.
This is my one exception to plastic toys because each animal looks so realistic. Even their footprints are different in play dough!
My children have used these toy animals in so many ways on their own. The realistic toy animals are so versatile, and my kids don’t need any prompting from me.
We have been collecting the Schleich brand, but many other parents also like the Safari LTD Toob animals.
I think these realistic toy animals are worth looking for secondhand, but here are purchase links for reference:
10. Wood peg dolls
I have to admit, when we first got wood peg dolls, I immediately regretted keeping them. They sat on the shelf untouched, until one day my daughter gave them all names and the rest is history!
Now my son loves them just as much as big sister! My son’s used them for color matching, and they both use the dolls for imaginative play, such as with our cardboard playground!
Because diversity is important in our children’s toys, we have both light and dark wood peg dolls.
Purchase links:
- Grapat – Dark Warm Nins and Dark Cool Nins
- Grimms Rainbow Friends set of 12 or set of 7
- Plain natural wood doll set for DIY
What are your favorite open-ended toys for children?
What do you think are the best toys for kids?
Are you a minimalist family who prefers experiences over presents?
I would love to hear your thoughts!
More holiday shopping guide for kids
If you’re shopping for holiday gifts, check out our educational gift guides!
- The Best Puzzles for Kids and Adults!
- Favorite World Globes for Kids of All Ages (Bilingual)
- 5 Reasons Books are the Best Gift for Multilingual Kids
- Favorite Educational Montessori Inspired Toys from Etsy
- Ultimate Gift Guide for Kids Learning Chinese!
Elizabeth says
These are great ideas! Thank you! I especially love the rainbow.
Also, perhaps a strange question, but can you tell me what that flooring is? I’ve been on a quest to find it and I’d really appreciate your help if you know.
Betty says
Hi Elizabeth! Sorry for the late reply. The floors are engineered wood, but I can’t remember the details. The slightly distressed look hides minor dents and scratches well, but the dark color is unforgiving for dust!
Jess says
Great ideas, we do have almost all of these and love them. We also love our mobilo here. My two boys (6yo and 3yo) play with it constantly and rarely pick up anything else. My daughter (1yo) carts the pieces everywhere and loves when her brothers build her something to play with too. It’s so incredibly open ended and is something we will keep collecting as our kids grow as I’m sure the possibilities will grow with them. Even I enjoy building with mobilo!
Callum Palmer says
All of these toys seem really great for kids. Once my wife and I have our first, we’ll be looking to get some. Don’t know which ones yet, but probably at least one from this list.
Olivia says
Hi, I have red a few of your posts which are all so inspiring! Are you able to write more about the early stages of your parenting and language learning, activities and toys you would recommend for under 3? My baby is now 14 months and I’d love to know where to start! Thank you