In this post, we\u2019ll cover 13 favorite open-ended toys that every kid should have. Plus we\u2019ll share the links to our favorite items.<\/em><\/p>\n Let\u2019s talk about toys.<\/p>\n I dread gift-giving occasions with our extended family. Of course, it\u2019s amazing to see kids light up with joy when they get the latest action figure. But so many toys are made with cheap plastic and come in terrible packaging that is definitely contributing to our environmental crisis (I\u2019m looking at you, LOL Dolls\u2026). And then when they get obnoxious, battery-sucking toys that light up or make sound, I just know I\u2019m going to be living on Tylenol for the next several weeks. At which point my kids will be sick of those toys and never touch them again.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve decided that it\u2019s enough. We\u2019re sticking with the inexpensive, open-ended toys that my kids keep coming back to after those crappy toys have lost their luster.<\/p>\n Open-ended toys are ones that don\u2019t have a specific predetermined use. They can be used in an infinite number of ways, which is why they\u2019re so great for kids. They encourage creativity and problem-solving skills. The best open-ended toys are sturdy and can be used in a variety of ways. They hold up to hours and hours of play and grow with your kids from toddler to tween.<\/p>\n Signs of a great open-ended toy:<\/p>\n You don\u2019t have to spend a fortune to entertain your kids. Almost anything around the house can turn into an open-ended toy. Have you ever bought a new expensive toy for your tot, but they prefer to play with the box it came in? Or instead of opening their toy chest in the morning, they open your Tupperware cabinet and play with random storage containers?<\/p>\n Open-ended toys are simple, inexpensive, and perfect for toddlers and kids of all ages. Here are our favorites:<\/p>\n Every parenting expert will tell you that you need to have a set of blocks. And for good reason. Blocks are a classic open-ended toy. And there are so many varieties out there now, including magnetic blocks and foam blocks.<\/p>\n Playing with blocks helps with math skills, engineering skills, and creativity. My kids have designed houses, cars, and even entire cities with their blocks. And best of all, they can play with them for hours on end.<\/p>\n We have a custom set of wooden blocks that were hand-made by my father-in-law. But you don\u2019t have to splurge on expensive wooden blocks. Melissa & Doug sell a really nice set of painted wooden blocks that will last a lifetime. You can get them here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Colored scarfs are an often underrated open-ended toy. They\u2019re perfect for sensory play and can be used in so many ways. You can make a scarf parachute, fashion them into a dress, or use them as bandanas. My kids love to tie them around their necks like capes and pretend to be superheroes.<\/p>\n They also make great building materials. My kids like to make forts and castles with them (a practice that comes in handy when they want a pillow fort for movie night). They can also be used as puppets or streamers, too!<\/p>\n You can find inexpensive play scarves on Amazon or at Target. They are often a mesh material and are small squares (about 2 feet by 2 feet). For us, they did not hold up well. We really like these high-quality silk scarves<\/a>.<\/p>\n Kinetic sand<\/a> is a newer open-ended toy that has quickly become a favorite in our house. It\u2019s made of fine grains of sand that stick together. And it never dries out, so you can keep it forever (or until your kids mix all the colors to make an unappealing brown).<\/p>\n If you add a few kitchen tools, like sauce bowls, spoons, and cookie cutters, you open up a lot of sensory play opportunities. Kids can mold the sand into shapes, squish it through their fingers, and even build with it!<\/p>\n Kinetic sand is one of those toys where kids lose track of time. They can play with it for hours!<\/p>\n You might find kinetic sand \u201ckits\u201d that include a little bit of sand and several plastic molds and toys. We avoid these kids and get the 2lb bags of colored sand. You can get it in a variety of colors here<\/a>. (Hint: you can make more<\/em> fun colors by mixing the sand)<\/p>\n We don\u2019t like Playdoh quite as much as kinetic sand because it can easily dry out, but it\u2019s still a great open-ended toy. Playdoh is non-toxic, so even the tiniest baby can play with it.<\/p>\n And there are a lot of fun things you can make out of play-doh! My kids love to use their cookie cutters on it and then create shapes or letters. They often use it to make pretend food and serve up a fun playdoh picnic lunch! You can also mold animals and people with it.<\/p>\n Just like with the kinetic sand, you might be tempted to purchase Playdoh kits that contain tools and cookie cutters. Don\u2019t do it! You\u2019ll have to refresh your Playdoh more often than kinetic sand, and I found this great bulk variety pack on Amazon<\/a> that doesn\u2019t contain any of those extra pieces.<\/p>\n If you have a kitchen sink, you have the ULTIMATE open-ended toy. Kids love to move the water around, experiment with different cups and spoons, or build towers (and then inevitably open up the drain).<\/p>\n Kitchen sinks are especially great for kids who like tactile sensory play. They can feel the water running through their fingers and experiment with different temperatures.<\/p>\n Some of our favorite kitchen sink activities are:<\/p>\n Coloring is simple, but it can hold kids\u2019 attention for hours. Some kids like the structure of an outlined picture to color, but you can also encourage more creativity by providing plain white and colored paper, along with a variety of markers, crayons, and pencils.<\/p>\n Keeping an art station with an easel and supplies is a great strategy for open-ended play. Kids can paint, color, and draw whenever they want (and you don\u2019t have to worry about them making too big of a mess).<\/p>\n We bought a table-top easel that my kids can easily set up and take down on their kiddie table. It folds up and has space to store paper. And it\u2019s two-sided, so both kids can use it at the same time. It\u2019s one of the best toy investments we\u2019ve made. You can get it here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Small, sturdy play vehicles bring a sense of action and adventure to open-ended play. Whether it\u2019s a police car, ambulance, fire truck, or train, kids love to pretend to drive them around and save the day. I love that vehicles inspire my kids to make up their own sound effects as well.<\/p>\n I personally prefer ones that have working wheels but are still simple enough that adding them to water play won\u2019t destroy them. Usually, they are metal diecasts, like these<\/a>. The one exception to this is wooden vehicles<\/a>, which are great, but should stay out of the water!<\/p>\n We have a stash of colored masking tape at our house at all times. It\u2019s inexpensive and extremely versatile. And the best part is that it won\u2019t destroy your walls if your kids decide to tape it all over (like mine do).<\/p>\n Masking tape can be used for a million different things. Some ideas are:<\/p>\n I keep a package of this set<\/a> at home at all times. They come stuck together, which is nice so my kids don\u2019t lose the individual rolls (but you can pull them apart if you want). And the best part is that the tape is super easy to tear \u2013 even my 4 year old can do it!<\/p>\n A baby doll is a great toy for both boys and girls. It\u2019s open-ended because kids are free to make up their own stories and scenarios with it. I recommend getting a baby doll that can go in the bathtub since open-ended play often involves water!<\/p>\n Kids love taking care of their babies by feeding them or changing diapers (although they may need some help for this). Some other ideas include:<\/p>\n Baby dolls also offer kids an opportunity to role-play real-life scenarios! It can be a helpful tool for practicing new routines and tough or scary situations.<\/p>\n We\u2019ve had dolls of all sizes, and I think the best size for toddlers and little kids is a 12\u2033 to 13\u2033 doll. You can find them at any dollar store, Target, or Amazon.com<\/a>. Be sure to get one that you can put in water!<\/p>\n No kid\u2019s toy list is complete without a few outdoor play options. Getting kids outside has a huge number of benefits, and when you add in open-ended toys, it\u2019s a win-win.<\/p>\n Sidewalk chalk can be used for so many things! Kids love to create designs on the pavement or draw out their own story scenes. You could even incorporate open-ended toys into your sidewalk chalk play \u2013 building with blocks and then drawing a city scene around them and using small vehicles to roam around the new city.<\/p>\n Sidewalk chalk can be used on more than just the sidewalk and driveway. You can also draw on wooden surfaces like a deck or a retaining wall and it will wash right off with the rain.<\/p>\n We strongly prefer the Crayola brand sidewalk chalk. It writes smoother and comes in more vibrant colors. You can get a pack on Amazon<\/a> here<\/a>, but they also stock it at Target (and in the spring they sell a HUGE box at a really good price).<\/p>\n Another outdoor classic \u2013 the Wiffle ball. My kids love nothing more than spending an afternoon batting around a Wiffle ball. It\u2019s great for all ages and abilities, and you don\u2019t have to worry about anyone getting hurt (usually).<\/p>\n At first, you might not think this is an open-ended toy, but you can actually do a lot of things with Wiffle balls and bats. You can:<\/p>\n We bought our set when our kids were very little, so we have this one that includes a tee and a thicker bat. The tee is made of cheap plastic and we don\u2019t use it often anymore, but the bat and balls have held up to TONS of use. You can get it here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t forget about outdoor water play! A sprinkler can become a favorite open-ended toy in no time. Kids can run through it, hide behind it, or create patterns with the water spray. They can use it to pretend it\u2019s raining or to water their pretend (or real) garden.<\/p>\n Sprinklers are a great way to encourage active play and open-ended play at the same time. It gets kids up and moving around while letting them experiment with different ways of using water in their pretend adventures.<\/p>\n We\u2019ve purchased an unreasonable number of outdoor toys that hook up to the hose (I don\u2019t know that I\u2019d call them all \u201csprinklers\u201d, but I digress). Without a doubt, our favorite is this one that spins<\/a>. It\u2019s much more sturdy than any of the blow-up versions. If you really want one of the themed ones (like unicorns) or one that blows up, ALDI sells several during springtime or early summer. The ALDI ones have held up much better for us than the ones we purchased on Amazon.<\/p>\n I get it. You\u2019ve spent hundreds\u2026 maybe thousands on fancy toys with all the bells and whistles. You might be reluctant to sacrifice those toys in favor of simpler, open-ended toys. But it\u2019s worth it. When you combine a minimalist toy approach that features open-ended toy options, you\u2019ll reap these amazing benefits:<\/p>\nWhat are open-ended toys?<\/h2>\n
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11 BEST inexpensive open-ended toys for kids<\/h2>\n
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Blocks<\/h3>\n
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Colored Scarves<\/h3>\n
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Kinetic Sand<\/h3>\n
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Playdoh<\/h3>\n
\nThe Kitchen Sink<\/h3>\n
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Easel & Coloring Supplies<\/h3>\n
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Play Vehicles<\/h3>\n
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Colored Masking Tape<\/h3>\n
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A Baby Doll<\/h3>\n
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Sidewalk Chalk<\/h3>\n
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Wiffle Ball & Bat<\/h3>\n
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Sprinkler\u00a0<\/h3>\n
\nBenefits of Open-Ended Toys<\/h2>\n