Experienced mamas what open ended toys are actually worth getting?

[anniz91]

I find myself slowly accumulate with the toys my son plays with for a minute and then he gets disinterested.

I'd like to buy him some open ended toys.


He is 1. What are open ended toys are actually worth buying?

[AlwaysFreezing]

Mine loved quercetti tubations. We started off with the saxoflute and I kept having to buy more sets to add to it.

Mine was 7 when he reverently put it away for his little brother to play with when he was old enough. He'd played with it every single day from the moment we bought the first set.

Dc2 did like it, but not as much as dc1!

There's an episode of Abstract, The Art of Design on Netflix about a toy designer (well, a play designer) all about open ended toys that you might enjoy.

[Zippedydoodahday]

At that age they're often happiest with random household objects, like a ladle and ball, different sized containers with lids, the inner tube of a kitchen roll etc

[Swearwolf]

Mine both really liked stacking cups! And we had a similar thing that was stacking boxes with little animals that went in, they liked that in a similar way when they got older.

[LucyInTheParkWithDragons]

In a year or so, get Magnatiles. DD4 has played with them literally every day since she got them 2 years ago.

[stargazer02]

Mine are now 7 and 10 and wooden blocks are still used. Jenga blocks were a good addition to the chunkier blocks we started with. They are play food, built into furniture for various sizes dolls, used to help design layouts of their Minecraft homes while they wait for screen time. 😁 Though they are leaning more towards Lego now for more complex builds but almost 9 years of play is good going I think.
Also little figurines. People, animals, dinosaurs. They like their bilibo. Its like a bowl shape and you can stand on it, sit in it and spin, or use creatively (baking bowl, a cave etc) every kid who comes over loves a spin in it.

We did not like magnatiles which seem to be a big favourite on here.

[NamelessNinja]

I came to say magna tiles too. Most used and returned to toy for my two by far at currently age 3-6, they've enjoyed them since babies and you can build up a collection of them.

[AbsolCatly]

2nding the bilabo, we have 2 and still in use by DD (9) and friends
Lego, we have family Lego that's just added to with each DC, some is 40yrs old and going strong
Toy kitchen, went with a lidls one and it had extenders for the legs, again still in use

What has been short lived items have been characters linked to The TV Show of the Moment, very easily grown out of, more generic toys have had a much longer life

the scleich/papo toys last well, mainly fairy's and unicorns here, but we also have dinosaurs and horses, they do get well played with

We also always have a box of noisy toys, Santa loves popping small random instruments in stockings and the exploring the world box for little sciency toys (binoculars, bouncy shapes, magnifying glass, prisims) the toddler safe ones still have play time now.

[Marmite27]

The most played with here are Magformers and brain flakes.

[Geraldneedsasecondclassstamp]

At that age I'd start with a basket of wooden blocks and a basket of mega blocks. They don't need much to begin with and you can expand over the years. Also silk scarves and fabrics and various tins/baskets/containers.

Company called Tickit is good for interesting shaped wooden building blocks.

Biggest hits for us so far are, a simple doll house with the grimms style peg people and basic wooden furniture, brio train tracks and trains, magnetic tiles, Duplo, schleich animals.

All of these toys can interact with each other in imaginative play.

[supercalifragilistic123]

Wooden blocks, duplo and connetix which are the same as magna tiles. The connetix was £££ but well worth the investment.

[mumonthehill]

Wooden blocks and a starter wooden train set. The train set we added onto over the years and was much loved!

[ElevenSeven]

IKEA toy kitchen. It’s been played with for years, you can just keep adding new little food bits etc periodically.

[NewYearNewCalendar]

Another magnet tile advocate here. We have connetix, most of the main brands are the same size so you can mix and match. Get a decent brand not a cheap one for magnet safety. We got them when mine were 2 and 4 they’re used daily 2 years later and are the main thing visiting children enjoy.

Nice blocks - we have Grimms which are pricey, but they’re great because they’re dyed rather than painted, so are much more grippy and stack properly.

Mega blocks, Duplo, a train set. Selection of animals (schleich are great - accurate and stand easily). Baby dolls. Little dolls + dollhouse.

At 1 - I’d look more at sensory play, household objects, etc really. Neither of mine played with toys much at that age.

I agree “character” toys have the least play value - except Paw Patrol which is firmly in the rotation here.

[NewYearNewCalendar]

Oh, a kitchen! Got when my first was 1 and it’s been a firm favourite.

[CuteOrangeElephant]

The best open toy we bought was a Triclimb with slide. It was ridiculously expensive even 4 years ago, but definitely has been worth it's money. My 6 year old still loves playing with it and it's the first thing that visiting kids gravitate towards.

If you want to do character toys (my daughter has Bing, Bluey and Sylvanian families), my DD has all the figurines roughly the same size. I don't bother with things like the Bluey house (poor quality/value), but the Bluey figurines are very happily integrated with the rest of the small world.

We have a Grimm's rainbow that has been more of a decoration, and a sack of randomly sized Grimm's blocks that are well loved.

[Greenpeasnwham]

Brio train track. The basic ones you push rather than electric (lots on eBay). Push ones get played with, battery ones are a bit less interactive.

wooden blocks

duplo

sheets/ fabric for dens and cloaks etc.
cardboard boxes!

stabilo Woody pencils (best kids pencils ever…I’m an artist and I love them too)!
small size desk like the white tilting one from ikea so you can leave art things out.
Ikea kitchen and your own old food packets.

Giant red spinning saucer for sitting in, on etc. ours is still popular at age 10!

hanging swing hammock close to floor. Another our 10 yr old still loves.

Soft baby doll and simple buggy, box with blankets/ sling.

some obviously not ok for very little kids.

[cheesychipsontheoche]

I've an 8 and 10 year old now more interesting in gaming, but there's still a box of wooden jenga blocks in our front room that regularly get played with - stacking challenges, a goal for indoor football, minecraft style houses etc. they're all the same size and shape and were just from a cheap jenga set.
I got lots of grimms etc when they were babies but they're just expensive ornaments really. What I've noted with a lot of that kind of open ended stuff is that it still needed a lot of set up "invitation to play" whereas sometimes the simplest toy is the most versatile.

[fightingthedogforadonut]

Wooden building blocks were firm favourites for ages with my DS.

[Tryingtokeepcalmandcarryon]

Most loved are Peppa Toy phone, Cheap toy buggy from Asda, Soft toys, puppets. Kitchen and some food / tea set. Magnatiles. Duplo. Tee pee. Wooden blocks / Jenna. Lots of puzzles and books! Musical instruments, anything that plays music. Stacking cups. Lots of fun to be had with the basics such as colouring and crayons, Play doh sets. As they’ve got older Lego but that phase seems to be passing. Yoto, childrens digital camera

Shortlived toys here were peppa pig, sylvanians, etc very expensive and my girls don’t do individual small-world play well, they prefer make believe and crafts. I think it depends on the type of playing your child enjoys, they might love all sorts of things and they won’t be into others but you won’t know this yet. Best bet is don’t spend too much on one particular toy/ buy second hand until you know what they like as there’s never a guarantee it’ll be used!

[selfishmeow]

Magnatiles my ds has been playing with it for over 2 years (he is in reception).

[selfishmeow]

Oh and on holiday I always take a sandwich bag full of random Lego's and he loves it which is useful in the hotel room and restaurants.

[Mariolu]

We've never had magnatiles but mine like their magformers and still get them out at 6 and 8, they've had them since they were little. At your sons age they also loved brio especially with the little battery powered trains that take themselves round the tracks.

[kuchisabishii]

For toddlers I’d say

Some blocks or bricks. These can be used to build but also interact with other toys, they can become food in a bowl, furniture for dolls, rocks for dinosaurs. You can use them in water, for counting and sorting…I think coloured ones offer more play opportunities but some people prefer plain wood.

Water play. Doesn’t have to be toys but jugs/cups/ladles that they can scoop and pour with. Something that floats and something that sinks. A sponge or similar that can soak up water and be squeezed.

Bags/baskets/boxes. Amazing how long they’ll spend filling up a bag and emptying it again. Carrying it somewhere else and starting again.

A doll. Preferably one with removable clothing. They often use dolls to help them make sense of the world and to reenact real life experiences.

Cars and trains. They learn so much from playing with these

Ball and track. For preschoolers a marble run but for younger toddlers who would try to eat the marbles you can buy hugely expensive bigger sets or just use a ball and some cardboard tubes or packaging. You can also use your blocks to make tracks or supports for the track.

Also something for mark making, paint, pens etc and offer messy play to experience different textures etc. And let him play with everyday items eg pots and pans, a hairbrush etc

You can add to it as they get older and develop interests or if you see something is missing from their play eg a threading toy or some pegs to help with fine motor skills.

As they get older if they’re really in to a character then by all means buy them some figures but have a generic dolls house for them to play with them in and some generic figures as well instead of buying whole themed sets. Peppa pig will only ever be played with as Peppa pig but a plain doll could be anyone or anything and encourages more imaginative play rather than just reenacting episodes of a tv show.

I have four children of my own and have worked in early years for many years and some children instantly play really imaginatively with open ended toys and others need a bit of prompting to realise for example that the blocks can be other things. Once shown though they do play well with them but some children do need suggestions for different uses, the blocks being used as food in the kitchen doesn’t automatically translate to them realising they could also be used as money in the shop or as a bed for a doll. It’s always been really interesting to me to see how only offering open ended toys in a setting plays out with the different children.

At home the toys that have really gone the distance include Lego, magnetic tiles, wooden train set, marble run and some cars. Most of them are a bit old for your child at the moment but worth considering as he gets older.

[kuchisabishii]

@CuteOrangeElephant

The best open toy we bought was a Triclimb with slide. It was ridiculously expensive even 4 years ago, but definitely has been worth it's money. My 6 year old still loves playing with it and it's the first thing that visiting kids gravitate towards.

If you want to do character toys (my daughter has Bing, Bluey and Sylvanian families), my DD has all the figurines roughly the same size. I don't bother with things like the Bluey house (poor quality/value), but the Bluey figurines are very happily integrated with the rest of the small world.

We have a Grimm's rainbow that has been more of a decoration, and a sack of randomly sized Grimm's blocks that are well loved.

I think the thing with the rainbow is that although it is very versatile and has multiple uses it looks like a rainbow. So just sits there looking like a rainbow. Whereas a box of bricks needs something doing with it to make it into something if that makes sense? Our rainbow has been well used over the years but now mostly sits there as decoration too.

[kuchisabishii]

Oh and for big toys the best by far has been the wooden rocker thing. Bed for teddies, bridge for cars, mountain for animals… they’ve sat with their legs under it and used it as a table for snacks. Even the teenagers still use it as a rocker too.