Shopping for children? Consider open-ended toys this holiday season.
Do you have a young child on your holiday shopping list? The options on store shelves are seemingly endless, full of brightly-colored plastic with movie or character themes. Stories that are familiar to children that they will act out again and again. It’s tempting to purchase the character items that they know and ask for; however, research tells us that open-ended play experiences offer important brain development opportunities.
When children are given a toy that goes along with a movie or TV show, they know the “story” of how it should be played with, what should happen and the order of events. It can be hard for young children to be flexible enough to alter that story, to bring in characters that don’t “belong,” or to change the ending. There is room for this in play; many adults have fond memories of playing out similar stories of superheroes or fairy tale characters. However, when children only have access to toys with a familiar script, their opportunities to engage creative, spontaneous play can be limited. Play, and in particular creative play, has been identified as a key component of building children’s resilience, ability to focus and the ability to act intentionally, even when the outcome is unknown. These skills translate into competence and capability in adults.
The Association for Childhood Education International includes in its 2003 position statement on creative thought that “we need to do more than prepare children to become cogs in the machinery of commerce.” As parents and educators, there is a frequent desire to have children simply do as their told, without questioning commands. However, as adults, we value different skills in our colleagues. We want co-workers who are able to think on their feet, make complex decisions taking into account differing perspectives, and to be able to think and act on their own.
It is through children’s early childhood experiences, when the brain is rapidly developing, that we have the best opportunity to support the development of these critical life skills. From birth through age 5, children’s brains are literally forming the complex web of synapses that last throughout their lives, and greatly impact their social, emotional, physical and cognitive performance as adults.
Open-ended play materials allow children to make choices, express their creativity and support their independence. Open-ended materials by definition do not have a pre-determined use. A block can be a car, phone, doll’s chair, ice-cream bar or any number of other things in play. It is through these experiences that children are able to learn best.
What sort of toys are open-ended? Anything that does not have a way it is supposed to be used! Examples include blocks of all shapes and sizes, including blocks that connect like Legos; magnetic blocks; geometric building materials; art supplies including paper, paint, markers and scissors; play silks or large pieces of fabric and blankets; sand and water play baskets; and nature items such as sea shells and pine cones.
When choosing toys for your child, ask yourself if the toy allows them to make choices about their play or tells them how to play. Be intentional about providing children with toys that let them make choices about play, and support them in strengthening their cognitive, language and social skills in the process. Who knows, as you watch your child figure out how to build the tallest block tower ever, you could be watching a future engineer begin to work out solutions to building skyscrapers, or an architect working on their first building design. The options are endless!
For more information about early childhood education and other topics, visit Michigan State University Extension website.
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FAQs
Open-ended play is an unstructured, imaginative form of play that allows children to independently explore the world around them. Engaging in this type of play encourages creativity, problem-solving, language development, and social-emotional intelligence.
What are the benefits of open play? ›
Benefits of Open-ended Play
Open-ended play allows a child to make their own decisions in how they play, and gives them the freedom to find new ways to play. Giving children the freedom to play how they want can also allow them to create elaborate scenarios for make-believe and rules for new games.
What are the benefits of open-ended sensory play? ›
In childhood development, sensory play promotes inclusive, open-ended play that cultivates vital skills, promotes self-regulation, sparks exploration, enhances problem-solving abilities, and nurtures creativity.
What is the power of open-ended play about? ›
The Power of Open-Ended Play:
Open-ended play is a fundamental aspect of a child's growth and development. Unlike structured activities, open-ended play allows children to take the lead, encouraging them to experiment, make choices, and discover new possibilities.
What are the benefits of children using open-ended materials? ›
Children love open-ended materials because of the possibilities they afford them. Using open-ended materials encourages imagination, creativity and problem-solving skills so play can be richer and more complex.
What does open-ended play mean? ›
Open-ended play can be described as play that has no pre-determined limitations and no fixed answer – children simply follow their imagination to allow the play to go in any direction their creativity takes them. As there are no set outcomes, there is no 'right' or 'wrong' with open-ended play.”
What are 5 benefits of play? ›
Play improves the cognitive, physical, social, and emotional well-being of children and young people. Through play, children learn about the world and themselves. They also learn skills they need for study, work and relationships such as: confidence.
How does open-ended play support holistic development? ›
Open-ended play helps children develop important life skills
It allows them to practice essential skills like problem-solving, communication, and cooperation. For example, a child might use a block as a toy car or pretend that a stick is a magic wand.
How do open-ended materials enhance play? ›
Physical: Both fine and large motor skills are supported as children manipulate open-ended materials in a variety of ways. Social and Emotional: Children can share ideas and collaborate as they explore. As children try out their own ideas they will develop feelings of self-efficacy and competence.
Why is open-ended art important for early childhood development? ›
Close-ended projects such as color- ing in a coloring book or gluing precut pieces to make a craft may support fine motor skills, but open-ended art builds these skills while challenging children's creativity and critical thinking.
Some examples of open-ended play are, the mud kitchen, den building, loose parts large and small, sand and water, a deconstructed role play area (an area that is not set up but provides all the props for children to decide what and how to play) an open mark making, a music zone/stage the opportunities are endless.
When to start open-ended play? ›
Open-ended play is essential for all ages, particularly children five and under. This is a time when children are experiencing the most significant amount of brain development in their lives—in fact, studies show that 90 percent of brain development occurs before the age of five.
Why are open-ended problems important? ›
Open-Ended problems challenge students by forcing them to identify what they know in relation to a problem, allowing the group to then focus on the aspects of the problem they do not understand. The group then decides which issues to consider in order of importance this is then delegated.
Why are open-ended tools important in teaching and learning? ›
Open-ended learning activities are provocative and stimulate divergent thinking about a topic. Teachers' attitudes, assessment criteria and procedures must also encourage students to take different paths and offer creative responses. Unique contributions are welcomed.
What is open-ended activity for children? ›
Open ended play activities usually involve exploration and physical activity. In these activities, children are allowed to use their imagination and do things that they are curious about. Open ended activities are child-guided and there are no set rules or limitations applied for the activity.
What does open play mean? ›
Open play means that all players, of any skill level, are invited to play on the courts for a set time frame (8-12 in this case). Most pickleball venues have open play as it allows players to come and go never having to actually set up games—or know anyone for that matter.
What are the 10 benefits of play? ›
Based on that research here are ten reasons why you should make play a part of your everyday life.
- Play Strengthens You.
- Play Makes You Smarter.
- Play Helps You Solve Problems.
- Play Boosts Creativity.
- Play Reduces Stress.
- Play Helps You Make Friends.
- Play Enhances Attractiveness.
- Play Builds Resilience.
Physical Play
Physical play, motor play or active play — whatever you call it, this type of play is fun and beneficial to kids' physical health and development. Most activities on a playground are active. Within this broad category, there is a variety of activities that engage kids' bodies in different ways.
