5 Open-Ended Toys to Start Your Collection

Two children playing with colourful building blocks on a play mat in a room with shelves of open-ended toys

5 Open-Ended Toys to Start Your Collection

An open-ended toy is one of those rare things in a child's toy box that earns its place for years, not weeks. Unlike toys with a single fixed purpose, open-ended toys have no "right" way to play - the same piece can be reinvented again and again, shaped entirely by whatever a child is imagining that day.

What makes them so valuable is how completely they grow with your child. The same set of blocks a toddler stacks and knocks down becomes, a few years later, the loose parts for an elaborate cubby, a maths tool, or the props for an entire imaginary world. It's play that never runs out of new ways to happen.

Whether you're building your very first collection, choosing a meaningful gift, or simply wondering where to start, these are the five open-ended toys we come back to again and again - chosen for how often they're used, how many ages they suit, and how far a child's imagination can take them.

Written by the team at Oskar's Wooden Ark - parents, educators and open-ended play specialists who work closely with our customers every day. With special thanks to Jess (@learnandbloom) for contributing her personal recommendations and images of her family at play.

1. Wooden Building Blocks: The Cornerstone of Any Collection

Building Blocks are the true foundation of an open-ended toy collection - a genuine "must-have" that earns its keep from toddlerhood right through to the school years. They're an investment, but one that gets used almost daily across a wide age range, from babies exploring shape and weight through to older children building elaborate structures.

Why blocks belong in every collection:

Endless improvisation - a single block becomes a telephone, a telescope, a castle drawbridge, or 'ingredients' for an imaginary stew
Multi-age play - equally engaging for a 1-year-old stacking and a 6-year-old engineering
Pairs with everything else - the natural companion to every other open-ended toy

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Children playing with colourful wooden building blocks from Oskar's Wooden Ark

Children playing with a Grimm's rainbow from Oskar's Wooden Ark

2. Grimm's Rainbow: A Toy That Plays a Hundred Different Ways

The Grimm's Rainbow is one of the most genuinely open-ended toys on the market - a set of simple wooden arcs that become whatever a child (or adult) needs them to be that day. Stack them, nest them, roll a ball through them, or use them as part of your imaginative play.

Popular ways to play with a rainbow:

Stacking & balancing - towers, ball runs, simple obstacle courses
Small world building - circles become animal enclosures, arches become bridges and tunnels
Emotional & sensory play - arranging arcs into faces, patterns and colour sequences

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3. Loose Parts: Small Pieces, Big Ideas

Loose parts are exactly what they sound like - small, open-ended materials that can be gathered, sorted, rearranged and reinvented endlessly. Some examples might include wooden balls, marbles, gems and beads.

What loose parts support:

Small world play - props and scenery for imaginative storylines
Transient art - patterns, mandalas and nature arrangements that change by the day
Early learning - counting, sorting, letter and shape formation through hands-on exploration

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Children playing with colourful loose parts and wooden toys from Oskar's Wooden Ark

Wooden peg dolls and animal figurines as part of small world play

4. Wooden Figures: A Character for Every Story

A simple peg doll can be anyone a child decides - a doctor today, a dragon-slayer tomorrow. Then there are the more detailed, beautifully painted people and animal figures from brands like Bumbu, Predan and NOM Handcrafted, each one carrying its own little personality to the play. Simple or detailed, these are the figures that turn a scene into a story.

Ways families use wooden figures:

Role play - stepping into different characters and everyday scenarios
Storytelling - narrating adventures during small world play
Early learning - Grimm's Rainbow Friends double as colour-matching and counting tools

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5. Play Silks: Whatever the Day Imagines

Few toys flex across as many ages as a Sarah's Silks play silk - from a classic game of peek-a-boo with a baby, to sensory exploration for toddlers, to elaborate dress-ups and small world backdrops for older children.

How play silks get used at home:

Babies & toddlers - peek-a-boo, sensory exploration, gentle movement play
Imaginative play - capes, cloaks, picnic blankets, tents and small world scenery
Outdoor adventures - flags, slings and props for active, open-air play

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