The wonder of play
Since I had my daughter, six years ago, play has become my obsession. At first it was a dilemma… How are we going to provide her with play opportunities in our house that don’t take up all the space? How am I going to make sure that the money I spend on toys isn’t wasted on something she isn’t going to play with?
With some research, I became hugely invested in the idea of play being open ended, preferably with natural resources, ideally with wooden toys. So basically either messy, or expensive. I persevered nonetheless. For her first Christmas, for example, my daughter had a wooden shape sorter, wooden puzzles, a scandi-style tipi and lots of lovely books. Other than these minimal toys, I’d set her up with beautiful invitations to play using her tough spot or water tray. This was all quite successful and quite aesthetically pleasing. I thought we were winning.
However, this dance around more whizzy toys did change when my daughter was around 18 months. The day my niece gifted my daughter with all of her preloved Peppa Pig figures. They were bright, they were garish, they were PLASTIC! My daughter loved them with all her heart. From the minute she held them in her pudgy hands, she played with them relentlessly. I no longer found myself setting up elaborate invitations to play… she was asking for what she wanted and what she wanted was Peppa. Ergo, I had a change of mindset.
As much as I really love wooden toys, and find so much joy in seeing my children play in nature, my only take away from these early parenting days is that the best play is child led and open ended. Low and behold, my obsession soon became my job as I moved from KS1 teaching into EYFS, and now here I am on the cusp of running my own weekly play space.
I’ve added below some pictures and musings on my favourite open-ended play ideas. Yes there is plastic. Some are inexpensive, some are best for Christmas or a birthday present. My hope is that they help you find inspiration!
Small World Characters
Be it people, animals, characters from their favourite TV show, barbies, action heroes… having a basket of characters in your toy arsenal can make play about ANYTHING your child wants. I tend to mix them together to promote more imaginative play but my daughter likes them each in their own place to keep them neat. There are no rules.
Lego and Duplo
There is nowhere that a truck load of Lego or Duplo can’t take your child. My daughter went through a phase of wanting the boxed-up Lego Friends sets to build but quickly realised the most rewarding way of playing with Lego is to let her imagination run wild! We now keep Lego in a sliding tray like this under the bed so that the kids can see the pieces without tipping out a whole box (little hack for you there).
Dress up
A box of random dress up is oodles of fun. For meaningful, long-lasting play, it’s best offered as an addition to roleplay equipment like a play kitchen, a tool station or babies in cribs, elevating their new characters into real people with real roles. Be sure to take lots of pictures of your children dressed up to embarrass them in their teenage years.
Magnetic tiles
I heart these so much! They allow children to be creative and mathematical at once, plus they are so easy to manipulate that children as young as 2 can construct 3D models with minimal effort. Their appeal lasts far beyond the early years too… my friend’s 8 year old son played with them for ages on our recent camping trip. What’s more, they are a lovely thing for your child to play with alone for those days when other children aren’t around.
Kinetic sand or playdough
Yes, messy, but the benefits are unreal. These malleable resources are amazing for calming children when they’re dysregulated and perfect for strengthening the muscles in their hands that they need for writing and using tools. Plus, when you add a few scoops, cups, blunt knives, even some gems and feathers, it turns into a role play game that can stretch on for hours.
Notepads
For some reason, notepads inspire children to write or mark make far more than sheets of paper. I think it’s because it feels more real to them… they’ve seen their parents write shopping lists, to-do lists, Christmas present lists… lists basically!… for as long as they can remember so they seem more meaningful. I like to dot them around to see if they get incorporated into play. My son likes to pretend he’s writing letters, my daughter will use them like pages in a book and write stories.
Natural resources/mud kitchen
Did you know, playing with natural resources is a brilliant way to help children feel calm and emotionally regulated? It’s lovely to connect with the natural world and learn about nature but also, just touching the dirt, feeling the imperfect shapes, smelling the plants etc. can instil calm on those days that feel a bit fraught. Mud kitchens aren’t for everyone, and that’s okay. Why not see what your children get up to with some pine cones, conkers and a muffin tray? Half the fun can be collecting the resources to then play with.
Tinker trays and loose parts
If you can get your hands on your nan’s old button tin, or your dad’s box of random screws, a pot of beads… you can expect endless entertainment. Trust me on this one. Children will find a million ways to sort, match and organise that you would’ve never dreamed of. It’s a nice way to link their play to the past and their ancestors. With buttons, I always like asking, “Who do you think wore this button?” It leads to story telling and gives you insight into their amazing imagination.
Linking cubes
You may think I’ve gone a bit educational with this one but bear with me. My son, who is Number Blocks obsessed, loves these so he can make his favourite characters. Yet this then evolves into pattern play, building play, shape play, STEM play. Hey presto - another resource that’s mathematical, imaginative and oh so open ended.
Role play
I could’ve added umpteen different pictures to go with role play but went with a typical home corner to express how passionate I am about children playing home without restrictions. Your daughter wants to be a surly teenager… this is her chance to try it on for size, your son wants to be mummy… a sign that his mummy is doing a fantastic job and is an inspiration. When role play is limitless it is open ended and magical, when girls and boys are told which roles they have to fulfil it can be stifling and harmful.
Other amazing role play includes… tools and high-vis jackets alongside the duplo, a play kitchen with a till and lots of mixing dishes. A library where the children check out books and read them to their stuffed animals, a dining-table den where you need a password to enter… I could go on all day.
I really hope I’ve provided some inspiration for your own play time with your children. If there’s anything play related you would like me to blog about, I’d love to hear from you: joely@teenywonders.co.uk
