As a pediatrician and mom of two, I’ve tried to stay very intentional about toy purchases. Not only for affordability or sustainability reasons, but because I know that fewer, better toys inspire the most meaningful play. We are die-hard toy rotators, keeping our shelves fresh and purposeful, but, there are a few of toys that have earned a permanent spot in the playroom.
The common thread? All of them are open-ended.
Open-ended toys are the quiet heroes of childhood—simple materials that support imagination, focus, and independence. Instead of telling kids how to play, they invite endless possibilities for pretending, exploring, problem-solving, and storytelling. Better yet, these toys will actually grow with your kids lasting for years across seasons of development.
I’ve put together a list of what I call our “forever toys,” ones that our children played with as toddlers that are still going strong at ages 4 and 7 with no end in sight.
1. Magnetic tiles
These are first on the list for good reason. We’ve have the original Magna-Tile brand ones for years and our kids still find new ways to play. From building every sort of structure imaginable to ball runs, mazes, and imaginative scenes, these are truly the single most played with toy in our home. Our kids also enjoy using them to catch the light, mix colors, color sort, and set up various number, letter, and shape games. I love that they’re exploring geometry, balance, and spatial reasoning while simply building.
Find it here:
Magna-Tiles classic set - I highly recommend starting with this starter set. You can create so many builds with just this!
They have several specialty sets too which make great gifts. Our favorites: Arctic Animals, Space, and their Construction Set.
If your little likes to race, their magnetic roads are super fun!
For travel, we bring our Micromags everywhere! We even bring a marble along to create mini marble runs. They have larger sets too which allow for more intricate builds.
They also have a phenomenal and FREE learning hub with tons of printable resources.
Two other magnetic tile brands to check out:
I’ve been impressed with PicassoTiles as a budget-friendly alternative. A little less durable (not noticeable to our kids), but definitely more affordable.
Several friends have and love their Connetix tiles. Compared to Magna-Tiles, they’re a bit pricier, but supposedly have stronger magnets.
By the way, all three brands are compatible so you can mix and match! 🙌🏻
Also, one of my friends wrote a book you should check out for build ideas:
2. Pretend people
If you’ve built a little town, you’ll need people to live there of course. Small world play is HUGE in our home. Our most played with set was an investment, but I chose it intentionally because it represents people of all ages and cultures from around the world. Exposure to diversity—through real-world interactions, the books we read, and the stories we bring into play—has always been a priority in our family.
This set from The Freckled Frog is beautifully crafted and has held up amazingly to years of heavy play.
We’ve also collected various wooden people as part of Melissa and Doug sets like this school bus, airplane, and fire truck sets.
Here are some alternatives to check out that highlight community helpers: left, middle, and right.
Finally, peg people are a timeless classic and deeply open-ended. They can turn to characters in every kind of story—families, workers, superheroes, explorers. We have some from Grimm’s Wooden Toys and others from a lovely small U.S. shop called Chickadees Wooden Toy. The owner (who is truly the sweetest human!) hand-paints each adorable creation.
Lovevery also has a nice set and there are plenty you can find on Etsy. Or, you could always paint your own!
3. LEGOs
A forever toy if there ever was one. Build, create, and problem-solve in endless ways or follow guides to make themed builds. Clearly, bricks deserve their hall-of-fame toy status enjoyed by kids and adults alike.
Some LEGO favorites:
Suitcase (great for travel)
Duplo for the little littles
LOVE their 3 in 1 sets! There’s a ton in series.
One of our holiday gifting traditions has been one new Christmas-themed set each year. We gift this early at the beginning of the month so we have time throughout December to build things together.
My picks:
LEGO ornaments - we got these gingerbread ornaments last year that are so stinkin’ cute! Added to it with this festive set this year.
These polar bears come with a Christmas tree.
Our Holiday Main Street Building Set lives on a shelf as part of the living room décor.
Our kids LOVE Santa’s Sleigh! It comes with a bunch of toys and even a list for Santa!
4. Play silks
Our kids have played with silks since they were itty bitty. What began as peek-a-boo and pulling and tossing games has transformed into capes, blankets, forts, hammocks for stuffed animals, oceans, grass, the sky—you name it. It’s really remarkable to witness how simple fabric seamlessly weaves into their imaginary worlds.
We started with a basic set of play scarves like these when our oldest was a few months old. Over time though, we’ve collected several sets from Sarah’s Silks—a staple in Waldorf and Montessori-inspired toy collections. They’re surprisingly durable (like tug-of-war durable 🙃) and easy to wash too—we regularly bring ours to the beach! Side note: I also love using these as an eco-friendly way to wrap presents!
Besides their play silks, we also really enjoy their wands and streamers, veils, and wings. Their Playclips are also constantly out since the kids are forever reinventing their forts.
Find them here: Sarah’s Silks
5. Rainbow Stackers
Another forever toy here—I went through an heirloom wooden toys era a few years back. If you’re in that circle (you know who you are… 🙃), you’ll instantly recognize the iconic Grimm’s wooden rainbow, that one that shows up in every dreamy playroom photo.
Admittedly, I initially purchased the original Grimm’s rainbow stacker 90% for the aesthetics and 10% out of curiosity over how our kids would play it. Over time, this beautiful toy has repeatedly surprised me in its versatility. I could easily write a novel post on the countless ways I’ve watched our girls play with it. Think…tunnels, bridges, balancing challenges, color sorting, marble runs, cozy animal homes, caves, and mountains. Endless play in ONE toy.
Find it here:
Highly recommend the original Grimm’s rainbow right here — Bella Luna and The Wooden Wagon are great small shops that carry heirloom Waldorf wooden toys.
The mini version
And I love these SILICONE ones for messy play—think in the bath, with shaving cream, playdough, play mud, etc. Comes in two sizes—large (or this one) and small (or this one).
The rainbow stackers pair perfectly these with the Grimm’s wooden semi-circles and nesting bridges.
6. Art table
Our kids spend more time here than any other table in our home. Could they draw at our dining table? Or coffee table? Of course (and they do). But, there is something extra magical about an art table that draws them in—it’s their own dedicated space to explore creativity (and mess) freely.
Our table also lets them keep commonly used supplies like markers, pencils, scissors, and glue readily accessible plus has an AMAZING (seriously *chefs kiss*) built-in storage for extras like paper, coloring books, stickers, paints, and dot markers.
By keeping materials accessible and inviting, an art table becomes a hub for endless creativity and independent exploration.
Find ours here (currently sold out so be sure to circle back!)
A runner-up deserving mention here is our art easel from Hape, also heavily used. This one comes with a paper roll as well as a dual chalkboard and magnetic whiteboard. The height is adjustable so has grown well with our children for several years now. I appreciate that it’s both study yet lightweight (we move this around the house and outside frequently!)
7. Wooden Blocks
Classic for a reason. Wooden blocks transform into literally anything and can be played from toddlerhood through the big kid years. Toddlers build towers, mountains, and roads while older kids design whole towns, zoos, obstacle courses, and architectural masterpieces.
This is one of those learning without realizing you’re learning toys—as kids stack, sort, and experiment, they’re developing spatial awareness, early math skills, problem-solving, and even the basics of physics like balance and stability. Little hands strengthen through fine motor work building confidence and imagination through play.
Our go-to is this Melissa and Doug plain wooden block set.
This colorful Lovevery set is really well thought out with a smaller footprint.
Our kids also love these Guidecraft rainbow blocks—so, so pretty when they catch the light!
Finally, the splurge—affectionately know as the LSP, another Grimm classic. These were a stunning, gifted addition to our collection and play well with our other blocks.
8. Sensory table
Could you use bins for sensory play? Absolutely. Does a sturdy, easy-to-clean sensory play table make your life easier? Absolutely.
If your kids love sensory bins like ours do, I’d highly recommend investing in a table for sensory play. Similar to an art table, a sensory table creates a contained, dedicated environment where kids can explore textures and materials without the mess taking over your house. With sensory play comes hands-on discovery—scooping, transferring, sorting, pouring—it’s our go-to spot for independent, purposeful play that has grown with our kids from toddlerhood now into their early school years.
We leave ours out 24/7, 365 days of the year switching out contents to match the season or whatever sparks their interest. I love how effortless fine motor play becomes, and how the sweetest, silliest little narratives bubble up when their hands are deep in a small world scene.
Ours is the cult classic, IKEA Flisat:
My favorite Flisat insert company is run by a friend, a pediatric OT—check out her shop, Button and Bug.
9. Toy animals
Toy animals are just as popular (honestly, probably more so) as mini people in our home. We have a mix of plastic and pricier wooden toy animals—our kids play with both, but do gravitate towards the realistic, plastic kind I think because they’re more realistic and versatile (e.g., can dunk in water, make playdough footprints, etc).
They mostly play with them in open-ended general play or sensory bins, but we’ve also used in them to practice counting and adding, sorting by category (e.g. size, habitat, carnivore/herbivore/omnivore, land/air/sea), or pairing with our animal atlas book.
We have SEVERAL favorites. Here we go:
Schleich is on the pricier side, but makes the most realistic animals and are the perfect size for little playroom imaginative scenes.
Safari LTD Toobs are our most used in sensory bins—realistic, mid-range in price, and comes in a billion different themes.
Terra by Battat makes these big tubes of animals that make great counters and small world play additions.
Learning Resources has several collections of jumbo animals that are wonderfully made. Also great in the tub, the beach, or backyard where smaller animals would likely disappear.
And, if you’re in the market for heirloom wooden animals, nothing beats the Holztiger line.
Holztiger
10. Play Food
Our play days aren’t complete without some scene in a café, a kitchen, a grocery store, a farmer’s market, or party…play food sits at the center of our children’s imaginative worlds. As a Montessori family, we’ve always involved our kids deeply in our real kitchen—chopping, cooking, serving—so you’d think they’d get their fill there. But truly, no. I think if anything, their practical life experiences inspire how and what they choose to play with!
We have SO MANY favorites here too.
Overall, Melissa and Doug takes the cake—it’s hard to bear their range and price point. Our basics include their: wooden food crates (four crates - grains, proteins, fruits/veggies, and dairy), fridge food, sliceable fruits, condiments, and canned foods.
They also sell lots of adorable specialty bundles—some we’ve gradually collected over the years, others still living on a wishlist—for birthdays, holidays, and little celebrations in between like these pasta, salad, ice cream, pizza, diner, cookie, sandwich, campfire and s’mores, and sushi sets.
Hape is another great brand which focuses on wooden and felt toys. Our kids love their eggs which you can crack and peel!
We also have some plastic foods that are nice to have since they can get wet or dirty (we keep extras in the backyard, bath, or in our camper) like this huge set from Kid Kraft and this fruit and veggie tote from Learning Resources.
💡Pro tip: hot glue the holes on the bottom to avoid internal mold when they get wet).
For something extra special, Yellow Door makes the BEST stone toys and have several amazing food sets: fruit, vegetables, pizza, breads of the world, and foods of the world.
Kitchen and accessories:
I have no idea how their play kitchen is still standing after countless years of abuse, but it still looks new happily covered with “food” over in a cozy corner of the playroom. I spent an ungodly amount of time perseverating over the “perfect” play kitchen before we landed on this one. It has a sink, stovetop, microwave, and shelving—but what really sets it apart is the open design which our kids take full advantage of when prepping food. It seems harder to find the color we have, but here it is in a darker color.
The rest is here: our pots and pans (Ikea also makes a good set), cooking utensils, condiments, plates and cups (here’s a water-friendly alternative), toaster, stand mixer, tea set (and this one for bath/outdoor play), grill, and of course, coffee machine.
Honorable Mentions
A few more beloved open-ended play things.
Mini vehicles - Car, trucks, trains, oh my! They zip through block cities and weave under arches in whatever stories our kids dream up.
Cars: Our most played with overall are these Melissa and Doug Wooden Town Vehicles and these diecast metal cars. This pull-back set is super fun too! Monster trucks and matchbox cars seem to get less play in our home, but obviously, very popular options.
Roads: Road tape is amazing for travel (really, anywhere). Way to Play makes unique roads that are flexible and endures just about any terrain (we’ve brought ours from the tub to the beach. Blu Track makes this super neat track that you can hang from the wall!
These little construction vehicles and tractors fit well in in a sensory bin or for travel, the little siblings to the these guys and these guys.
This train set comes with a ton of tracks and accessories.
These little boats are the perfect size and migrate between the playroom, sensory bins, and the tub. This one is bigger and perfect for endless scooping and pouring. For extra whimsy, this sweet sweet sailboat two animal figurines.
In the sky, these foam plane gliders are SO much to throw around outside (the mini version is really cool too!). This airplane is so realistic and easy to bring along on an actual plane trip, and this trio of spaceships lets you mix and match all the pieces.
Balance beam - It’s a balance beam…but also, a pathway, a mountain ridge, a pirate plank, or an obstacle course. It builds core strength, balance, and creativity—all through playful movement. This set is really well-priced, comes with step stones, and is easy for kids to adjust into a multitude of configurations.
For actual cartwheels, we have a fold-up floor beam which is a happy medium between the one above and super sturdy ones like Tumbl Trak.
3. Wobble board - Honestly, I wasn’t sure how to play with this toy when we got it other than…wobble on it. Our kids though, didn’t seem to need instructions—this very versatile piece transforms into a rocker, bridge, tunnel, slide, or cozy reading perch. Having a tried a few, they’re definitely not made equal. We love ours from Kinderfeets.
4. Step stones - Another amazing gross motor meets imaginative play find. Kids create the rules, the routes, the story each time they play! We may be crossing a river, avoiding lava, or hopping through a jungle trail. Endlessly replayable and adaptable to all ages.
Our stackable ones are great (they also have a muted colored version if that fits your style better!). The National Geographic stones also get great reviews and hit a lower price point.
Finally, the splurge: our (gifted) Stapelstein ones are definitely my favorite. They’re really grippy and just a lovely texture for the feet—incredibly sturdy, stackable for storage and play, flips underside down to become a bowl, plus lightweight and easy to bring to the beach or yard for water play. I haven’t tried these out, but have heard good things about this dupe.
I’d love to know,
What are YOUR favorite open-ended toys for kids? What toys have been played with over and over in your home? What toys haven’t worked for your kids? Share with us in the comments ⬇️
ICYMI
My new Christmas activity pack is here! 70+ pages of Christmas crafts, playdough mats, and other playful learning pages for ages 3-8 years old you can gift and reuse all month long, year after year.
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I soooo needed this! I’m just staring to get into the world of open ended play as we grow our almost one year olds collection and this gave me a really good baseline of where to start. Thank you for including so many affordable options too. I love all things Grimms and Grapat but they’re so hard to get ahold of in the US and the price feels intimidating honestly.
This list was so helpful! I have an 18 month old and I’m always thinking about what toys to invest in