Open-ended play is a game that is created by children, has no right or wrong, and does not serve a specific result or purpose. This is a game in which the child decides independently with which game object and how.

What are the differences between open-ended toys and toys made for a purpose?

Toys made for one purpose generally serve a single purpose. For example, like a jigsaw puzzle. When the puzzle is completed, the game is over. Although this toy is ideal for developing a certain ability, it does not have a feature that allows your child to develop creativity. Conversely, when you give a piece of twig to your child, you may find that it turns into very different things in your child's hands. Such toys are multi-purpose, there are no rules or expectations. This means that there is no pressure to finish or complete it. In this way, your child can play with free open-ended play, more passionately than with other toys.

In other words, if the toy allows it to be used in many different games, it is an open-ended toy. For example wooden blocks, play dough , crayons , Grimm's rainbow , Grapat buffaloes or Sarah's Silks fabrics in different sizes. However, branches you find in nature, cones falling from trees, seashells you collect on the beach and cardboard boxes are also perfect for this type of game.

What are the benefits of open-ended play?

Limits to what can be done with the game object is equivalent to curbing the child's creativity. For example, giving your child a pencil and asking them to draw a cat or even showing how to draw. This may be a good exercise for the ability to act in accordance with the directives that should be learned after a certain age, but the best thing we can do for the child who has just started to pick up a pencil in early childhood is to let him try whatever he wants to do with the pencils we give him.

We adults sometimes forget that children have to live their childhood. Today, many things can be imposed on our children with understandable anxieties and perhaps without realizing it, much earlier than they should be. However, it is only possible for children to use their imaginations with open-ended games. And thanks to these games, children learn more than you can imagine.

First of all, open-ended play feeds the imagination and develops abstract thinking and cognitive abilities. Role-playing games contribute to the social and emotional development of children. It helps them understand the world they live in and the consequences of their actions. Such games are indispensable for children to internalize the terms/words they have just encountered. Through open-ended games, your child learns to regulate their emotional reactions and develops their social skills. The competencies that children can use while interacting with other people or objects for the rest of their lives gain a multifaceted structure. This contributes positively to their problem-solving abilities. In short, open-ended play has a great role in the development of basic abilities such as empathy, controlling emotions, cognitive flexibility and memory.