The Best Toys For A Mixed Age Playroom

(Scroll to the bottom for the full list)

Have you ever watched your child play with something at a friend’s house and then you ran out to buy it that night? Um, I have, and it didn’t really translate once we got home.

Have you ever felt the pressure to have an IG- worthy playroom filled with wooden toys, but you are just not so sure your children would actually use those toys? Yup, I get it.

I think we all are being a little brainwashed by the beauty of Instagram. Don’t get me wrong, we have a playroom full of wood, open ended toys and that works for my family. BUT… if your children have a big, ugly, old plastic pretend kitchen and they love it and use it, THAT”S FANTASTIC!! They are playing. Today I am sharing my top five open ended material recommendations. I am also explaining WHY I chose them. Do you even know what an open ended toy is? It is such a buzzword these days and I am breaking it all down for you.

Open Ended Vs. Closed Ended Toys

What is an open-ended toy? An open ended toy is a passive object that will grow with your child. It’s an material meant for play that can become anything your child wants or needs it to be.

For example, a wooden block can be used for building anything your child is interested in. Does your child like doll beds? A unit block can easily transform into a bed. Is your child in a trucks and cars phase? Easy! Your little one can push a block around with people on top or build long roads for cars he already has. Do your children love to play ‘store’? Unit blocks can easily become whatever it is that your child is “selling,” as well a building a stage for their play.

A closed ended toy is one that is made for a singular purpose. There is a specific function. for example, let’s say, a rocket ship. It lights up, it’s exciting, it fuels your child’s budding interest in space exploration! ..Until it doesn’t. When the rocket ship phase is over the toy is shoved in the corner taking up precious space. You don’t want to just throw it away. It was soooo expensive!!

I’ve been there, my friends. I get it. You know… when your child plays soooo well with a toy at a playdate that you RUN out and buy it? (I hope that’s not just me?)

Not all closed ended toys are a waste.

Take puzzles, for example. A puzzle is a great closed toy. Sure, it won’t last forever, but it has a lot of value despite it not being open ended. Shape sorters are an example of a closed ended toy that has value and so does a marble maze.

Your child’s interests matter when choosing toys.

If they love vehicles, you should absolutely have them in your playroom. Do they love horses like Sloane? Great. Then horses should be a playroom staple. Is your little one crazy into Daniel Tiger? That’s fine! They can easily incorporate those toys into their block buildings! BUT… you do not need to acquire every plastic club house and accessory for Daniel Tiger because that’s when it becomes hard for them to imagine anything else and expand their play beyond the tv show. We have had our fair share of commercial toys over the years and I have zero regrets on that front. You just have to make intentional choices about quality, quantity and when too much is too much.

An Up-front Investment

Sometimes, these open ended materials can be an upfront investment. We have a playroom full of open ended materials, but acquiring this kind of play space took us years and years. I want you to think for a second about all of the cheap dress up costumes. barbie dream houses you’ve acquired. I bet if you added up the cost over the years, you’d have spent more than the price of the play silks and blocks. #amiright?

Finally, today I am sharing with you our all time favorite materials that my children have been using since they were small and continue to use well into their tween years. Drum roll, please….

Favorite Playroom Toys from Toddler to Tween:

Magnetic Tiles. You know we love our magnetic tiles over here, they get used every day! We have a massive set and we’ve been collecting them since 2011! Although most brand recommend tiles for ages three plus, I think they are great for babies on up (with supervisions of course.) Set your little one up on the floor or in the highchair with a few magnetic tiles and watch them bang, clatter and explore. Even the thirteen year olds that come over are drawn to our huge collection of magnetic tiles and build massive structures. You can read a full review of magnetic tiles brands and how to use them for independent play HERE.
Play Silks These are wonderful for a small baby to explore the silky feel, the movement of the silk in the breeze, they are a great toy for peekaboo, and they make wonderful shadows in a sunny window. Over the years we’ve invested in very few costumes or princess dress-ups because we’ve used our play silks instead. My older children are really into making extravagant and complicated forts using our play silks. I love that I can rinse them off when they get dirty and just hang them to dry. You can also use your silks in the bath or at the beach! Just rinse and hang dry when finished.
Unit Blocks Much like magnetic tiles we’ve been building our unit block collection for many, many years. Some of the very blocks in our playroom are from my own childhood. Talk about heirloom toys! Unit blocks are wonderful starting when your little one can sit unassisted. Build up a three block tower and let her delight in crashing it down and building it again! Watch your growing toddler begin to stack tall towers and build enclosures for her dolls. The more they build, the more skilled they become. My children now build massive, complicated structures challenging themselves to engineer new and different functions for their buildings. Check out Block Play Simplified and get your kids back to building!
Rocker Board Crawlers will love to practice their new skills and crawl right over the hump. Rolling a ball over, and under is a great activity for small children. These boards make good hills for trucks and animals and of course, when you flip them over they become a wonderful gross motor activity. They also make for a cozy reading spot when paired with a pillow.
People, animals and vehicles. Children play what they know and are interested it. A sturdy collection of these toys will foster hours of pretend play through the years.
Play Couch A Play Couch is a fantastic addition to any home with young children. It’s incredibly versatile – perfect for building forts, creating obstacle courses, or simply lounging around. Ours has been used for everything from imaginative play scenarios to creating cozy play and sleep nooks. I love how the pieces are lightweight yet sturdy, allowing my kids to rearrange them independently.