A story about open-ended play, unexpected ideas and quite a lot of purin.
Who ordered more purin?
Since starting Kaufhaus Kobold, I have spent much more time thinking about what happens when children play.
I reduced the number of toys we had out at once and made a smaller selection easier to see and reach. I noticed more play beginning without me suggesting an activity first.
Then I bought some wooden bowls.
I looked at them and wondered what the children would actually do with them. They took one look and started cooking. Apparently, I had bought a kitchen. Since then, I have been served a great deal of Japanese purin.
What is open-ended play?
“Open-ended play” can sound rather technical. The idea itself is simple: the child chooses where the play goes. There is no single correct way to use something and no particular finished result to reach.
A bowl can be filled and emptied. It can become part of a stack or hold an imaginary meal.
A younger child might simply turn it over, carry it around or put something inside and take it out again. They do not need to invent an elaborate story or produce something recognisable. Exploring can be the whole activity.
Open-ended play is not limited to special wooden toys. A sturdy container, a wooden spoon, a cloth or a cardboard box can offer just as useful a starting point.
The child gets to have the ideas
Two pieces do not fit. Another piece might. The tower falls. The plan changes. A bowl becomes pudding, and suddenly somebody else has a role in the game too.
This is what interests me about open-ended toys. They leave room for children to choose what happens next. They can try something, change their minds and bring in other toys or ordinary things from around the house.
The toy offers a starting point. The child supplies the idea.
Room for their own ideas
Making room for this kind of play did not require a perfect playroom.
For us, it helped to keep a manageable selection visible and within reach. The children could see what was available and begin without needing me to find or organise everything first.
Sometimes one low shelf or an open basket is enough. Children also need time to stay with an idea, leave something unfinished and return to it later.
Our home still gets messy. Constructions are abandoned halfway through, pieces travel from one room to another and somebody inevitably needs help finding something important. That remains part of real family life.
And the grown-ups?
Open-ended play does not mean children always need to play alone.
Sometimes I watch and wait. Sometimes I help when something becomes frustrating. When the children invite me into their game, I follow their idea.
And sometimes my contribution consists entirely of eating another bowl of imaginary pudding.
What's next?
You do not need a completely new collection of toys to try this at home.
You could make one familiar toy easier to see, place a simple household object nearby and give your child a little time. See what they change, combine or invent. Join when there is an invitation.
This way of thinking also shapes what I choose for Kaufhaus Kobold. I look for toys that children can return to and make part of their own ideas. Things that can join what is already at home and remain interesting as their play changes.
Because however carefully we adults choose the toys, the toys and the children may have completely different plans.
Janina