Porridge Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 What are some of the best toys / materials you have found for sparking open ended play and creativity in your children? For us: 1. cable ties. Seriously, these get so much use. 2. an assortment of blankets 3. bungee cords - we found a set for $3 at Wal-Mart that the kids use for indoor play. These are great for outdoor play. 4. Thinker Linkers. Ok, so these are quite pricey but they get so much more use than almost any other toy in the home (except for the bungee cords). We got these second hand but later bought additional pieces to augment our set. We decided to invest in these in lieu of other toys. They get heavy use and my kids have come up with some incredible creations. 5. Found materials - we keep a bin of "clean trash" -- basically random stuff that we would have thrown in recycling... bottle caps, plastic containers, scraps of ribbon, packaging... The kids make stuff out of it. We recycle it once they are "through" with their creation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 Kapla blocks. They are unique and wonderful. I have a friend who kept a duffle bag full of them with her at all times so she could pull it out. Her son would play with them and make friends anywhere they went. A little pop up tent. These are club houses, meeting rooms, reading nooks, doll houses, forts, beach shelters, and more. Refrigerator boxes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 Probably not very original but here are ours: Sheets, preferably the fitted kind since the kids can hook them onto things. Their own latching tool kit including measuring tape, hammer, level, etc. The obligatory big cardboard box. And smaller ones that can be attached to the big one. Small pop up tent with extended second section. Colored duct tape Palm fronds. DD can make an entire outfit out of palm fronds, including the latches for her palm frond sandles. Marble runs. Get enough of these and you can make many exciting runs. Matchbox cars. Foam packaging. DS made a shield, helmet, shin guards and a chest guard out of foam packaging. The stuff was sturdy, too. Shoe boxes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 Twist ties (green ones you can find at supermarket) Ketchup cups and wooden coffee stirrers - from making structures, catapults to playing tic tac toe.(McDonalds, IKEA) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 Paper bags--my boys don't put things in them, they stand them up on the open end in large groups, at which point they become Zombies, Trojans, Storm Troopers, or whatever the bad guy of the moment is and are battled with sticks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 pvc plumbing pipes and connectors 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 Our recycling bin. I'm amazed at what my kids come up with. My son loves his tools as well. We bought him a couple pine boards at Christmas and he has made all kinds of things out of those and scraps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocassie Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 Magna Tiles - I love seeing even the adults who come and visit play with them. Wood scraps - the little extra pieces cut off from the table saw when DH is doing some house repair work Blankets/sheets and our funiture Lawn clippings and branches that have been pruned My kitchen items Water and dirt/sand and a shovel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lllll Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 .. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raptor_dad Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 Given the previous posts, I would say scotch tape and duct tape.... the ability to build things out of paper or cardboard has been huge for us. Learning the limits of paper, cardboard, and recyclables w/ duct tape has been huge... frustrating, annoying, etc ... but still huge. ETA: A standard set of unit blocks, or better two, has also been great for us. You could build an arch bridge and a cantilever bridge. Unit blocks allowed discovering all sorts of building principles... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurelia Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 Clothespins, usually used in conjunction with sheets and blankets and/or twine Those round containers blank CDs come in. DH has a bunch because he prints CDs, and DD has used them for so many things I can't even remember. Stilts, pillars, buckets, bug observatories, hats, shoes, drums... Dog kennel (large) - it's been many things, from a spaceship to a cave, to a "safe" place for wild bunnies, virtually none of which involves the actual dog Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellydon Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 Magformers are favorites here. We don't allow bungee cords either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrixieB Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 Yarn. The kids made ziplines and swings and hammocks for stuffed animals, wrapped maze type contraptions all over the bedroom, figured out how to tie different kinds of knots, you name it. Scotch tape Foil (to make knight helmets and swords for the cat --yes, he tolerated wearing the helmet --, stuffed toys, etc.) Paper and scissors. These are all "toys" that others have heard of. I'm guessing the OP means commercial not-well-known toys? My kids were enthralled by Playmobil although you can't really *make* something from it, but it is superb for creative play. One of my kids liked the Brio Builder System, then later played quite a lot with Jawbones, Knex, Geomags (the originals - the current Geomags are not the same size), and of course Legos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FairProspects Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 Given the previous posts, I would say scotch tape and duct tape.... the ability to build things out of paper or cardboard has been huge for us. Learning the limits of paper, cardboard, and recyclables w/ duct tape has been huge... frustrating, annoying, etc ... but still huge. ETA: A standard set of unit blocks, or better two, has also been great for us. You could build an arch bridge and a cantilever bridge. Unit blocks allowed discovering all sorts of building principles... So glad to see this post! I thought we were the only ones dealing with this kind of issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Porridge Posted April 16, 2015 Author Share Posted April 16, 2015 wow! thanks for the tip on bungee cords. I just confiscated all of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sammish Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 Our most-used creative toy is Zoobs. Not sure how well known they are (we're the only family I know in IRL that has them or has even heard of them)? DS uses his Legos almost exclusively to build cars, but his Zoobs have been cars, swords, axes, working bows and arrows (with the addition of a couple of rubber bands), crowns, balls, baskets, golf clubs... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wallingjan Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 For my younger crowd, Bilibos have been used constantly. A bunch of kids got them as Easter baskets one year and they get used for everything. From doll cradles to hot lava stepping stones to sleds. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurelia Posted April 17, 2015 Share Posted April 17, 2015 Oh, Tinker Toys. DD makes all kinds of things with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wapiti Posted April 17, 2015 Share Posted April 17, 2015 Aside from home construction items (paper, tape, almost any trash, etc.): legos zometool zoobs tinker toys lincoln logs Preferrably, all of the above mixed together as much as possible :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted April 17, 2015 Share Posted April 17, 2015 Sand Dirt pit Water Blocks Branches Twigs Tree stumps Planks Swings Flower petals Leaves, green and not Glass gems Tree blocks, bits of cut wood Stones Duct tape Any kind of tape Stapler Glue- all kinds. Wallpaper paste is wonderful. Wax crayons Paint & brushes Clay of all kinds Kitchen activities - baking, making tortillas, pasta etc Playmobil, Lego PS Yes to the zipline. I am sorry we never invested it in one. I will remedy that for future visitors. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peregrine Posted April 17, 2015 Share Posted April 17, 2015 My kids got a small box of squigz for Christmas and have played with them daily since. They get made into spaceships, get thrown at the wall like darts, and become obstacle courses for cars. Even the baby loves them so we got him the baby version, PipSquigz. Trio blocks are another hit around here. We have only one small box but they make them into all sorts of things. I'm afraid to buy more because I think they small number somehow makes them more creative with them. They also play with coins a whole lot. They sort them, play store, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucy the Valiant Posted April 17, 2015 Share Posted April 17, 2015 Fabric. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bttrflyvld Posted April 18, 2015 Share Posted April 18, 2015 Bionic blox are fun with endless possibilities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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