Christmas 2020: The Best Natural, Sustainable, Open-Ended Toys for the Early Years (PART I of II)
Much has been said and written about the why behind open-ended, natural, minimal, high-quality toys. That’s what you’ll find in this series of posts. In the interest of getting (mostly) straight to the point, I won’t re-hash all of that here, but link you instead to some favorite sources on the matter:
Simplicity Parenting - this book is gold and does a wonderful job of explaining the why and the how of the less is more argument when it comes to not just toys, but all the things - schedules, activities, and more - in a young person’s life. (Purchase the book here)
This wonderful blog post all about open-ended play: One Hundred Toys
This blog post about how kids play more with fewer toys: Raised Good
I love Sarah’s blog post here that summarizes most of the toys on this list: beautiful, inspiring to the imagination, or ripe for imitative play: Bella Luna Toys
Finally, this is a great interview with Lacy Arrowsmith on the curation of toys: Bella Luna Toys
I will say this: For all the fantastic reasons to focus on fewer things of higher quality, a big one for us is this: we teach what we model. I want to model and teach that things should be taken care of, treasured, and valued; that things are not for using and throwing away, for casually discarding. That conscious creation, conscious use, things made with time, love, and attention, with our hands, and with our hearts, with materials from the land that can be returned to the land...that all of this matters.
Technically, this guide is written for the 1-5 crowd but one of the beautiful things about open-ended toys is that the same toy that gets played with at age 2 will get played with at age 6, or 7 in different, unique, creative ways. In that sense, there isn’t really even a cutoff age for the toys in this guide, because I really do think most can be played with year after year and grow with the child. The items in this list don’t “do” anything. They won’t make noise, they won’t flash lights, they won’t tell your child WHAT the heck to do with it. Why? Because they have limitless possibilities and your child is the creator, and the do-er, the creative genius. Not the toy maker, but your brilliant, creative, child! All of these items can be manipulated to be, and do, so many different things. If your child is new to open-ended toys, it will take a little time to make the transition - to go from a toy that does the do-ing, to the child being the creator. Observe and see what develops as your child unleashes their creative potential. To me, that’s what a good toy does - unleashes what is already there.
Finally - there are a lot of beautiful, minimal toys that I just don’t think are worth the price tag, no matter how lovely they look. The gifts I’m listing here, I think are totally worth it and will earn their value in your home. Since this list is meant to apply to a range of ages, you’ll want to use your best judgment on toys not safe for your younger kiddos who may still mouth toys. Or just make sure they are supervised while playing with small parts!
Stocking stuffers and advent calendar minis:
I’m not a fan of “throwaway” things or “fillers” - instead of sticking a bunch of dollar store items in the stocking that will get tossed within days, or clutter the home, I’d much rather gift just one beautiful, well-made, heirloom quality $10 item that will be treasured, and last a very long time!
We open stockings on Christmas Eve (I like to slow-play the gifts, so the elves drop stocking gifts on Christmas Eve! :) A tradition we have is gifting a new pair of Christmas or winter-themed pajamas in the stocking, to wear to bed that night, all day Christmas Day, and stay in rotation throughout the winter. In addition to the pajamas, we’ll do a couple of small things - like an Ostheimer or Holztiger wooden figure, maybe a peg doll, or a little felted gnome, a satsuma, or a small piece of chocolate. Things to love, find joy in, and treasure.
Do you have an advent calendar? We do! So many different, beautiful traditions to incorporate here. Here’s what we do: we have seasonal Christmas books that only come out after Thanksgiving every year. We wrap each one up and place them under the tree, and number them. For the first couple of weeks, we stick a number in each pocket of our advent calendar, to open a book each day. We also include a bible verse to read together and discuss. Other days, we’ll do a small piece of chocolate and a verse. This is also a great way to gift “loose parts” toys or other little tiny toys. Last year, I bought a set of 6 little unfinished wood peg dolls that were $1 each, and distributed them on various days of the calendar, alongside a little verse. They still get played with a year later. You could also buy a larger pack of loose parts toys, and distribute some in the advent calendar and in the stockings.
My picks under $25
Solid Drum - $25, This drum is beautifully made; my kids reach for it nearly daily!
Enamel Explorer Mug - $12, Tuck this special little enamel mug in your bag along with a thermos of tea or hot chocolate when you’re heading out to explore.
Playsilks - $16, Truly the most versatile toys we own; they come in a variety of stunning colors, and can be everything from meadows to seas to capes, to forts, and more. The 35x35 size is just right for everyday play.
Colored Wooden Blocks - $20 small set, I love the quality of these beautifully colored blocks. They’re perfect for little hands and small towers, and a good pick for the 1-3 crowd.
Pocket Baby Waldorf Doll - $9, Perfect for stockings! These little babies are stuffed with pure wool and ready to tuck into little pockets and purses.
Felted Gnome Doll - $14, Perfect for stockings! This guy would be a great fit for your nature table and would be great to have on hand for puppet stories.
Play Kitchen Pots and Pans - $19, These beautiful enameled pans are perfect for serving up dinner in the play kitchen
Forager’s Mini Basket - $23, A must have for any little explorer! Use this little basket to collect your nature treasures.
Cherry Wood Tractor with Wagon - $19, This 8.5 inch cherry wood tractor is vintage-style and comes with a little peg doll driver. This one is such a good value!
Large Cherry Wood Pickup Truck - $17, Another really great value truck, the truck bed is fun for endless imaginative play, loading and unloading various treasures.
Ten Little Rainbow Mushrooms - $14, Lovely colors of mushrooms for small world and loose parts play. Tuck these into stockings or separate them for a few surprises in the advent calendar pockets.
Wooden Animals and Figures - $, Holztiger and Ostheimer make beautifully crafted wooden figures for small world play. You can pick your Holztiger favorites at Years of Play (linked) or a few other places. Ostheimer wooden figures have just been restocked over at Bella Luna Toys!
Felted fairies - $11-20, These lovely fairies would look great on your nature table, and also make for wonderful small world creative play. Good size for a stocking stuffer.
Multicultural Peg Dolls - $16, Six peg dolls in different skin tones. These are amazing for all kinds of imaginative play, and can be tucked into stockings or separated for advent calendar.
Wooden Rocking Boat with Colorful Sailors - $10, One more sweet gem from Camden Rose - this boat will definitely get played with alone or incorporated into other small worlds of play. The peg people can come out of the boat, and the boat tips back and forth with a light touch!
Melissa Doug Cleaning set - $21, This cleaning set has 17K five star reviews for a reason. I got this for my older son years ago, and to this day, it’s a go-to for both my boys who play with it nearly daily. It’s great for pretend play, mimicking adult work (which is a favorite at this age!) but also so realistic-looking (and decently functional!) that it doesn’t get passed over.
5 Piece Illustrated Woodland Nesting Set - $25, These nesting dolls are beautifully painted; your little one will love putting these together and taking apart and your older kiddo can set up play scenarios with them as well!
Wooden Evergreen Trees - $8, These adorable little trees come in a set of three and are a great addition to your small world play collection. Last year, I tucked each one into a different day of the advent calendar :)
My picks in the $25-50 range:
Grimm’s Rainbow Stacking Tower - $45, We got this for my younger son on his 1st birthday and I think it’s one of the best value Grimm’s toys around! So many ways to play with the rings; they have a great weight and feel to them, and the tower is a nice size.
Wooden Truck Carrier - $42, This truck is 15 inches long and beautifully made of Maine white pine and comes with two small cars to ride on top. The body connects to the cab with a peg.
Way to Play Ring Road - $45, These come in many different sizes and configurations, but this one is a good introduction. I love how creative kiddos can be in configuring these roads, flat on the ground or over tunnels and bridges. Plus, they’re portable, and easy to move around.
Grimm’s Rainbow Stacking Bowl - $30, Another fantastic “starter” grimm’s toy, with great value and longevity. 5 rainbow colored stacking bowls for tower building, nesting, serving pretend food, or hiding objects under. Hard to outgrow this little toy.
Grapat Nin Peg Dolls Set - $48, 12 adorable little peg dolls for all sorts of small world and imaginative play.
Giant Playsilks - $60, Playsilks making a second appearance on this list, because the giant size is perfect for fort building, draping, scene-creating, setting up over playstands, and more!
Wooden Sorting cups with lids - $35, These little cups are great for color matching, sorting, playing pretend, and hiding loose parts in. Ideal for that 1-2.5 range, but I can also see my 4.5 year old snagging these for his play kitchen or small world play.
Grapat Nins Tomten - $43, Does your little one love little tiny things? Grapat loose parts are perfect for open-ended play with beautifully made little tiny things! This set is a nice introduction to Grapat, with a little bit of everything - tomtens, rings, cones, coins, mushrooms, fires, and honeycomb. Intentionally vague and made for creative play. Store them in a little basket and see what unfolds.
Wooden Kettle - $28, Just a lovely, beautifully made wooden kettle for a fancy tea time with stuffies and dolls.
Grimm’s Pastel Wooden Rainbow Tunnel, 6 piece - $38, This was the first Grimm’s toy we ever got, and it’s a great value. If you’re still trying to decide if that giant rainbow is worth it, get this one and see how your kids take to it. This one isn’t so small that it gets overlooked, it’s a nice size, with a nice weight to the pieces. It gets played with as: bridges, tunnels, towers, or even random objects in pretend play. Also comes in rainbow here for $35
Alimrose Unicorn Doll - $50, This doll is a nice size at 17”, made of linen and untreated cotton, and wonderful for imaginative play scenarios
Cherry Wood Truck with Handle - $40, This truck is an amazing deal. It’s 11 inches long, made of beautiful cherry and walnut hardwood, and has an open bed that can be loaded and unloaded.
Plan Toys Dentist Set - $32, If your kids love playing doctor and dentist as much as mine do, this one is lovely! Tools come in a cloth carrying wrap that ties. It does come with a set of little teeth though, that can be attached to the mouth with velcro and manipulated, so might not be for kids who are still chucking toys around, because you’ll lose these little pieces fast.
Wooden Toy Sword and Shield Set - $29, Win a lot of cool points with this elegant set! It’s great for the 4-5 year old who is becoming fascinated by faraway lands and tales of dragons and knights. Put on a silk cape, and watch the magic happen.
Rainbow Shape Sorter XL Wooden Story - $44, This shape sorter block set is a favorite of ours! Comes in beautiful color tones, or a natural finish option, these chunky blocks are a perfect first puzzle, but can also be used for building.
Organic Sherpa Bear - $45, These cuddly little buddies are a great value for being hand-sewn and made from 100% GOTS certified organic cotton. Plus, they donate a bear to a child in need with each purchase.
40 piece Wooden Blocks Building Set - $30, A nice basic set of blocks to begin building with!
Moulin Routy Toddler Tool Set - I’m a big proponent of getting kids small versions of actual tools to use, under supervision. But, these are the perfect set for simple pretend play. I got this set for my older son when my younger son was born, and he entertained himself with it for hours on end. He still loves it. The best part is the wooden suitcase that holds all the goods!
Stay tuned for PART II of this series which will include:
my picks for toys in the $50-$100 range
my picks for the over $100 category
my picks for arts & crafts, play kitchen goods, board games, puzzles, and educational items!
If you found this guide helpful, would you do me a favor and share it with your friends and on social media?
