In Bright Water Waldorf early childhood classrooms, toys are simple and open-ended. A traditional Waldorf-inspired toy is 10% toy and 90% child. Waldorf schools want to surround children with toys that elicit imaginative and creative play. For example, you’ll see baskets of tree branches, play silks, rocks and stones, pinecones, and shells. Open-ended toys can be transformed into a myriad of objects. A practical example is a wooden vehicle with wheels, it can be an ambulance, bus, taxi, van, or trash truck. A white and red shiny ambulance with real lights and sounds can be an ambulance. Waldorf's philosophy is grounded in the idea that imagination and play are at the very heart of childhood and learning.
When thinking about open-ended toys, let your child guide the play instead of the toy guiding the play. And with open-ended toys, less is more! You don’t need a dozen different specific vehicles when your few, open-ended vehicles can play all these roles and more.
