Before we became parents, the concept of open-ended play was not something that we were familiar with. However, we've always believed that play is the core to a child's upbringing and that learning can be done through play. 100%.
It was during the same time when our first child was born that we got ourselves more familiarised with the concept of open-ended play. I realised that it connects very well to the value we want to achieve when raising our child. So I remember being really excited about embarking in this entire open-ended play journey and got our first born his first rainbow stacker at age 1.
It didn't get play with much so it sat on our shelf as a beautiful decoration.
It was disappointing at first but I wasn't about to give up because somehow I truly believe that open-ended play yields the best benefit to our children! I started to learn more from parenting coaches, and one in particular which I really love is storiesofplay and it has been nothing but an absolutely amazing journey so far.
Take for instance these counting blocks by Avdar. I initially got it to have our 3.5yo then get a feel of math. I had some ideas playing in my head as to how I was going to use these blocks to guide him in math. But when I took it out, he had some other ideas of what he wanted to do with the blocks; he wanted to make a robot. And I think it's the cutest robot ever.
But more importantly, there are basic math in this entire play that he is learning; like getting the same length of blocks so that the "hands" of the robot are even out, making sure that the legs are of the same size and the list goes on. This is just one of the many things that your child can do with these counting blocks.
If we continue to trust our child and allow our child to lead the play, embracing the concept of open-ended play in its entirety, you are definitely in it for a treat on the benefits of doing so. And I must admit, I'm constantly in awe of what our children are capable of.
This is a continuously learning journey for both the parents and the children and I must say it have been an amazing one so far.