33 Open Ended Toys Kids Will Play with for Years

Marble runs are wonderful educational building toys for kids of all ages, with endless possibilities for creating structures of all sizes. The connectors in this Marble Genius set fit together snugly, ensuring a stable structure, and are easy for kids to put together.

Lisa R:  Every week my daughter attends an under 2 playgroup, and every week this is the hot item that all the babies are eyeing. Sure there are plenty of other push toys available, but you just can't beat having something that looks exactly like the real thing. We had other types of push carts at home, but they tipped over or slid forward too quickly when my daughter was just learning to walk, and then she quickly lost interest once she mastered them. Not so with this shopping cart, which is stable, easy to steer, and offers years of imaginative play.

Tim Ponisciak:  These magnetic building toys for kids are endless fun. Kids can try to make what they see pictured on the box, or they can let their imaginations run wild and build anything they can dream! This set comes with a lot of pieces so it is a good toy that can be shared by multiple kids.

Erin P.:  This toy is such a hit during the summer months! We usually set ours up next to the kiddie pool and the kids enjoy hours of outdoor fun!

Erin P.:  Melissa & Doug makes a lot of great costumes which come in handy on many a rainy or snowy day. It is great fun to see just how observant children truly are once they start playing doctor, police officer, fire chief or construction worker. These costumes are great gifts for 4 year olds with a big imagination.

Erin P.:  This is a great pretend play toy with lots of fun pieces that may be familiar to your little one from visits to his or her doctor's office! It is so fun to see what they remember and imitate when you return home. This toy has the added benefit of possibly relieving some of the stress and fear that may surround visits to the doctor!

Classic wooden building toys for kids, a set of high-quality building blocks will last a child for years, inspiring a whole variety of open-ended creative play and learning.

Kelly R:  This open-ended toy set includes a cutting board, knife, and veggies that can be sliced and reassembled over and over again. My kids loved this at age 2 and it still gets played with a few years later. Great for developing fine motor skills.

This popular line of construction toys for kids includes colorful gears, axles, bases, and other building elements that can be combined to create a variety of moving machines and structures. They make excellent STEM toys for toddlers.

Plastic building toys for kids that have withstood the test of time.

Alexandra F.:  What I love most about this magnetic building toy is how it inspires kids to be creative by building - and testing, and improving - structures they can actually play with once they’re done. Unlike other magnetic building toys, Squaregles actually hold together well without randomly collapsing, and the set comes with fun pieces like ramps and towers for making things like castles or racetracks. It takes a little practice to master putting the pieces together, but even my three year old loves building with them, and my older kids (and me!) get a kick out of trying out new creations every time we play.

Erin P.:  2-year-olds love to mimic what they see their grown-ups doing, and while I wish that I could say that my two-year old witnessed me using my grown-up versions of these a bit more often for household chores, these toys are a hit with her and with her older brother! ;)

Bristle Blocks are versatile building toys for toddlers and preschoolers made of soft, flexible plastic with tiny bristles on all sides. They connect in any direction, allowing for endless creative possibilities and helping children develop fine motor skills, spatial awareness, and problem-solving abilities.

Jennie Utsinger:  This gorgeous hand-carved rainbow offers endless play possibilities. It's one of those perfect versatile toys for 4 year olds, but delights kids of all ages - and grownups too! Balance the pieces on top of each other, create bridges for cars, rock your dolls, or practice your colors.

Tracy Snyder Molina:  When my boys were younger, our train table was the highlight of their playroom. One of the best things about the table is it keeps all the tracks and accessories off your floor and higher up at the kids' eye level. This train table comes with 120 colorful pieces that are also compatible with Thomas & Friends and Brio wooden train sets. Here's an extra tip: as your kids get older you can convert the table into a LEGO table. There are lots of how-to videos available online about how to make one!