Play is one of the most important aspects of a child’s life — with peekaboo for babies, playing house for toddlers and imaginative play for preschoolers. Through different stages of play, children discover and learn many social-emotional skills that will teach them how to process the world around them.
There are many new and fancy toys that have been developed over the years. At GUG Preschool, what we most recommend are open-ended toys; toys that can be played with in many different ways and are not bound to just one form. They include magnetic tiles, animal figurines, stuffed toys, cars, pretend food and playdough. But don’t be deceived by their simplicity! Open-ended toys encourage endless creativity and imagination.
Building blocks are probably one of the most versatile of such toys out there, having transcended time and remained popular with children today. They offer emotional growth and resilience, teaches children art and visual-spatial practice, as well as many other developmental skills. Observe kids playing with blocks and you’ll likely see them utilising their imaginations alongside natural creativity.
Another crowd favourite is manipulative toys. These include shape puzzles, linking cubes, Lego bricks, and tactile objects for counting, matching and sorting. They enhance children’s fine motor, logical thinking and creative thinking skills. This hands-on approach is not just fun and engaging, but if used correctly, manipulatives can also be a great resource when it comes to learning math concepts like distinguishing heights, weights, lengths, shapes and sizes. With different manipulatives, children can also explore sequencing and patterns. There is endless playful learning that children can get from these simple objects, which is why learning math at GUG Preschool often involves plenty of colourful manipulatives.
Here’s our personal favourite: Imagination Playground™ blocks! Hidden within these life-sized blue blocks and revealed by imaginative minds are castles, rockets, race cars, animals, robots, cities, and so much more. Coveted by children’s museums and parks around the world, these German-designed foam blocks encourage inventive construction, teamwork, and they make perfect props for pretend play and role-playing. The quality of play and the way the children collaborate becomes more meaningful as they are allowed to manipulate the blocks, build whatever they envision and create their own stories.
At GUG Preschool HQ (Tampines), the Imagination Playground™ system was specially imported from the USA as part of our curriculum to inspire students from Playgroup to K2 to design their own inventions, environments and activities. Many GUG parents have shared how focused and expressive their kids have become through this form of child-directed play. And what can be safer and more engaging than an indoor imagination play zone made of life-sized soft foam blue blocks?
In your home, it’s easy to replicate these open-ended activities by making available plenty of materials for children to explore. For example, give your preschoolers a small ziplock bag and ask them to fill it with items like old buttons, string or even bits of shredded coloured paper. Then give them an empty space to play with the materials. You might be inclined to give your children instructions on what to do with the materials but trust that your little ones will find their way.
A myriad of open-ended toys is incorporated into GUG’s curriculum which is designed to nurture 5 types of Courage Skills. Children develop strong mastery in creativity and communication, improve their cognitive development, cooperation, problem-solving and social-emotional skills. Get in touch with us to book a virtual school tour and learn more about how we inspire meaningful learning through imagination, creativity and fun!
