Toys with lights and sounds can draw your little one’s attention quickly, but if you want the most bang for your buck, you need a toy promotes open-ended play (play that allows your child to make the rules). The best toys for those are found around your home and they are free of cost! 

Toys that can serve multiple purposes are amazing for imaginative play. A spoon and plastic bowl can make your child a server or a chef. A stick can become a magic wand or conductor’s baton. Nature is full of opportunities for fun- you just need to be willing to get a little dirty while you explore! Books can serve as a catalyst for this imaginative play because it trains your child’s to picture what words are being used to convey. You can’t top the library when it comes to opportunities for free fun! Children tend to be naturally imaginative and are happy to guide imaginative play and take their grown-ups along for the ride.

Here's one great example! Use brussel sprout scraps to pull apart and explore and small containers to collect them. The hard ends create a fun rattling sound as an added bonus!

brussel sprouts free play

 

- Heather Lozano, Teen Associate, South Broken Arrow Library