Best wooden open-ended toys: 10 sets you definitely don't know yet
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Open end toys often keeps them playing the longest. They can try everything and often combine it.
For instance these rainbows from Grimm's. Extremely sturdy wood and great to try anything with. You can stack them, they can serve as bridges or tunnels, and as a background for any imaginative doll play.
In this guide I have the 10 best wooden open end toys found for you and I will tell you what you can pay attention to when purchasing.
Let's take a quick look at the top picks. Then I go into more detail about each option.
Overall best wooden open ended toy
Grimm's is the inventor and maker of the original rainbow stackers. It is made of very strong wood and you can feel it.
Wooden open ended transport toy
The train track is a fun challenge to assemble and with the help of supporting pillars, the rails even go up. Very spectacular!
Most creative open-ended toy
Pirates and their wooden and cardboard accessories hammer on a cork board. Very nice to make creative scenes.
Best open ended role play toys
The house has two floors and is painted in a delicate complexion. Very stylish and with many windows with shutters.
Best wooden open ended magnet blocks
You spend a little more on these blocks, but playing with real wood gives a hand feel that plastic will never be able to give your child.
Best cheap wooden open ended toys
Let your child use their imagination with colorful wooden blocks in all kinds of shapes. Completely open-ended style.
Best wooden open-ended toy for gross motor skills
Balancing is a fantastic way to stimulate children's physical and mental development, but also offers countless play opportunities.
Best wooden open ended toy animals
It doesn't get much better than Ostheimer's hand-carved animals. It is a Waldorf toy par excellence.
Best open ended chalkboard
The Hape easel is very sturdy and made of wood. With the double-sided construction you have a magnetic whiteboard and a chalkboard.
Best open ended vehicle
Although this is a specific car (tour bus) it is still one of the best open ended sets I have seen because the tour bus can go anywhere.
From toddler to toddler activity book collection
Educational games and coloring pages for 3 to 6 years
Your toddler and preschooler will love this e-book, along with the accompanying printables. He or she can play with it at every stage of development, together with mom and dad.
Buy at Bol.comWhat we discuss in this comprehensive post:
- 1 Wooden open ended toy buying guide
- 2 Top 10 Wooden Open End Toys Reviewed
- 2.1 Grimm's Rainbow Bows
- 2.2 BigJigs Mountain train set (BJT016)
- 2.3 Small Foot Pirate Hammer Art
- 2.4 Melissa & Doug Fold and Go Dollhouse
- 2.5 Tegu 42 Wooden Set
- 2.6 Melissa & Doug Building Blocks 100 Pieces
- 2.7 Kinderfeets Kinderboard Natural Balance Board
- 2.8 Ostheimer Woodcarved Waldorf Animals
- 2.9 Hape Donkey
- 2.10 New Classic Toys City Tour Bus
- 3 Conclusion
Wooden open ended toy buying guide
Open end toys becomes the most fun from the age of 2,5. When your child can dedicate himself to creative play.
When judging these sets, I mainly looked at age.
Age
It should be fun and challenging for their developmental stage, but also safe enough for small children to play with. You don't want them to be able to swallow small pieces.
For example, with the New Classic Toys Tour Bus you want to stay with it for a while when they are still putting things in their mouths.
The large building blocks from Melissa & Doug are already suitable for the smallest children and those from Tegu for slightly older ones.
And Ostheimer's beautiful animals can also participate in open-ended play at virtually any age.
Here they are all arranged by the most appropriate age.
 Age from |  Best age |  Age to |
Open end
The second point I looked at is how much open-ended play can be done with it. Can they do it? toys discover it endlessly and use it in different ways?
Open ended means there are no prescribed rules for using it. For example, the Tour Bus from New Classic Toys is already a Tour Bus, not another kind of car.
But because he can go anywhere on the tour and the wooden puppets can also be used for all kinds of things, it is beautifully open-ended toys.
The arches from Grimm's and the balance board from Kinderfeets are not only for building or balancing, but can also participate in all sorts of games like bridges and tunnels and whatever else they can think of.
Each toy is rated open ended from 1 to 5 points.
Replayability
How fun it is to pick up the toy again and again. A lot of this is due to the open-ended nature of it toys, so that fits well with the options on this list.
But also, how many different things can you do with it and how much creativity can you put into it.
It is also important whether you can play without friction. Things that just don't work well, for example. For example, the driver of the New Classic Toys bus cannot get out. You can't do EVERYTHING you want.
Elk toys has also been rated for replayability.
Sustainability
If they have a favorite toy how long will it last? That's why I already have it toys also assessed for sustainability.
From the sturdy wood, to the weak spots in the construction as attachment points.
Top 10 Wooden Open End Toys Reviewed
Grimm's Rainbow Bows
- Great natural wood that you feel when playing
- Challenging toys that stimulate creativity
- Expensive, very very expensive
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From: 3 years
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Best: 4 – 7 years
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Up to: 8 years
- Material: Wood, FSC Hardwood
- Learning objective: Cognitive development, pretend play
- Play Mode: Cooperative
- Portability: Low
- Sustainability: Sustainable production
- Production: Handmade
- Storage: Tricky
- Safety Components: Non-toxic material
- Playtime: Extended (30+ min)
- Gender inclusiveness: Gender neutral
Grimm's is the inventor and maker of the original rainbow stackers. It is very very sturdy wood made and you feel it. It is FSC hardwood and water-based stain with the lowest possible ecological footprint.
It is pricey. Very pricey. But it is good wood and you feel it wood and the grain through the paint. This helps with children's sensory experience.
The rough also helps wood when stacking the arches, because that is quite a challenge. It is also not immediately clear what you can do with it. However, the open-ended game is endless and the shapes and colors really appeal to the imagination.
There is also the possibility of social interaction because there are several arches, they are large and they can be combined with any kind of toy.
Due to these characteristics, the play value is very high. It is also an award winning toy as winners of the Spielgut seal for its educational value.
This is the kind of toy that gets picked up again and again and will last for generations.
BigJigs Mountain train set (BJT016)
- The train has a steep slope to drive down
- Very nice landscape details
- Big set
- Pricey
- Higher rails on supports are not for little ones
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From: 3 years
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Best: 4 – 6 years
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Up to: 7 years
- Material: Wood, MDF
- Theme: Vehicles, Train
- Play Mode: Cooperative
- Price at time of writing: €100,95 – $123,99
- Sustainability: Sustainable production
- Production: Manufacturing
- Storage: Tricky
- Safety parts: Rounded corners
- Playtime: Extended (30+ min)
- Gender inclusiveness: Gender neutral
The play value of this mountain set is extremely high. The degree of open end is enormous due to all the accessories supplied. You can build the train track, play with it, there are dolls for fantasy play and everything appeals to the imagination.
For example, there are children and a grandpa and grandma, and my son plays that the children go to visit by train. The possibilities with the set are endless, but it is also easy to combine with other train tracks. For example, I expanded it with a Brio track. In addition, a train set can also participate in almost any other fantasy game. That also makes the replayability high.
Only when the ease of use was higher could the set have an even higher play value. Building with the bridge pieces and the mountain is fun, but playing with it is difficult because the bridge often collapses. Sometimes this causes frustration, but luckily it usually becomes part of the game.
Social interaction is high. I like to play along and because it's such a big set, friends who come over can always join in without getting in each other's way. Furthermore, there are some interactive elements such as the crane that can hoist, and the figures have a nice appearance.
The crane construction is completely finished wood with a simple dial that allows you to wind up the rope. There is also a small magnet with which you can attach the accessories of the tren can pick up.
The set comes with three train carriages with freight designations such as sugar, milk and grain. These can be lifted off the wagons with the magnet and swung aside.
It's not for nothing that they have already won the Independent Toy Awards, and with a versatile set like this you can't miss for hours of fun.
Small foot Pirate Hammer Art
- Hammering is done nicely and the wood is sturdy
- Many objects to come up with creative things
- Plate is very small
Maybe more of a creative game than a hammer game, but it's a lot of fun to do and hammering straight is also fun for kids.
You have pirates and their accessories from wood and hammering cardboard on a cork board. Very fun to do and you can make a lot of creative scenes.
It is really hammering and therefore suitable for children from 6 years.
Some parents give it to younger children, but they can hammer their hands.
There are 4 examples included so you can get through them quickly. But it's also just as fun to come up with things yourself. You could also add commands for them to perform.
A big minus is the cork board. Not really big enough to lay out everything you can think of and even making the examples is very difficult.
Still a very nice set that can keep them busy for quite a few creative hours.
Melissa & Doug Fold and Go Dollhouse
- Many accessories in a handy carrying format
- Sturdy wooden construction
- No closure on the house so that it falls open
This beautiful, fold-out Melissa & Doug Dollhouse from wood is suitable for children from three years.
The house has two floors and is painted in a delicate complexion. Very stylish and with many windows with shutters.
There are a lot of accessories such as a sofa, easy chair, cupboard, bed and a TV furniture. Plus 2 dolls to play with.
The folding construction and the sturdy carrying handle make it a very handy set to take with you. Only a closure is missing from the house so that it remains closed.
Now you have to wear it very hard or make a closure on it yourself.
A very nice set that they can play with for a long time.
Tegu 42 Wooden Set
- Sustainable wooden toys
- Sturdy magnets
- Wheels in the set give more to do
- Very pricey
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From: 3 years
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Best: 5 – 8 years
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Up to: 10 years
- Material: Wood, Hardwood
- Theme: Building and construction, Blocks
- Play Mode: Solo
- Price at time of writing: €129,27 – $116,23
- Sustainability: Sustainable production
- Learning objective: Physical development, Fine motor skills
- Storage: Storage compartments
- Safety parts: Rounded corners
- Playing Time: Longer (10 – 30 min)
- Gender inclusivity: Gender neutral
Tegu is a responsible brand wooden toys in Honduras makes sustainable wood. The toys is therefore also naturally safe without plastic, BPA and water-based paint. You spend a little more on these blocks, but play with real wood gives a hand feeling that plastic will never be able to give your child.
Tegu is one of the few brands that treats the planet so responsibly while also being modern toys market, such as magnetic building blocks. They are also winners of multiple awards, including the Best in Show award at the 2011 Dwell on Design industry show and PTPA Media Award.
The play value is extremely high with blocks in different shapes and slats, so you can build more different things than with blocks alone. For example, you can make perfect house constructions or a real racing car. Extremely versatile and can also be perfectly combined with other toys.
Melissa & Doug Building Blocks 100 Pieces
- Sturdy wooden blocks
- Can participate in many open-ended games
- A lot for little money
- Quickly falls over during intense fantasy play
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From: 1 years
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Best: 2 – 3 years
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Up to: 4 years
- Material: Wood, MDF
- Theme: Building and construction, Blocks
- Play Mode: Cooperative
- Price at time of writing: €21,99 – $21,99
- Sustainability: Sustainable production
- Production: Manufacturing
- Storage: Tricky
- Safety parts: Rounded corners
- Playing Time: Longer (10 – 30 min)
- Gender inclusiveness: Gender neutral
A cheap set with an extremely high play value that you can build anything with. The durability does not suffer at all under the materials used, but the lifespan could be a bit higher as paint does wear off during the game.
The colorful, wooden blocks come in all kinds of shapes and have different colors. Completely in open-ended style. The play value could only have been higher with a better choice of wood so that gripping offers a more interactive playing experience. However, the total play score does not suffer because the price-quality ratio is excellent.
The replayability could have been a bit higher if it had been easier to carry as well. The supplied box does not survive long enough to use it as a take-away box, then you will have to buy a container yourself.
Children's parties Children's board Natural Balance Board
- Sturdy wooden construction
- Can be used in many different ways
- Stimulates gross motor skills
- Quite pricey
- Great for lots of pretend play
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From: 2 years
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Best: 3 – 5 years
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Up to: 8 years
- Material: Wood, Bamboo
- Theme: Sports and outdoor toys, Balance
- Play Mode: Solo
- Price at time of writing: €79,95 – $83,97
- Sustainability: Sustainable production
- Learning objective: Physical development, Gross motor skills
- Storage: Tricky
- Safety parts: Rounded corners
- Playing Time: Longer (10 – 30 min)
- Gender inclusivity: Gender neutral
Even before they can use it as a balance board, it is already great for open-ended play. This way it can serve as a bridge or tunnel, just like the Grimm's rainbows. It appeals to the imagination and this is great for the play value. But as they get a little older, it can also stimulate gross motor skills.
This versatility is also great for replayability. It can stand in the nursery or living room and be reached whenever a large object is needed.
Kinderfeets uses ecologically friendly stains and lacquers to color the balance board. These are more expensive than solvent-based alternatives. The board is made of bamboo, a raw material that recovers much faster than hardwood. A very sustainable brand that also won the 2018 Family Choice Awards.
The material is sturdy and can support a weight of up to 220 kg.
Ostheimer Wood Carved Waldorf Animals
- Super durable wood will last a lifetime
- Very well finished and safe
- Super expensive
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From: 1 years
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Best: 2 – 5 years
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Up to: 7 years
- Material: Wood, Hardwood
- Theme: Animals, Fox
- Play Mode: Solo
- Price at time of writing: €15,99 – $29,99
- Sustainability: Sustainable production
- Production: Handmade
- Storage: Compact
- Safety parts: Rounded corners
- Playing Time: Longer (10 – 30 min)
- Gender inclusiveness: Gender neutral
It doesn't get much better than Ostheimer's hand-carved animals. It's Waldorf toys eminently.
Very well finished and durable wood. These will last a lifetime. Well, several lives actually. The design is extremely simple and therefore easy to use. The simple rendering also greatly appeals to the imagination and leads to quality open-ended play.
All materials are safe and durable, the construction has strong and rounded corners and it is great to combine with other wooden animals or with other pretend play.
The play value could only be higher if it were a little more versatile. After all, it is only a wooden animal and if you want to buy several it is extremely expensive. The price-quality ratio is therefore slightly lower, but you get a unique and handmade heirloom toy for it.
Read more: these are 20 toy brands that put sustainable wood first
Hape Easel
- Sturdy construction
- Many activities and accessories
- Takes up a lot of space
A blackboard or “easel” is useful for your other magnet toys to hang on. But of course it must also be possible to do more.
You must be able to chalk, draw, paint, and much more.
The Hape donkey is very sturdy and sturdy wood made. With the double-sided construction you have a magnetic whiteboard and a chalkboard.
The paper roll on top is also a nice addition, but I was a bit worried that it would run out quickly. But luckily you can buy these types of rolls everywhere and standard sizes just fit.
In addition, it is adjustable in height from 37,5 to 43,5 inches (95 to 110 cm) so that young children can also reach it and it can grow with it.
Hape is a good wooden toys brand and this donkey is really sturdy again.
He will be fun from 3 years old.
New Classic Toys City Tour Bus
- Sturdy bus and wooden figures for multiple games
- Great open ended toys as they can go anywhere
- Quite pricey
Toys cars are already open ended toys. You can come up with 100 different games with it. Especially if they do not have a specific function such as police cars or the fire brigade.
Although this is a specific car (tour bus) it is still one of the best open ended sets I have seen.
This is because the tour bus can go anywhere. There is nothing to stop the dolls from going to the farm, park, dino land or the toys to go to town.
Because the dolls are kept nice and simple, they can also represent anything. So you actually get two playing options in one.
The color of the bus is nice and bright and it is suitable from 1,5 years.
Conclusion
All of these sets will encourage lots of open-ended play in a safe and sustainable way. What will be your next toys?
Also read: this is the best toy for toddlers and preschoolers if you are looking for wood
Always something to do for the holidays or rainy day?
Play Choice now has the ultimate activity book collection, with over 60 pages of fun coloring pages and educational puzzles.
Joost Nusselder, the founder of Speelkeuze.nl is a content marketer, father and loves trying out new toys. As a child he came into contact with everything related to games when his mother started the Tinnen Soldaat in Ede. Now he and his team create helpful blog articles to help loyal readers with fun play ideas.