Chantal 0:02

preschoolers don't really come with a manual, do they? You want to spend your day helping them grow, and enjoying the magic of learning through the eyes of a preschooler. You also want to help them deal with all the big feelings that come with being three or four. But real talk, you don't have a lot of time. We need to prep for the day with confidence, and ditch the stress that sometimes comes along the way. I got you. Welcome to the preschool Made Easy podcast. I'm your host, Chantal, a kinder teacher turned curriculum designer, and preschool consultant, and I'm here to help you make this school year, the best one yet. Let's get to the show.

Oh, I'm gonna get a lot of heat for this one. But do you know which lessons are the best? The ones that aren't planned? That's right, I'm talking about the ones where you let them play with some materials, and let their creativity and imagination run wild and free. I promise you, they learned so much more than whatever we can possibly teach them in a detailed planned activity. You know why? Because so many of those lessons have a clear beginning and a clear outcome. That means they are not open ended. But when we let our little ones play and learn with open ended materials, the sky is truly the limit.

Hey, hey, preschool bestie you're listening to Episode 24. And today, we're talking about what open ended materials and toys are and what they are not my top five recommended toys you need for your preschool class, and how you can encourage their creativity and imagination by using these materials. Looking for simple easy to use preschool activities, prepped and ready to go for your littles when they're done with their open ended playtime. Go to Shanti macias.com/shop That ch A n TYMACIAS To get your hands on our weekly themed activity packs. Stay with me because I also have an amazing promo code for 10% off your order at the end of this episode. All right, let's get started.

So what exactly are open ended materials and toys. Simple open ended materials are a staple in preschool classrooms because they promote some serious creativity, imagination and cognitive growth in young children. Unlike structured toys with limited uses, open ended materials encourage your kiddos to explore, experiment and invent their own ways of play. This type of play then leads to problem solving skills, critical thinking, and it also enhances their fine and gross motor skills like pencil grasp, cutting, lacing, buttoning, etc.

Simple open ended materials also give them opportunities for social interaction and collaboration. For me, it's the communication among preschoolers that really lights me up. Being able to witness their growth in socializing with one another during center time, or independent Playtime is honestly the cutest thing ever. Lots of art materials can be considered open ended toys, because the children can get multiple uses out of them. And these same materials can be used in a variety of ways. You ever seen them play with an Amazon box? Like, how many adventures can they go on with just one box? It's pretty amazing, right? This is the part that really stimulates their creativity. I'm telling you, give them markers, colored pencils, paint sticks, paper, and glue and watch them go to town. One week you'll have a pirate ship traveling to the Caribbean, looking for treasure that you might even want to go on yourself. Another week there'll be bus riders going to school, and another week your kiddos will make their very own movie theater, fully stocked with flashlights, comfy cushions and pretend popcorn or maybe some real popcorn. Oh, it's the best.

Let's talk about what is not considered open ended now. Basic sorting, completing a puzzle and matching games. When you ask them to sort there's a definite number as to how many they can sort and how many ways they can sort whether it's by color, shape, size, or literally any other attribute. When it comes to completing a puzzle. Each piece has a home right? And if they try to place it elsewhere, it can then lead to frustration because obviously it won't fit right. There is no other way they can properly complete the puzzle. Of course You can use the pieces to play other games or activities. But for the sake of putting the puzzle together, it's really not considered an open ended activity. matching games are also closed ended, there's a clear beginning and end, each pair has a match. And that's pretty much it. So your little one would play the game and eventually move on to the next one.

Here are my top five simple open ended materials for preschoolers, big building blocks, I'm talking about these mega blocks Duplo, or Lego chunky fat building blocks, the super colorful ones that are so pretty, they come in either pastel or like the rainbow colors. They're just awesome. So here are two ways that they can play this right. Number one, they can build a block tower challenge, so you can encourage your children to build the tallest tower they can using these blocks. This activity promotes fine motor skills, spatial awareness, and teamwork, which is awesome. The second way that they can play with these blocks are shaped creations. Ask your children to use the blocks to create different shapes or patterns. This helps build their creativity, their problem solving skills, and basic math skills.

Another simple open ended material your preschoolers can use is playdough. This is such a great, great toy for your preschoolers, and I feel like it's underrated. Here are two activities you can do with Plato. Number one is imaginary creatures. This is one of my favorites. Actually both was played are my favorites. But you'll see why. Within the imaginary creatures, you want to invite your children to mold Plato into their own imaginary monsters, fairies, or animals. This fosters creativity, fine motor skills, and storytelling as they share about what they made. The other activity is playdough bakery, set up a pretend bakery where children can sculpt cookies, cakes and other treats. Everybody loves these right? This encourages imaginative play and social interaction as they take on different roles. Trust me, they absolutely love it when you add a cash register to your dramatic play shops. So do this and you'll get 20 Hugging points.

Now notice that I've given you two of the five open ended materials. But I'm not only giving you the actual toy, I'm giving you the toy, giving you two sample activities you could do with them. And I'm also listing the skills that they are working on. So when you go to lesson plan, be sure to pop these babies in there because they're so critical for when you're creating your lessons for your little ones in your class. All right.

The third open ended material for your preschoolers are scarves. dance parties are so fun with these colorful scarves. Play music and encourage your babies to express themselves through dance with scarves. This activity promotes gross motor skills, some fun creativity and rhythm. The other activity you can do with scarves is imaginative play. Listen, these scarves can become superhero capes, magic carpets, or even the wings of birds through imaginative play session fostering creativity and storytelling. How awesome is that?

The fourth simple open ended material you want to have in your preschool class are cardboard boxes. We touched a little bit upon the Amazon boxes earlier. But check this out. building forts what a great activity right? Give them different size boxes for your children to construct their own forts or houses. This collaborative activity promotes teamwork, spatial awareness and creativity. You can also challenge them to build and decorate something seasonal, which is one of my favorite things to do. Like a gingerbread house, a flower shop, a lemonade stand, or a pumpkin patch. The second activity you can do with cardboard boxes is box art. So give your children some markers, some crayons and coloring pencils and some other art supplies to decorate their cardboard boxes. however they want. There are no rules. This activity encourages artistic expression and individual creativity.

And the last simple open ended material you definitely want to have in your preschool class is wooden blocks. Here are two activities you can do with them. Number one counting towers as children account out a specific number of blocks and then build a tower with that exact number. Maybe counting is too easy for them. If it is give them some addition or subtraction problems and have them show you the problems with the blocks. This also integrates math concepts like counting and sorting. And the second activity is community construction. Invite your children to work together to create a miniature town On or community using the blocks. This collaborative activity really really enhances their social skills, creativity and spatial reasoning. You see how these examples show you how versatile each one of these open ended materials are? Can you see how they can be adapted for various educational purposes or needs in your classroom?

preschool teachers can encourage organization and creativity with these items. For example, with the building blocks, teachers help their little ones build with building projects through collaboration. Playdough can also be used to create imaginary worlds animal animals or simple everyday objects, which promotes storytelling and language development. The scarves can be incorporated into music and movement activities, ultimately allowing your kiddos to express themselves through dance and artistic expression. Not to mention it's so fun. Cardboard boxes can be transformed into a dramatic play area. And wooden blocks can be used to teach any basic math concepts through counting and sorting activities. By embracing the versatility of simple open ended materials. You can create an environment that truly nurtures your preschool baby's holistic development and prepares them for a lifetime of learning.

Still need some help picking out a few quick and easy materials to help your little ones. I got your my friend, head over to amazon.com/shop/shanti Macias that chanty M A C I A 's or just click on the link in the show notes to get your hands on my favorite preschool toys and supplies that will help you get started with open ended play in your classroom or your home.

Okay, let's recap. In this episode, we went over what open ended materials and toys are and what they aren't. We also went over my top five simple open ended materials for preschoolers. And we talked about how teachers can encourage organization and creativity with these open ended items. Remember, when you encourage your littles to play and explore, they discover new worlds and opportunities. I mean, isn't that the magic of preschool? Don't we want that for all of our kiddos hung right there with you. And don't forget to grab your preschool activity packs right now. So you can have simple, easy to use activities prepped and ready to go for your littles when they're done with their open ended playtime. Go to Shanti macias.com/shop To get your hands on our best selling activities. And as promised, here's the promo code for you. New bestie 10 that code will get you 10% off your order. See you there. Thank you so much for hanging out with me today. I love creating content to support you on your preschool journey. So if you enjoyed this episode, reach out to me on Instagram and let me know what resonated or any questions you may have. Let's keep the conversation going. So we can support more preschool teachers and parents, just like you see in the next episode.