Child-Directed Play

Children will play, no matter what toys are on hand. A child with nothing more than what he can find in the natural world—a few sticks, some pebbles, a pile of leaves—can spend hours engrossed in an elaborate fantasy. Kids are experts at repurposing too. A toy car becomes a microphone; a doll is suddenly a pillow. Whether you give a young person a simple wooden play kitchen set or an elaborate toy with all of the bells and whistles, you can count on one thing: The child will do something original with it. Kids are great at making do and will forge ahead with all manner of imaginative play when given the time and freedom to do so.

This fact is helpful to those charged with taking good care of kids. Whether you are a parent, grandparent, teacher, daycare provider or occasional babysitter, it’s good to know that the kids will be alright and that they don’t need to be guided or overly managed during play. Yes, engaging with little ones is essential, but so is stepping aside. You can set up a safe, clean, emotionally safe place for children—maybe you provide a room with some of the items you’ll find here at The Kinder Garden such as a Guidecraft kitchen set, Melissa and Doug puzzles, HABA dolls and Aurora stuffed animals—and you ensure that “the natives” are generally harmonious. It’s like setting the stage for creative geniuses, who may then take over and engage full-force in imaginative play. There’s nothing quite like it, and leaders in educational development agree: Open-ended play in which the child determines what happens next is ideal for fostering emotional and mental growth.

The Kinder Garden is full of the props kids need for their imaginative adventures, quality items from wooden play kitchen set components from Guidecraft, kitchen food play sets from Melissa and Doug, beanbags from Maple Woodworks, games, puppets, dolls, rugs, costumes, and much more—all designed to nurture the creative spirit of children.