If you’ve ever muttered “Why do we even have toys?” while tripping over a floor full of them, this post is for you.
Because here’s the thing: my daughter has a whole toy box of goodies, but when I pull out one open-ended toy, like our trusty Duplo set, she’s suddenly an imaginative genius. Castles, treasure towers, obstacle courses, all with the same handful of bricks. Honestly, it makes me question why I ever bought anything with batteries.
So today, in the spirit of keeping things simple (and my living room walkable), here are 10 easy, creative ways to use just one toy, perfect for open-ended play, and even better for mums who don’t want to keep switching activities every 5 minutes.
Why One Toy Works So Well
Open-ended play is all about how children use the toy, not how many they have. As someone who spent years working in nurseries and teaching Early Years at uni, I’m a big believer in toys that let children lead the play. One set of bricks can spark storytelling, maths skills, problem-solving, and fine motor development, all without a single flashing light or annoying sound effect.
And honestly, it means less mess, fewer toy battles, and more play that lasts longer than a Bluey episode.
1. Build the Tallest Tower Challenge
This is a classic in our house. One of us builds the tallest possible tower, and the other knocks it down. you can add a measuring tape for added drama and added numeracy development.
2. Colour Sorting Race
Give them bowls or muffin trays and ask them to sort bricks by colour. Add a little egg timer if your child thrives on being “the fastest sorter in the land.”
3. Pretend Play Town
My daughter is obsessed with role play and small-world play, she builds houses for her soft toys. One minute it’s a rabbit hotel, the next it’s a café serving invisible soup. Pop a few [little animal figures] in the mix and suddenly you’ve got full-on zoo.
4. Copycat Build
You build something small, and they try to copy it exactly. Great for concentration, colour recognition, and observation skills. It also gives you time to get on with something whilst they copy your structure.
5. Animal Rescue Maze
Set up a few walls and tunnels with Duplo for a toy animal or car to make its way through., allowing them to continue your vision and make it their own. You could even extend the activity by encouraging them to draw out a map of the maze to help the animals make their way around.
6. Hidden Surprise Builds
Create a box structure with your child and take turns to hide an object inside it. The challenge is to guess what it is before opening it. Think pass-the-parcel, but with bricks. My daughter found a spoon once. she was thrilled.
You could extend this by adding giving clues, either by colours or what sound the object starts with, allowing for some phonics learning.
7. Obstacle Course
Build a few small jumps and ramps for cars or Duplo characters and let your little one continue building the course, sometimes starting off an activity is the best way to inspire. I once caught Aasiyah guiding her Duplo person through what she described as “Duplo floor is lava”
8. Add Foil or Fabric
Tip the Duplo out and give them a sheet of foil or a scarf and see what happens. In our house, foil-wrapped bricks are “magic treasure” and scarves are “cosy blankets.” It’s chaotic but fun. By adding some different elements to the activity, it can really spark new creativity.
9. Story Time Structures
Pick a favourite book and build something from it. We did The Gruffalo’s last week, and it somehow turned into a drive-through donut shop. Doesn’t matter, they’re creating, they’re thinking, and you get ten minutes of silence.
10. Brick Café
Set up a pretend café using Duplo bricks, build tables, a counter, and serve up “meals” made from blocks. In our house, yellow is cheese, red is soup, and stacked bricks are birthday cake. Great for imaginative play, and zero crumbs to clean up.
Final Thoughts
So if your living room currently looks like a soft play exploded, pick one toy! just one! and show them how to stretch it. You don’t need 100 toys. You need one toy that does 100 things.
Right now in our house, that’s Duplo. Next week, who knows? Maybe magnatiles or blocks.
