The best toys for little ones are often the simplest. Kids are little explorers who learn by doing. Play gives your kid a great opportunity to develop new skills and practice over and over again. Childhood is defined by playtime and -together with it- the freedom to explore and create worlds in one’s mind.

Do you like to encourage ‘free play’ with your kids? Focus on what the child can do, rather than what the toys can do, and give them toys without too many rules. And, good news (at least for me), open-ended toys they are not noisy and annoying, they don’t ring or light up when your child press a button. Your kids will use them in multiple ways over time according to their imagination and age.

Here’s a small selection of toys that encourage children’s creative play. Enjoy!

Available from Wodibow

If you’re a huge fan of Wodibow and their Mastodonts like me, then you’ll love their new toy Cwic. They’ve just presented their new products at Maison & Object Paris 2015 and Handmade Charlotte’ readers are the first to see them online.

This gorgeous plaything comes in a box with 58 pieces of solid beech and magnets. Put leaves, flowers, fruits and even snow onto your all-seasons tree. Wodibow toys are different from everything else: quality design perfectly combining looks. And, to make it better, they are environmentally friendly.

Available from Magis

What does your dream car look like? Maybe your kids can reproduce it and you can play together. Floris Hoverns designs toys that both children and adults will find hard to resist. He has recently created a new series of toys for Magis called CarTools.

These playthings are similar to his famous ArcheToys but these have more flexibility like the way the Lego blocks. Create a new vehicle over and over again switching, moving and turning around the basic shapes. Changing a car has never been car was so easy!

Available from Mitoi

Miclik hasn’t limits. Build a castle or a flower, now an animal, a shield or a garment… Love the ingenious design which allows you to snap together and fold pieces in any direction for unlimited building possibilities. With miclick, your kids can create their own world. How many stories will your kids imagine playing?

Available from LupeToys.

If your family appreciates nature and science, I’m pretty sure that you will love the products of the Mexican brand Lupe toys. A DIY paper chess set inspired by minerals or a construction toy that replicates the structure of the plants are some of their toys. Sounds complicate! They’re not! Ramis allows creating infinite trees from the leaf of a fern to a large oak tree. It’s fun and simple: snap the colorful branches together, change their configuration and have fun!

What are your children’s favorite open-ended toys? I love to hear your thoughts!

Top image: H BLOCK is available from Rock & Pebble. Rock & Pebble is a long-time favorite of mine. They have just added a new toy to their range, available in black, white and natural. How not to love those simple yet surprisingly creative construction blocks? You can create amazing sculptures, odd shapes, strange creatures, design patterns and so on. Check out their e-shop!