The Science of Play:

Why Preschoolers Need Open-Ended Materials

Play Isn’t “Extra”

Walk into any preschool classroom and you’ll likely see a variety of play options: puzzles, coloring sheets, dramatic play corners, blocks, and maybe a sensory table. But not all play is created equal. Some activities tell children exactly what to do: complete the puzzle, color within the lines, stack the rings in size order. Other activities, however, leave the outcome entirely up to the child. These are called open-ended play experiences, and they’re where some of the most important learning happens.

Educators and researchers alike have emphasized that play isn’t a break from learning; it is learning. For example, experts at the American Academy of Pediatrics explain that play builds brain architecture, self-regulation, and resilience, and should be seen as central to healthy development rather than an optional add-on. When children are given time and materials that let them create, invent, and solve problems on their own terms, they are doing serious developmental work.

What Makes Play “Open-Ended”?

Open-ended play happens when children engage with materials that don’t dictate how they should be used. Think about blocks, magnetic panels, scarves, sticks, cardboard boxes, or even loose parts like buttons and tubes. These objects can become anything. A block can be a phone, a car, a skyscraper, or part of a pretend sandwich. A set of panels can be a rocket ship in the morning and a reading nook after lunch.

This kind of play is different from structured activities, which typically have a correct answer or pre-defined outcome. Structured tasks can be useful for practicing specific skills, but they don’t allow children to generate their own ideas or test their own theories. With open-ended play, the child becomes the director, the builder, and the problem-solver.

Why Preschoolers Need Open-Ended Play

Building Executive Function and Self-Control

Preschool is a critical time for developing executive function: the set of skills that helps children pay attention, manage their emotions, remember instructions, and adapt to new situations. According to child development researchers, children strengthen these skills when they engage in flexible, unstructured play.

Imagine two preschoolers building a fort together. They need to plan (“What will it look like?”), remember rules (“Don’t knock down this wall”), and adjust when things go wrong (“The roof fell—how can we fix it?”). Every step requires patience, problem-solving, and persistence. These aren’t just “cute” moments. They’re real-life exercises in the exact skills children will rely on for school readiness.

The American Academy of Pediatrics notes that play helps children learn to regulate their emotions and behavior. In a world where preschoolers are increasingly scheduled and tested, open-ended play gives them much-needed practice in making choices and managing themselves.

Fueling Creativity and Problem-Solving

Children are naturally curious and imaginative. When we give them the freedom to explore, they become inventors. A panel isn’t just a panel; it’s a rocket, a puppet theater, or a storefront.

Research on guided play; a blend of open-ended exploration with light adult support—shows that this kind of learning environment consistently encourages problem-solving and creativity. For example, instead of telling children to “build a house,” a teacher might say, “What could you make that would fit three friends inside?” This prompt challenges them to think critically, test solutions, and collaborate, without dictating the outcome.

Weisberg and colleagues, who have studied guided play extensively, found that children often learn more effectively in this kind of playful environment than in direct instruction settings. The reason is simple: when children want to solve a problem they’ve chosen, they stick with it longer, take risks, and celebrate their successes more deeply.

Strengthening Spatial Skills for STEM Success

One of the most overlooked benefits of open-ended play is how it develops spatial reasoning: the ability to visualize and manipulate shapes, sizes, and positions in the mind. According to research by Jirout and Newcombe, children who frequently play with spatial toys like blocks and construction materials show stronger spatial skills, which later predict higher achievement in science, technology, engineering, and math.

When preschoolers experiment with balance while stacking panels, compare lengths when bridging a gap, or explore symmetry while building towers, they are laying the groundwork for geometry, physics, and engineering. These skills don’t emerge from worksheets; they emerge from trial and error in hands-on, open-ended experiences.

Boosting Language, Social, and Emotional Growth

Open-ended play is a natural language lab. When children create their own stories, assign roles, and narrate what they are building, they practice vocabulary and storytelling in meaningful contexts. Teachers who join in can extend language by asking open questions: “What’s happening in your store today?” or “How will customers enter your café?”

At the same time, these play scenarios are rich training grounds for social-emotional skills. Children learn to negotiate roles (“I’ll be the pilot, you be the passenger”), compromise (“Let’s make it a castle and a spaceship”), and resolve conflicts (“We can use these blocks for both”). These negotiations help them develop empathy, cooperation, and conflict-resolution strategies.

And let’s not forget joy. Play is deeply satisfying. It reduces stress and helps children process emotions. For some, the freedom of open-ended play is where they feel most capable, confident, and calm.

Superspace: A Practical Example of Open-Ended Materials

Superspace, a life-sized modular magnetic play system, was designed with exactly these principles in mind. The panels are large enough for collaborative building, strong enough to create real structures, and flexible enough to become something new every day.

In practice, Superspace might look like:

• A quiet reading nook that doubles as a calm-down space

• A puppet theater where children create and perform their own stories

• A STEM lab where groups test how high a tower can go before it topples

• A sensory divider for classrooms that need adaptable zones

  
  

Because there are no instructions, children must invent. And because the materials are big, they must cooperate. In every build, they are exercising executive function, creativity, spatial reasoning, and social-emotional skills—all while immersed in play.

Tips for Educators Who Want More Open-Ended Play

1. Protect the Time: Schedule at least 20–30 minutes each day for uninterrupted open-ended play. The consistency matters as much as the length.

2. Curate the Materials: Offer materials that can be used in multiple ways: panels, blocks, fabrics, loose parts. Avoid toys that only do one thing.

3. Step In, Step Back: Provide light prompts when children need a nudge (“How could you make it taller?”), but avoid taking over. Your role is facilitator, not director.

4. Use the Language of Discovery: Integrate spatial words like “balance,” “corner,” “taller,” and “symmetry.” These small moments build powerful vocabulary.

5. Celebrate the Process, Not the Product: Ask children to tell you about their creations. Focus less on the finished build and more on their thinking and problem-solving.

   
   

Letting Preschoolers Write Their Own Script

The evidence is clear. When preschoolers engage in open-ended play, they are not just passing the time, they are strengthening the very skills that will serve them for a lifetime. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, play builds brain architecture and resilience. According to Weisberg and colleagues, guided play enhances learning more effectively than traditional instruction. And according to Jirout and Newcombe, open-ended construction develops the spatial reasoning skills that set the stage for future STEM achievement.

Superspace is one of many ways to make this science practical. By giving children flexible, durable, imaginative materials, educators can create classrooms where play is not filler but the foundation of learning. When play has no script, children write their own stories. And that’s where real learning begins.

References

Jirout, J. J., & Newcombe, N. S. (2015). Building blocks for developing spatial skills: Evidence from a large, representative U.S. sample. Psychological Science, 26(3), 302–310. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797614563338

Weisberg, D. S., Hirsh-Pasek, K., & Golinkoff, R. M. (2016). Guided play: Principles and practices. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 25(3), 177–182. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721416645512

Yogman, M., Garner, A., Hutchinson, J., Hirsh-Pasek, K., & Golinkoff, R. M. (2018). The power of play: A pediatric role in enhancing development in young children. Pediatrics, 142(3), e20182058. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2018-2058