"Open-ended play encourages this highly individual experience and is fueled by imagination. Toys that leave room for a child's input and creative imagination are the ones that they return to over and over again – they are captivating, enduring."

"It's important to start kids on the right road to imaginative play from their earliest months of infancy. The Singers point out recent research that shows children who are encouraged in imaginative play prove to be more creative a few years later, have a richer vocabulary, are less impulsive and aggressive and often become leaders with their playmates."

"When looking for toys that will help your child develop imagination, look for those that lead to open-ended play, not only allowing for, but rewarding the child's creativity. It is precisely this type of imaginative play that many child development experts recognize as helping prepare a child's mind for learning facts and figures as well as preparing his or her mind for life."

- John Lee
President and CEO
Learning Curve International
(makers of Thomas & Friends)

“Developmental play constitutes a major part of a preschooler’s life and is a valuable aspect of a child’s cognitive, social, physical and emotional growth. As we examine the numerous benefits of this type of play, we will see that the adult personality may very well have its foundation in the play of the child.”

- Drs. Dorothy and Jerome Singer
Yale University

"toys that can be adapted to different age and ability levels will be more useful...since developmental differences across one year can be great"