In a world full of electronic and digital things, sometimes the most elementary stuff is just the best. Especially when it comes to play.

Not only are simple play things, well, simple but they are also so good for your budget! And best of all, they cultivate open-ended creative play that many children nowadays don’t do enough of. With school work, T.V. and structured/educational activities all day long, our children’s creative capacities are threatened without the simple stuff that time, space and ordinary objects are made of.

We have some toys in our house but most of the things my little kid plays with are stuff we already have. And one of our most favorite things to use are fabrics and scarves of sort (except we bought the silk scarves from Dharma Trading Company and dyed them ourselves, which was for another fun activity!) The possibilities truly feel endless when it comes to open-ended playthings such as scarves and fabrics so we have a big stash of them around here.

Here are the ways we love them:

They make for cozy playhouses or forts (no sewing required!)

They make awesome dress up clothes: robes, skirts, dresses!

They make for a great quick mystery box!

They help tie balloon wings on a jiffy.

And finally, they help keep your wooden  floors from getting scratched!

So if you haven’t yet discovered the wonder of fabrics and scarves, scrounge around your house for them or find them at your local thrift store and clean them well. And then let your children have it at them!

Thoughts? Ideas? Comment away!