If you're apart of the open ended play community in Australia you've likely already heard of Stapelstein. They are a fantastic resoursce for any open ended toy collection and can be used by children as young as 1 year old and can of course be enjoyed as well by toddlers, school aged children and even adults too!
Children have a natural urge to move and Stapelstein are a fantastic resource to encourage more active play. They can be used anywhere you please!
Indoors, outdoors - even in water!
Often we are asked "how do you play with them" and the answer is... anyway you please!
Below I've listed a few but I'll show you even more down below.
- Stack them up tall
- Roll them along the floor
- Lay them flat and walk over them
- Jump between them
- Hide items inside
- Transport items inside them
- Balance on one foot on top
- Throw sandbags and catch them with a stone
- Stack them and sit on them like a stool
- Stand on them like a stool to reach higher places
- Colour sort items you find into them
- Take them to the beach and carry sand in them
- Put them in the bath or pool
- Use them as a bowl during pretend play
I'm sure that gives you a bit of an idea as to how they can be so verstaile for children's play. Whilst playing they are sure to offer many opportunities for children to develop their motor skills, cognition and creativity!
They are made in Germany from expanded Polypropylene using an innovative foaming process with the help of air and steam which makes them light weight, waterproof, saliva proof, bit proof and super robust!
Each stone weighs only 180 grams so the amount of weight they can hold may surprise you.
The Stones can hold up to 180kg and the Balance Boards can hold 120kg!
Size of a Stapelstein Original stone is diameter = 27.5 cm, height = 12 cm
Range of Colours
The stones come in two colour ways, classic rainbow and pastels. Let's start with the Classic Rainbow. Each colourway is available as a set of 6, as a set of 3 in primary or secondary colours and as singles too.
Set of 6 Rainbow Colours; red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet.
Set of 6 Pastel Colours; light red, light orange, light yellow, mint, light blue and light violet.
The beauty of the different sets available is that you can start small with a single stone or pick a larger set. There are also more colours available in singles that aren't available in the sets so you can customize the colours to suit your family.
You can also purchase a set of 6 stones with a balance board too. Browse the full range of Stapelstein here to see all the different sets available.
The Confetti Range
If you love rainbows then I'm sure you'll love the confetti colours!
They are available as a single stone in Rainbow Confetti, Pastel Confetti & Super Confetti!
The Rainbow Confetti combines all the colours of the 6 rainbow colours as does the Pastel Confetti.
Super Confetti is the newest addition to the range and it combines the colours of both the classic rainbow and pastel colours all together in one!
These are stunning on their own or as part of an existing collection. They are the perfect match to bring the two colourways together as well.
Please note: The green in the super confetti board & stones may be different depending on the batch we receive. It will either be 'green' or 'dark green.' Please feel welcome to send us a message to confirm which we have in stock if you have a preference.
Balance Boards
The balance boards can be purchased on their own or also in packs as a Set of 6 + Balance Board. They can be used on their own and also in combination with the stones. Ours are often used on its own as well to wobble and spin all around the house.
The Balance Board also stacks perfectly into the bottom of a stepping stone for storage and also play!
My children love to stack the stones up and put the board on top to make a wobbly stool and they also enjoy turning that stack upside down to balance. With lots of practice they have been able to balance it up to 7 stones high!
Stapelstein Inside
Stapelstein Inside are the perfefct addition to your existing set of stones but of course they can also be used on their own too.
Did you know that each set of 3 Stapelstein Inside fits inside a regular stone?!
They are a match made in heaven and they're sure to inspire even more play!
Each Stapelstein Inside piece can support up to 50 kg in weight.
Below are the sizes of each piece too!
- Inside S: Weight = 12 g, Diameter = 93.5 mm, Height = 42.2 mm
- Inside M: Weight = 38.4 g, Diameter = 155.6 mm, Height = 66.1 mm
- Inside L: Weight = 70.8 g, Diameter = 211.1 mm, Height = 87.6 mm
Play Ideas
Now let's get to the fun stuff!
There are heaps of ways to play and they are sure to change as children grow older. We listed many above but you can scroll down for even more inspiration... enjoy!
Sorting or storing loose parts in your play space.
Step, hop or jump between them.
Take them outside to the backyard, beach, bath or even the pool.
Combine into pretend play.
Collect nature treasures during a walk.
Play games inside them.
Take them into the bath.
Practice nesting, stacking and balancing with them.
Store toys or loose parts inside them.
Stack, wobble and flip on them.
Offer them to use as a bowl during pretend play.
Combine them into an outdoor obstacle course.
Colour sort items into catergories inside them.
Of course there are always more ways to play when it comes to open ended toys! Just use your imagination and you'll soon discover even more ways to play.
Happy playing :)
Written by Alison Barnhill