Waldorf-inspired play starts with less. These toys are made from wood and other natural materials, in simple forms that don't tell a child what to be. A rainbow becomes a tunnel, a cradle, a bridge. A handful of peg people becomes a family, a village, a whole story.

You'll find rainbow stackers, peg dolls and gnomes, nature figures, building slats and loose parts: open-ended pieces chosen for natural materials, simple shapes and imaginative play. They grow with your child and come back out year after year.

You'll also find translucent lucite blocks. Many modern Waldorf- and Reggio-inspired playrooms pair them with wooden rainbows for light and color play by a sunny window.