Few resources spark curiosity and creativity quite like Loose Parts!
From buttons to bricks, tyres to tubes, purchased or found; these seemingly simple materials hold infinite potential, especially in the hands & imaginations of children.
Loose Parts Play reminds us that learning doesn’t need to come in a box, nor does it need to be prescriptive.
As Early Childhood Educators, we understand that the most magical learning often happens in the simplest moments; when children are allowed the time, space and independence to explore the world around them.
Introducing Loose Parts to a child’s play & learning space provides many opportunities, beyond the simple joy of creating something, while also supporting all 5 of the Early Years Learning Framework Learning (EYLF) Outcomes.
Loose Parts, put simply, are resources that can be moved, carried, combined, redesigned, taken apart & put back together in multiple ways. They are inherently open ended in nature, meaning there’s no ‘correct’ way to use them.
A plastic apple will only ever be a plastic apple; an intricate wooden tree will only ever be a tree. A detailed printed floor mat will only be a road but play silks could be anything- a town, sand, sea, grass, the universe!
A wooden sphere can be an apple, a planet, a head, a baby, a ball.
A pinecone can be an echidna, play food, a paint brush, a tree, a person.
Almost anything can be a ‘Loose Part’, items big or small, natural or manmade!
Use your imagination or invite children to think of items that can be incorporated in play!
Loose Parts & Loose Parts Play are not new concepts, with architect Simon Nicholson coining the ‘Loose Parts Theory’ in the early 1970’s. The theory proposed the idea that the environment & resources provided to a child, directly influence their creativity & learning outcomes; even more so if they’re given open-ended resources (i.e. Loose Parts!!)
Nicholson believed that all children were inherently creative & inventive and when provided with materials that can be used in open ended ways, they engage on deeper levels. Why wouldn’t we harness this and provide children with abundant loose parts in all their learning spaces?
Ideas to implement within your services:
- Creating a ‘drop off’ point for families to donate cardboard boxes, plastic bottle tops, random buttons, cardboard cylinders from paper towels/cling wrap.
- Connect with nature & head outside. Twigs, stones, gumnuts, leaves and flowers make wonderful additions to a play space! Why not ricks, tires & boxes can evoke a child’s imagination!
Click here to see our range of loose parts resources that are perfect for adding to your learning space.
Loose Parts Play is one of the simplest, yet most open-ended forms of play.
The opportunities are limited only by imagination; the benefits are infinite.