Loose Parts Play
What is Loose Parts Play?
Every parent has had at least one experience with Loose Parts Play. Remember the moment when your child opened a birthday or holiday gift and was more interested and excited to play with the box or the wrappings than the actual gift itself ?
Whether it’s packing peanuts, bubble wrap, or other loose parts, kids just love to play with the stuff. This is where the term loose parts play comes from.
The importance of Loose Parts Play
The idea of loose parts play was created by architect Simon Nicholson, who recognised the importance of loose part play. Encouraging children to play with open-ended materials is strongly connected to the development of creativity and critical thinking which is developed and enhanced as your child grows. To see this truth in reality, all we have to do is watch children at play with loose parts.
Loose Parts Play Ideas
You can find loose parts just about everywhere, from your kitchen to your garden. Here are just a few ideas for play:
• Create faces using leaves, twigs, and flowers
• Make a river with a blanket and build a bridge with sticks and string
• Create a track for cars using boxes, bricks, and toilet roll inserts
• Design mosaic with pasta, washers, beads, and shells
• Celebrate the season from things foraged from the garden
The list of materials is virtually infinite as are the creative ways they can be used. The only limit is your child's imagination.
How to Implement Loose Part Play
The beauty of loose part play is that you can encourage your children to do it at home or in the classroom. But before you begin, consider the age of the children you are playing with, so that you don’t give them materials that... Read More