July 2023

What are Loose Parts?

Loose parts, as the name suggests, are loose, tactile materials that children can move around during play and as they explore, allowing them to be creative. They ignite children’s curiosity, capture their interest, and allow for them to be creative and imaginative in how they choose to play! They are open-ended and in the hands of a child can become anything they desire. There is no limit to what they will create and learn. 

Architect Simon Nicholson developed the theory of loose parts in the 1970s. He used the term 'loose parts' to describe open-ended materials which he believed facilitated and empowered creativity and exploration. He theorized it gave children much more freedom and creativity than that of fixed learning environments and toys with limited uses. Loose parts are natural or synthetic found, bought, or upcycled materials—acorns, hardware, stones, aluminum foil, fabric scraps, for example—that children can move, manipulate, control, and change within their play. 

Why Loose Parts for Learning?

Loose parts play encourages children to be creative, they help them develop skills such as critical thinking and problem-solving. Loose parts also allow children to understand success and failure as they build and play, discovering what works and what doesn't. They grow children's confidence, as they can choose how to play as there is no right or wrong way.

The point of loose parts is to give a child the chance to explore, experiment, learn, and have fun!

Loose Parts Can Help Children Develop the Following Skills:

• Problem Solving
• Engineering
• Creativity
• Concentration
• Hand-eye coordination
• Fine motor development
• Gross motor development
• Language and vocabulary building
• Mathematical thinking
• Scientific thinking
• Literacy
• Social/emotional development
• Collaborative play
   

The simple, turns into the extraordinary, in the hands of a child. Will a pebble become a rocket ship? A block could be a castle or a mountain! The possibilities are endless.

Loose Parts Activities

Inspiring children is important to help them discover. Although loose part play is designed to give children the opportunity to play open-endedly, we can create small prompting activities to help them engage or simply offer the loose parts and see where the play will guide their learning.

For example, you could build a house out of building blocks for the child to play with. Children will have their own creative ideas, so if they do something completely different from what you have set up do not stop them. Remember loose part play has no right or wrong way.

Here are some activity ideas for learning!

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