Loose Parts Time for Play

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Children: It's time to play!

Narrator: What is this child doing? And these children? And these babies? They are all playing with loose parts. If you are thinking that loose parts play looks like fun, it is. You may also be feeling a little unsure about what loose parts actually are. Loose parts are any collection of materials that are open-ended, meaning they can be used in many different ways. These materials don't come with a specific set of instructions or a right way to use them. Playing with loose parts, whether you are an infant exploring recycled paper, a toddler playing with natural materials, or a preschooler building a world outdoors, helps develop important skills. Research shows that when children create and build, playfully explore and pretend, they strengthen cognitive skills like problem solving and executive functioning.

An added benefit is that playing with all those parts is satisfying and fun for children and adults. Loose parts are inviting, and they help children to develop a sense of curiosity, possibility, and independence. Because the materials are open-ended, children can explore the materials how they want to, using their own ideas. Manipulating loose parts help children of all ages build sensory and motor skills and strengthen their problem-solving skills as they use materials and combine them in new ways. Because loose parts are fun and provide many ways to play, they can help children strengthen their peer relationships. The playful environment they help create encourages children to play collaboratively. Let's listen as an infant toddler teacher, Sarah, shares how she uses loose parts in her classroom.

Sarah: We decided to go with more of a loose parts philosophy as far as toys are concerned. Each classroom is geared to what the children are engaged in. I watched the children for a while, and then I just decided to incorporate what their interests were into the rest of the classroom.

Did you see this?

I put out a Keurig carousel - that would normally hold the Keurig cups - as more of an inserting tool. Last week, we were all about inserting, so now it's in and out. Now that they have the ability to remove the object, it's not just inserting. We've moved to that next step. I did the Keurig carousel and a variety of different-sized curlers.

What are you going to do with the curlers?

I want them to problem-solve. I want them to figure out, "This doesn't fit. Well, what can fit?” Yesterday, in fact, I took a picture with my iPad because we do document everything for our journeys of discovery, and they had put - one child had put a paint stir stick in their Keurig carousel, while another one was putting a curler, while another one was putting one of those plastic tubes. They were all working together with all different objects. It was my validation that, "Yes, they are into this. This is engaging. I need to continue this.”

Are you using your fingers to put that in?

Child: [Speaking indistinctly]

Sarah: In?

I put out a wooden - I don't know what it was. It just has holes in it. I don't know what it's for. I think it might be for markers. But I'm using it as an inserting tool. The curlers - some of them fit in the wooden - the holder. Some of them fit in the Keurig carousel. Any object in that room can be inserted into something from a different area. That way they know they can carry it over here. "I can insert it into the transparent jugs on the light table.” Everything can be inserted and taken out.

Child: [Speaking indistinctly]

Sarah: Yes. I put it in there.

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Narrator: As you heard, loose parts can be many different things. They can be familiar items used in a new way. They can be big or small or from the natural world. A park is a great place to find loose parts. Think sticks, pine cones, rocks, and more than likely an outdoor play area near you has loose parts, too. The recycling bin is another great place to find loose parts. Look for bottle caps, cardboard, and clean plastic bottles or cups. Let's listen to educator Doris share how her preschool classroom uses recycled materials.

Doris: The topic we're doing right now is recycling. The kids started bringing items in to recycle and to use in projects. We had a collection of different types of material. But before that, we had buildings up of different areas in Sacramento, like the Tower Bridge and downtown Sacramento. The children were building with blocks those different structures, and they were using the different color blocks to correlate with the building colors. It started with that, and then it moved into them building in the art area different structures with the recycled material.

They've been doing that for a week, just different buildings, and it just kind of evolved into that. One of my main goals was the cause and effect 'cause we're trying to figure out how to keep the walls up, to keep them strong, to keep them from falling. That was my main goal. They tried different things on how to keep it up. Some of them succeeded. Some of them fell. I asked questions like, "How can we keep it up? What can we do to keep it up?” Jacob said, "Can you hold these with your two fingers?" - so he can get the tape around. I guess they finally realized that it had to be held up to tape it around before it fell.

Jacob: I think you have to hold it with two fingers.

Doris: Oh, do I have to hold it with two fingers? OK.

Jacob: Yeah.

Child: I got lost.

Jacob: Right here, and I have to put it on here until it stays and it won't tip.

Doris: About a week ago when we were building, they started talking about the three little pigs' house and how it fell over - 'cause one of their structures fell over. That's when I brought the story, and we've been reading "The Three Little Pigs" and talking about why their house fell over and why the brick house did not fall over.

What could the first little pig and the second little pig have done differently with their house when they built their house?

Boy: It wasn't strong enough.

Doris: What could they have done to make it stronger?

Boy: Bricks!

Doris: They could have used bricks.

Narrator: This is a great example of how having access to open-ended material sparked children's initiative and creativity, and Doris did a wonderful job of following the children's lead, building their interests and explorations into activities throughout the day. Let's listen again.

Doris: Even though I had an idea of what was going to happen in the beginning and what structures were going to be made in my mind, they kind of took the initiative and used their own creativity to turn it into something completely different than what was in my mind. But I try to just let them do that so it's their product, the end product is theirs and not mine, 'cause it's not about me. It's about what they're thinking in their mind of what they want to create.

Girl: I think he needs to brush his teeth. He needs to brush his teeth.

Narrator: Following children's lead is one of the key strategies for loose parts play, not only with what materials you provide, but also by giving children time and space to explore and experiment as they play. Here are some additional strategies to get you started. Bring an open mind-set. Try to let go of any prescribed notions about how, when, and where specific materials should be used, and let children's creativity and imagination be their guide. Create "yes" spaces that allow children to access and clean up materials on their own as much as possible.

Some children, especially babies and toddlers, will need more guidance with this than others, and that's okay, too. In "yes" spaces, children can move objects and explore materials in new ways, sometimes in ways you'd never expect, and that's OK. In fact, we encourage it. Prepare safe spaces and materials for children. When selecting loose parts, consider children's developmental level, interests, and their physical abilities. Loose parts that work for one group of children might not be safe or interesting to another. Rotate materials. Think about what children like to play with and the skills they are working on, just as Sarah did in the video of her toddler learning space.

As children's interests change, don't be afraid to mix it up with familiar and new loose parts. Take a peek around your learning space, home, or neighborhood. What loose parts will you add to spark children's curiosity and creativity next? We hope all these examples encourage you to adopt a loose parts philosophy, too. Happy playing!

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