What is Loose Parts Play?
Loose parts play is play with open ended resources that encourages children to use their imagination and creativity. It also encourages children to work together and solve problems. This play will support children to make plans and follow through with their ideas. They have the opportunity to build with bigger resources in a larger space.
We have collected lots of resources and are excited to see where the children take their play. The resources will be freely available to the children in the garden so that they can make their own decisions about what they want to include in their play and what they choose to build and create.
Benefits of Loose Part Play
Social and emotional development is fostered when children collaborate during play, sharing resources and taking turns with materials.
When children use their larger muscle groups to transport, lift, drag, and position bigger loose parts, they are enhancing their gross motor development.
As children manipulate and handle smaller objects, their fine motor abilities improve. During tinker tray activities, which are common in loose parts play, children frequently use their fingers and hands to arrange and stack various items.
Since loose parts play doesn’t come with predetermined functions, it provides an ideal setting for children to freely explore their ideas. This type of play encourages children to exercise their imagination and discover multiple ways to use the same materials throughout their playtime!
Why We Love Loose Parts Play
Loose parts play enables children to develop abilities across the entire curriculum—including Mathematics, Literacy, Arts & Crafts, Science and various other subjects—while also being remarkably simple to implement!
By providing open-ended resources and loose parts, children can express their creativity and learn in personally relevant and significant ways. Children find great joy in engaging with materials that have no predetermined purpose, allowing them to create entirely from their own imaginative ideas!
