What are Loose Parts:
In play, loose parts are materials that can be moved, carried, combined, redesigned, lined up, taken apart and put back together in multiple ways. They are materials with no specific set of directions that can be used alone or combined with other materials.
Loose parts can be natural or synthetic.
Natural items can be things such as stones, stumps, sand, gravel, fabric, twigs, wood, boxes, logs, stones, flowers, rope, shells and seedpods.
Synthetic items can be things such as bottle tops, beads, tiles, buttons, jewels, nuts and bolts.
Why Loose Parts?
The versatility of these materials provides children with virtually endless ways to create. Access to a variety of loose parts during play and exploration helps develop the following skills:
In play, loose parts are materials that can be moved, carried, combined, redesigned, lined up, taken apart and put back together in multiple ways. They are materials with no specific set of directions that can be used alone or combined with other materials.
Loose parts can be natural or synthetic.
Natural items can be things such as stones, stumps, sand, gravel, fabric, twigs, wood, boxes, logs, stones, flowers, rope, shells and seedpods.
Synthetic items can be things such as bottle tops, beads, tiles, buttons, jewels, nuts and bolts.
Why Loose Parts?
The versatility of these materials provides children with virtually endless ways to create. Access to a variety of loose parts during play and exploration helps 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