Building on Creativity: Loose Parts Play
Creativity and curiosity converge in the ultimate unstructured play: loose parts.
How often have you sat back and watched as your child played intently with dirt, leaves, and sticks?
Or found your kitchen floor covered in plastic containers, pots and pans while you cook dinner?
How many times have you witnessed a child open a present only for them to play with the box or wrapping paper?
All of these are examples of loose parts play.
It’s simple and fun, and it can lead to fabulous opportunities for learning and collaboration.
WHAT IS LOOSE PARTS PLAY?
Loose parts are any material that can be moved and carried. They can be combined, redesigned, lined up, taken apart and put back together in multiple ways. They’re materials with no specific set of directions that can be used alone or in combination with any other materials.
Essentially anything can be a loose part. They can be natural objects like stones, shells, twigs, leaves, or man-made objects like cardboard boxes, PVC pipes, ropes, and blocks.
Children are naturally drawn to loose parts. Unlike traditional playgrounds that have limited flexibility and options, with loose parts they can experiment and choose how they’re going to use or move an item in their space.
It’s an intricately woven play experience that happens all the time, but a lot of the time they’re doing it on their own. Children need to know the way nature and the world works, and they learn this through being allowed to pick up, manipulate and pull apart objects, and by letting their curiosity take the lead.
Robin Moore suggests that kids really get to know their environment if they can dig it, beat it, swat it, lift it, push it, join it and combine different things with it in a process of imagination and environment working together.
BUILDING ESSENTIAL SKILLS
We know that creative experimention and imaginative thinking are entirely what we need for future endeavours in all sorts of industries.
Loose parts play allows children to explore the creative side of things, to test new ideas and be innovative.
Julie Wilson from Education Scotland adds that "The imaginative activity that accompanies messing about with loose materials forms the basis of creative and resourceful thinking in the arts and sciences. Negotiating changing situations, assessing and managing risk and enjoying the sheer physicality of the outdoors, all promote a sense of well-being and confidence that stands us in good stead for the challenges of an unpredictable future."
The concept of loose parts play originated from architect Simon Nicholson in the 1970s. He believed that the loose parts in our environment encourage creativity, imagination, and problem-solving skills.
“All children love to interact with variables such as materials and shapes; smells and other physical phenomena, such as electricity, magnetism and gravity; media such as gases and fluids; sounds, music and motion; chemical interactions cooking and fire, and other people, and animals, plants, words, concepts and ideas. With all these things all children love to play, experiment, discover and invent and have fun. All these things have one thing in common, which is variables or ‘loose parts’” —Simon Nicholson
The Benefits of Loose Parts Play
Loose parts lead to unstructured play at its absolute finest. As with all forms of play, the benefits are countless:
Promotes creativity: Loose parts play encourages children to think creatively and use their imagination. They can create anything they want, and there are no right or wrong ways to play with loose parts. It’s also a fantastic opportunity to develop STEM skills.
Develops problem-solving skills: Children get to use their problem-solving skills to figure out how to use loose parts to create what they want. We’ve seen amazing projects come about from very random odds and ends, and often see these objects being used in new and unexpected ways.
Enhances fine motor skills: Playing with small loose parts like buttons, beads, or rocks requires children to use their fingers and hands, which helps to develop fine motor skills.
Develops social skills: Loose parts play can be done independently or in groups. When children play together, they learn to communicate, cooperate, and negotiate with each other. Also, the creations are that much bigger and exciting when shared with friends! One time at our City Makers Workshops we witnessed the children work together to make a huge music theatre. It was completely their own idea, and they worked together to make it happen.
Encourages risk-taking: Loose parts play allows children to take risks and try new things, which helps to build their confidence. The boardwalk and elevator they’re working on might not actually get them up to the second storey they’re imagining, but that’s beside the point.
Ready, set, create!
Encouraging loose parts play is easy. Here are a few ways to get started:
Create a loose parts play area: Set up an area in your home or yard with a variety of loose parts. Or come along to one of our City Makers Play Sessions at the MET in Maroochydore.
Provide a variety of loose parts: Offer a variety of loose parts like natural objects, blocks, and man-made materials like cardboard boxes, PVC pipes, and ropes. The best items are the things that no-one really knows what they are – the thingamajig, duvawacky, whatchamacallit, doodad, gizmo – you know the ones!
Be open to mess: For the sake of your best induction cookpots, perhaps grab some second-hand ones from the op-shop and keep them in a bucket outside. Loose parts play can be messy, and there’s no telling what’s going to happen those items – they might get dismantled and used in very unconventional ways. But it's essential to let children explore and experiment without worrying about the mess.
Let children lead: Allow children to lead the play and decide what they want to create with the loose parts. Often as adults we’re not aware of how fixed our thinking is. That umbrella is an umbrella, and it’s used to protect from rain or sun, but for a child it could be a propeller, a boat, or something else entirely. It's a wonderful reminder that we can always shift our perspective to see the world in new and exciting ways.
Join in the fun: Don’t sit on the sidelines, join in! They love to share their creations, but let their ideas and curiosity lead the way, and strap yourself in for a wild ride.
“Necessity may be the mother of invention but play certainly is the father” – Roger Van Oech.
We hope this helps you have a better idea of what loose parts play is, how fun and easy it can be and how it facilitates learning and creativity for children. If you’ve got your own tips for loose parts play that we haven’t covered here, let us know over on our socials @wildlings_forestschool.
If you’d like to experience the joys of loose parts play in the company of wildly creative kids, come and join us at one of our City Makers Workshops at the MET in Maroochydore. Head to www.wildlingsforestschool.com/bookings to book your spot today. We hope to see you there!
Written by Ellen Nesbitt. Ellen is a nature play advocate and creative writer with a passion for helping families connect with the outdoors. She is dedicated to exploring ways to nurture children's creativity, independence, wellbeing and love for nature.