Have you ever imagined a family of hedgehogs from a collection of pine cones? Or realise that a collection of sticks, pebbles, and leaves might be transformed into the world’s quickest rocket ship? Most likely not. Yet, your kids undoubtedly have.
Children can see potential in everything. An object can never be only one thing. Watching children use their imagination alone to turn a seemingly random assortment of discovered items into something extraordinary is interesting.
To better assist you in comprehending what it is, why it matters, and how to include stray pieces into your routine, we’ve broken loose parts play down for you.
What Is Loose Parts Play
According to the loose parts play hypothesis by architect Simon Nicholson, children have greater options for creativity and engagement when given a variety of little things (i.e., loose parts) as they rearrange, redesign, and experiment with the components, generating patterns and new objects as they go.
Your kids typically play naturally in loose-parts games. They gather pieces from their environment and combine them to create something new. When we discuss loose parts play theory in an educational or more organised context, we are referring to providing kids with additional chances to explore and express their natural creativity.
The Benefits of Loose Parts Play
It’s simple for adults to view loose elements of play as active labour or something to keep children engaged when we’re engrossed in our busy days. But it goes much beyond that. Loose parts play is essential to the learning and developing skills your kid requires.
You might be surprised to discover the benefits and how helpful playing with random items can be for young children. Among the advantages are:
- Fostering a sense of independence by allowing kids to explore a variety of materials autonomously.
- Boosting language development when children interact with their classmates, teachers, parents, and other caregivers to share their thoughts and expertise.
- Stimulating children’s curiosity and ability to think abstractly as they investigate the materials and find new ways to play with them.
- Developing fine motor skills as kids pick up, hold, and handle objects in various ways.
- Encouraging cooperation, sharing, and a sense of belonging when kids engage in play with people around them.
- Increasing their physical play, exercise, and gross motor skills, when kids move, transfer, problem solving and use their creations in more creative play.
Loose Parts Play Toys
With loose parts play, children may explore and examine in their unique manner because it is an open-ended activity. Kids may use their creativity to develop projects and ideas using a wide range of adaptable materials, continuously expanding on their own learning experiences. Studying commonplace things and learning about play can help develop a young child’s interest.
Rainbow Wooden Nuts & Bolts
Our TickiT rainbow wooden nuts & bolts, fashioned from lovely beechwood with a natural woodgrain, come in all seven colours of the rainbow. Each shape has a different number of edges, ranging from one to eight, and each nut has a corresponding bolt for pairing by colour and form.
Children will enjoy handling these wooden parts, learning about colour and shape, and figuring out how the nuts and bolts join together. Your kid will improve their manual dexterity, fine motor skills, counting, and early numeracy while they play.
For prolonged imaginative play, you can combine this toy with other items from the rainbow wooden line, like the rainbow architect sets, rainbow wooden buttons, and rainbow wooden loose pieces.
Wooden Treasures Taster Set
A lovely collection of colourful, smooth wooden treasures will allow your child to experience the delights of play-based learning. These simple but enjoyable objects will stimulate your child’s natural curiosity and allow them to use their limitless creativity to find new ways to play with the objects, learn about their environment, and explore their surroundings.
As there is no right way to use these elements, your child is free to explore, study, and use them in their imaginative thoughts. The natural wood can be seen through the colour shade, which allows for free interpretation. The loose parts play collection is excellent for fostering exploration and creativity, hand-eye coordination development, and fine motor skill improvement. Using the set will allow your children to make images and tales, practice counting and sorting, and construct patterns and sequences.
Rainbow Wooden Rings
Wooden rings come in all seven colours of the rainbow and are crafted from gorgeous, smooth, solid beechwood with a natural woodgrain finish. Perfect for sequencing, sorting, rolling, and threading.
Clear Crystal Treasures
Your kids will like using these elements in creative play because they come in 5 distinct forms. Playing with and organising the shapes helps your child’s fine motor skills, encourages creativity, and helps them hone their descriptive language skills.
Rainbow Wooden Eggs
This toy is ideal for encouraging imaginative play, developing building skills, enhancing counting, sorting, balancing, and sequencing skills, and teaching your child about colour and pattern-making. Combine sets from the TickiT rainbow wooden line for more variation and pleasure. Wooden eggs are perfect to pair with any of our loose wooden pieces or heuristic play kits to encourage your children to learn about and explore their surroundings.
The development that children gain from loose parts play and its theory is a fantastic way to help improve many of their individual and team skills for later life, thus enhancing their ability to develop better and more extensive relationships through the medium of play.
Getting the right balance between the loose play and the development of all children is what we are trying to create in a happy and imaginative learning experience through toys that have vibrant colour and a very tactile feel.
There is a ton of options when it comes to loose parts play. You may issue several invites to play or give them the toys and leave them loose.
