One of the best ways for kids to play and learn is by exploring with loose parts and engaging in some open-ended play.
Personally, we play with loose parts both indoors and outdoors all of the time, but since it is almost summertime (yay, finally!), we're going to focus on loose parts outdoor play and how that may look in your own backyard.
Below, I explain what loose parts are and include a list of materials that can be used for outdoor play. Then I touch on some of the benefits of loose parts play and offer alternative solutions for those of you in small spaces (i.e., without backyards). I even show you a few different ways that my kids have explored using various materials we often have in our backyard.
So, ready to learn more about loose parts play in the backyard? Let's dig in!
A version of this post originally appeared on the CBC Parents website.
What are Loose Parts?
As the name suggests, loose parts are open-ended materials that kids can play with anyway that they like. The materials can be moved, manipulated, or even combined in various ways. And they encourage creativity and exploration because the materials are versatile and have no predetermined purposes or function.
Loose parts can be synthetic, recycled, and/or natural materials, including everything from sticks and rocks to cardboard boxes and milk jug lids.
Examples of Loose Parts for Outdoor Play
While loose parts can be played with both indoors and outdoors, the focus here is enjoying the warmer weather outdoors. So, here are some examples of loose parts that children can enjoy outdoors in the spring and summer months:
- Pinecones
- Rocks
- Sticks
- Driftwood
- Logs
- Fabric
- Balls
- Buckets or pails
- PVC pipes
- Scrap wood
- Pacing stones
- Tires
- Rope or string
- Seashells
- Crates
- Boxes
- Cut up pool noodles
- Hula hoops
Obviously, this list is not exhaustive. Instead, it's meant more to inspire you to think of natural materials or even recyclable materials that your children could play, explore, and create with.
The best part about using loose parts is that you can use scrap or spare items you have laying around in your house, garage, or yard OR you can even go on a treasure hunt to collect natural materials such as pinecones, rocks, or sticks. That means you can provide hours of entertainment and learning to your child(ren) for practically nothing. Frugal and fun!
Now what if you live in an apartment or a condo and don't have a backyard? You could skip some of the larger items and create a portable tinker box instead. Inside the tinker box you could have a variety of smaller materials from the list above and store them inside a storage container. Then you can easily move the collection of loose parts from indoors to outdoors. Or you could try taking the materials with you to a park and let them engage in loose parts play there.
Why Should Kids Play with Loose Parts? (aka the Benefits of Loose Parts Play)
As I've touched on above, loose parts play encourages kids to be creative and use their imagination. They can use the materials in a variety of ways to develop motor skills and build their confidence.
Some other benefits of loose parts play include:
- Engaging in imaginative play
- Exploring scientific concepts such as cause and effect, physics, and engineering
- Developing fine and gross motor skills
- Providing heavy work and proprioceptive sensory input by manipulating larger materials
- Allowing kids to practice problem solving
- Making hypotheses and testing theories of what happens when certain materials are manipulated or combined
There are lots of benefits to loose parts play! What I've listed only touches the surface of how beneficial this type of play can be.
What Does Loose Parts Outdoor Play Look Like?
As you can imagine, the possibilities are endless when it comes to playing with loose parts. Just let the kids experiment and create on their own and see what they come up with.
For instance, scrap wood, paving stones, tires, or crates can be assembled to make a balance beam for kids to walk across. Or the kids can make obstacle courses using the different materials.
Hula hoops can be used to create Venn diagrams for kids to practice sorting and categorizing materials.
We've even made a giant ball run using loose parts in the backyard!
Paving stones paired with chalk and cars can be quickly turned into roads, bridges, and even buildings for imaginative play (see below). Or the scrap wood can become ramps for cars to race down.
Your kids might even work on fine motor skills by threading cut up pool noodles with some string (see below) or they might turn those same materials into a giant homemade abacus.
Another fun way that my kids have combined some of these items is to make a simple "machine" or pulley (see below). They tied some string to a bucket and practiced raising and lowering the bucket while transporting materials in the bucket.
Like I said, the possibilities are endless! So, start collecting pinecones, sticks, and other treasures to create the ultimate loose parts collection for backyard play. Then see what your kids create when they engage in loose parts outdoor play. What they make might just surprise you!
