We all know how quickly our homes can become overcrowded with stuff, so I know the thought of introducing more stuff - and what looks like junk at that - could fill a parent with dread, but hear me out.
The theory of loose parts was introduced by architect Simon Nicholson. He suggested that an environment’s richness and potential for creativity and discovery was directly proportional to the amount of ‘loose parts’ it contained. By loose parts he meant open ended materials which can be moved, combined and used in countless ways, essentially anything that isn’t nailed down or a hazard can be a loose part. These materials can be natural or man made.
There are countless benefits to providing loose parts for children’s play, including:
- It allows for creativity and self-expression.
- It encourages skills like collaboration, sharing and negotiating.
- Building and creating boosts our confidence and sense of accomplishment.
- Children learn how to experiment and problem solve
In schools, we encourage the use of small, medium and large loose parts: small - the needles on a Christmas tree, medium - the branches of the tree and large - the whole Christmas tree. Our school playgrounds are filled with tyres, guttering, pallets, planks of wood, tunnels, stones, twigs, material, wheels and so much more, to allow children endless creative opportunities. It means that there is something to engage everyone and our schools see a reduction in behaviour and first aid incidents, as well as an increase in learning time because children return to classrooms ready to focus and with new skills.
You might not want traffic cones and tyres rolling around your living room, but there are ways to provide loose parts at home. Could you have a tinkering trolley or a cardboard corner, where you put your recycling before it goes out for collection. Provide a tin of sticky tape and craft supplies and your child has everything they need to create from what would have been thrown out.
When you’re out in the woods, let them move logs and sticks to create dens or natural art - you could even bring home some leaves, pine cones, shells etc. to continue creating with at home. It costs nothing, but entertains them for hours and provides so many benefits to their development (not to mention it’s just really fun!).
Before you throw anything away, think is this something my child would enjoy playing with, and if it’s too big for your home or you don’t have children in your home, donate it to your local OPAL school (link to map??). Or better yet, if your child’s school isn’t doing OPAL, tell them about it and direct them here: https://outdoorplayandlearning.org.uk/opal-programme/introduction/
