Loose-parts play is a great way to bring life to your child’s play time and promote independent, creative and open-ended games. It allows children to turn simple, every day times into absolutely anything they can imagine! 

This type of play activity has no rules and limitations, it expands with your child’s interests and abilities as they grow and helps to build fine motor, problem-solving and cognitive skills. 

Here’s what you need:

Well... anything really! That’s the beauty of loose-parts play! But here are some great ideas to start you off... 

• Shells

• Stones

• Buttons 

• Beads 

• Gumnuts

• Pom poms

• Cardboard tubes 

• Recycled plastic lids

Fill up one large tub, or smaller containers with different items in each. And let your child’s imagination do the rest!

All the different loose parts can be stacked, moved, sorted, lined up, hidden, and so on. And one of the best parts is that the items can be re-used over and over again, becoming something new and exciting each time they are played with. 

Mix it up:

You can set loose-parts play up inside or outside, and use various sized parts depending on your child’s age and abilities. For an extra challenge you could provide some different sized bowls/baskets for sorting and some tongs for practicing with. For children who like to have some direction in their play, you could ask them to count the loose-parts, make the longest line or to create a certain letter or shape (circle, square, etc).