Loose Parts Play Preschool at Home Activity 

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Loose parts are so much fun! 

I really enjoy bringing forth loose parts play as an invitation to play for many different reasons: 

• Loose parts play is open ended play

• What is open ended play and Why is open ended play important? Check out this post right here. 

• It allows for imagination and creativity

• This type of play allows for children to partake in an educational activity such as counting or learning colors. 

• For a more advanced approach, loose parts can be used to add/subtract. 

• Using loose parts for pretend play is one of our very favorite activities

What are loose parts in play? 

I like to think of loose parts as little gateways for sparking exploration and imagination. 

Loose parts are materials that can be used to create something magnificent and bigger with. 

They are ultimately what a bunch of small materials take to create one big and epic creative thing. 

They can of course be used individually or alone but they can also be used to create something completely new. 

Instead of the toy directing the child, the child in turn directs the toy – this is the main reason we absolutely love loose parts play!

What are the benefits of loose parts play?

Loose parts play is filled with many benefits. 

• It allows for creativity/imagination

• Problem solving

• Reasoning

• A sense of awareness and creative excitement in your child’s play

How do you introduce a loose part play? 

By bringing forth a fun invitation to play activity! 

In this specific activity, we used our grapat mandala pieces.

I placed painters tape onto a tuff tray. 

My little one didn’t even ask for instructions. 

She just knew what to do. 

She followed the line and added her grapat mandala pieces to it. 

Do you not own any grapat pieces? 

That’s okay! You can also try this with your child’s toys, pom poms,  magnet letters..

Please always supervise with any small loose parts for younger children who are still attempting to place items in their mouth. 

How are loose parts used in the classroom? 

Why are there loose parts in early years? 

Loose parts are used in the same way in the classroom. 

You can bring forth an invitation to play activities like mentioned up atop or use them in an educational way! 

Loose parts are wonderful tools to use in learning how to count, create patterns, learn about colors, addition and subtraction.. 

This type of play can be any item such as sticks you find in the backyard to rocks, gems, stones… 

These are wonderful tools to learn in early learning! 

Why loose parts are important? 

Loose parts are important because they allow children to manipulate the toy rather than the toy telling them what to do. 

Children learn to complete a task in a creative way. 

These are your builders, engineers and creative artists. 

Loose parts play creates an outlet or door, so to speak, which allows children to use objects in their world. 

If your child uses sticks and rocks from outdoor play this allows them to connect to nature and use these natural tools to create what they are imagining. 

What is loose material? 

Loose material can be anything that can be easily moved around, not firmly fixed in one place, can be detached, or able to maneuver around easily without being contained.

Some loose material parts I can think of off the top of my head are: 

What are open ended materials? 

• Sticks

• Rocks

• Stones

• Gems

• Wooden toys

• Montessori blocks

• Cotton balls

• Pom poms

• Letter magnets

• Number magnets

• Ice

• Scoopers, cups and spoons for play

and so much more.. 

Loose parts play for infants and toddlers

Loose parts inspiring play that I like to bring forth for my girls are anything that allows them to imagine little ideas up and create all that they desire to manifest and create with these little tools. 

Infants: 

At this stage, infants are putting items in their mouth. It is best to use fairly large loose parts such as wooden toys that are big and will not be cause for a choking hazard. 

Some ideas are: 

• Grimms wooden rainbow

• A set of wooden toys that are fairly large

• Squishy toys that are meant for baby

Toddlers: 

At the toddler stage, children may still be placing items in their mouth as well. Supervision is advised with both the infant and toddler stages because of this. 

Some ideas are: 

• Grimms wooden rainbow (this rainbow will grow with your children and become a great open ended toy)

• Dinosaur toys

• Way to play bendable toy road 

Is there an open ended toy you’d like to suggest for infants and toddlers? Leave a comment down below! 

What are examples of open ended toys?

I created a post all about our favorite open ended toys in different categories.  

Here are our very favorite toys for different age groups: 

• Open ended toys for 1 year olds

• Open ended toys for toddlers

• Open ended toys for Preschool

• Open ended toys for Kindergarten

Enjoy friends!