With the abundance of toys available to preschoolers today, it is easy to overlook everyday objects as play materials. But these “loose parts” (i.e., open-ended, natural or manmade objects) can be an endless source of fun and learning for young children. Most of us can remember building pillow forts – with loose cushions and sheets – or picking up a stray stick and using it for pretend play in our childhoods.

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In recent years, small loose parts (e.g., pinecones, pom poms, buttons) have regained popularity in some preschool classrooms and homes with young children. However large loose parts are still less common in local environments.

Admittedly, playing with large loose parts can require more space than exploring smaller items. So, in land-scarce Singapore, facilitating play with bulkier materials can appear daunting. But it doesn’t need to be. This article will share why large loose parts play is important, and how to make it work for you.

Why Large Loose Parts Play?

Play with large loose parts – like cardboard tubes and boxes, cushions, sheets or wooden planks – is worthwhile. It supports children’s creativity and cognitive, physical, social and emotional development. The learning opportunities are near infinite as these loose parts can be used flexibly for exploratory, cooperative, dramatic and constructive play.

Creativity and Cognitive Development

Large loose parts play encourages divergent thinking and creativity. After all, during such play, children come up with their own unique uses for items in a range of scenarios (e.g., animal-, family- or superhero-themed play). In addition, children may construct structures such as forts, towers and houses from their own imaginations. As children try to stack one object on top of another, they develop observation, prediction and evaluation skills. They explore cause and effect relationships as well as concepts related to balance and stability.

Manipulating large loose parts to build structures helps children understand scale, enhancing their spatial reasoning skills. It also promotes artistic expression. As children decide where and how to place objects, they engage with basic elements of art such as line, shape and colour. In essence, large loose parts play enables STEAM learning.

Physical, Social and Emotional Skills

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As children build with large loose parts, they naturally engage in a range of physical actions like bending, twisting, knotting, stretching, ripping and stacking, all of which can support development of motor skills. Large loose part activities like walking across narrow planks can help with children’s coordination too.

If children climb up their large loose part structures, they learn to assess risk for themselves and decide how comfortable they feel with heights. This gives children a sense of self-confidence and mastery. As loose parts play can involve trial and error, children also learn to handle setbacks, fostering resilience.

Due to their size, large loose parts can be heavy and unwieldy, especially for younger children. This means that preschoolers may need to cooperate to move them. As they work together, children use socially inclusive phrases such as “we” or “ours” and develop a sense of shared ownership for their play. Many positive social behaviours are evident during large loose parts play including turn taking, leading, decision making, and problem solving.

Loose parts are often recycled or found objects. So, when children find a new loose part, they see themselves as “lucky” to have located it. They experience the joy of discovery. This joy is key as it provides children with intrinsic motivation to continue to play and learn. On top of that, positive emotions make children more resilient in the face of stress and more willing to help others.

How Can I Support Large Loose Parts Play?

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To get started with large loose parts play, first build a collection of upcycled large loose parts. These can be found in your own immediate environment or donated by friends, making loose parts play sustainable and economical. While playing with the collected materials out in nature can be beneficial, use of large loose parts does not always have to take place outdoors.

Indoor spaces in our urban environment may be compact but they can allow for convenient play opportunities. All it takes is a little creative repurposing of rooms and furniture. In the dining room, a table with a sheet thrown over it can become a cosy playhouse. Stacked up sofa cushions in the living room make an imposing “tower” or “fort”.

Next, to effectively facilitate large loose parts play, parents should offer children autonomy and choice. This means ensuring that resources are readily available, and that children do not need adults’ assistance to reach them. Once you have prepared the materials, most of your active work is done. The adult’s role in large loose parts play is to be present but not intrusive. It is best to only offer help when children ask for it. Otherwise, step back, stay close without interrupting, and let children lead.

Listen closely to children’s voices to strengthen their sense of personal agency. Remind children that they are the designers of their play space. If there are decisions to be made (e.g., the rules for large loose part games), help children make them through democratic processes like voting.

Adult-dictated goals are not necessary in large loose parts play. Avoid directing children’s play or expressing excessive concern about safety (e.g., saying “be careful” repeatedly). Instead, develop shared expectations and boundaries, and help children assess risk on their own (e.g., by asking, “You climbed up high on that structure; what’s your plan for coming down?”).

Finally, appreciate how large loose parts play can keep children engaged for hours. So, letting children rest when they want is vital. Through rest, children express their personal will in managing their energy. They develop self-awareness and self-regulation skills.

After providing children with enough time to play, invite them to draw and talk about their experiences. This gets children to reflect and communicate their ideas in both verbal and non-verbal ways. It helps to consolidate their learning. As a caregiver, you have the power to facilitate large loose parts play with your children. Trust the process and soon they will reap its myriad benefits.

By Dr Chin Hui Wen. Early Childhood Education Lecturer, Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS).

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