Loose Parts Play & Kids: Why You Should Let Your Kids Play With Everything! by Mike Prochaska

The theory of loose parts play has begun to influence teachers, parents and caregivers, and has become popular again. It was first proposed back in the 1970's by architect Simon Nicholson, who believed that it is the loose parts in our environment that empower our creativity and allows children to use imagination.

What are loose parts? In a preschool, loose parts are materials that can be moved, carried, combined, redesigned, lined up and taken apart and put back together in multiple ways. They are materials with no specific set of directions or rules that can be used alone or combined with other materials to create whatever children's imaginations take them. Loose parts can be natural or store bought. Provide an array of loose parts for use in play. I personally love the nature ones. For example:

• stones
• stumps
• sand
• gravel
• fabric
• twigs
• wood
• pallets
• balls
• buckets
• baskets
• crates
• boxes
• logs
• rope
• tires
• shells 
• seedpods 

Really, anything you can find. My kids love creating things from loose parts!

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