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What are loose parts?
Loose parts are materials that can be moved all around the room and used in endless ways. There are essentially no limits to what can be used, but to give you an idea, below we have have listed some of the loose parts we use here at Tiddleypeeps.
Button, sticks, shells, cardboard tubes, pebbles, disks, tins, wooden blocks.
These really are only a small number of the materials our Tiddleypeep's use in their play.
Why loose parts?
The versatility of these materials provides children with virtually endless ways to create. Access to a variety of transient materials during play and exploration aids in the following:
Problem solving, engineering, creativity, concentration, hand-eye coordination, fine motor development, gross motor development, language and vocabulary building, mathematical thinking, scientific thinking, literacy, social/emotional development, the list goes on...
How will Tiddleypeeps children use loose parts?
This is where the magic happens!
When we observe chidren at play we discover that each child will use the same material in a different way. A stick to one child might be a flag pole onto their construction site, but to another it might be used to stir a pot. The beauty lies in allowing our Tiddleypeep's the freedom to explore the materials, use them as they wish (as long as they are being safe), and take them to any area of the preschool they feel the need to.
What is the practitioners role?
During the time our Tiddleypeeps are exploring loose parts, the teacher's role is to serve as the observer and the researcher as well as to provide language. Loose parts play is a wonderful time to observe and assess what the children are playing with and how they are playing.
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