Beginner’s Guide to Loose Parts

What is “loose part play”?

This buzzword is very popular among the Montessori, Waldorf, and Reggio circles. Search the hashtag on Instagram and you will suddenly be awash in squares full of perfect symmetry and color, tiny little objects arranged just so by their owners’ small chubby hands.

Coined by an architect, Simon Nicholson, the concept behind “loose parts” is that all people are creative and that the environment full of loose parts will nurture that natural creativity. The key to their nature is in their open-ended and endless use.

If you’ve decided that this is something you want to incorporate in your playroom or classroom, how would you even begin? It can seem daunting and overwhelming but here are a few tips I have cultivated from the experts.

Have a storage plan already in place.

Loose parts are by nature, loose. Loose means they can roll under tables, get wedged into couch cushions, or generally disappear in to the ether of a child’s room. Have a basket, drawer, or drawstring bag in place to store this parts when you’re done. Trust me, it will save you time and money. I also encourage you to do a quick count at the end of the day, even if it is just an estimate. You’ll want to get a general idea if they’re all being put away at the end of the day.

Don’t spend too much money.

This advice is twofold. Firstly, I urge you not to spend too much money so that you won’t get attached to your loose parts. Your child or class will not be able to manage all of them for a good amount of time without loosing one or two. Don’t let your heart get broken when you lose a favorite color to a complete rainbow set. However, the second part of this advice is also because it defeats the very nature of the activity. Loose parts shouldn’t be the wooden equivalent of a flashy toy. They should be open-ended, and bells and whistles tend to limit that. Often the best loose parts toys can be found in nature. I’ve seen plenty of pinecones and acorns in my fellow mom bloggers’ pictures. You’d be surprised about how many hours your children will play with twigs and leaves that they have found outside.

Start small.

There is nothing worse than creating a play invitation that manages to overwhelm your intended recipient. Start with bringing out one grouped set. Let your child/children get used to the idea. Then bring it another and another in stages. I had a loose part set for Vicky that had four distinct aspects. Instead of throwing all four sets in a basket and handing them to Vicky, I brought each set out slowly over the course of a week. This was over several months ago and she still plays with them daily.

Check out Etsy.

I am absolutely not knocking crafted loose parts. If you’re a bit squeamish about your child’s nature finds, like I am, definitely look into store bought. Plus, loose parts of the wooden variety will last you forever if you buy from a trusted source. If you do decide to buy some loose parts from stores, Etsy is the place to go. There are a lot of small shops there that sell loose parts at very affordable prices. My favorite store, based in Tennessee, is linked here. The best part about Etsy is you can see honest reviews from fellow parents/teachers.

Store them in a child-accessible place.

I don’t like to put restrictions in place for when and how often Vicky can play with the loose parts. They are kept on a low shelf for her and she knows she can pull them out whenever she wants. We can’t limit when their imaginations will strike them with a brilliant idea.

I hope this has served as a helpful primer to your introduction to loose parts. Feel free to comment or email me if you have any questions.