The 12 Commandments of Loose Parts Play
1) Support children to explore resources and direct their own play. Let them move resources freely between areas to create stuff even you may not have thought of. Let them “transport”!
2) Show children it is ok to explore and investigate, to create and innovate and yes to make a mess! Many children will have these behaviours restricted in the home and will need us to show them it’s ok to be a child!
3) Don’t say “that’s not supposed to be used for that”. If humanity had never used anything other than for its intended purpose then we would never have invented the wheel, or fire or Marmite!
4) Anything is possible. With a little imagination, some cardboard boxes and Sellotape, Dinosaurs can walk the earth, children can travel to alien worlds or be queens and kings of their own castles.
5) Don’t ask “What’s that supposed to be?” It doesn’t have to be anything, nor have any purpose other than the enjoyment of creating it in the first place.
6) Inspire children, show them a world of possibilities. Show joy in creating and demonstrating innovative use of materials then children will be more confident in their own explorations.
7) Don’t be precious! You may have an idea of how you expect the children to interact with the resources but don’t be surprised if they do something completely different!
8) Think before you intervene and especially think before you restrict. Use common sense but wherever possible allow children as much freedom of exploration as possible.
9) All resources can be loose parts resources. If a child can find a new way to use something and create new play value then it doesn’t matter if it is a shop bought toy or a donated bag of material. Children decide not adults.
10) Use your senses. Children explore through all of their five senses, banging sticks together to make a noise is just as valid as using sticks to build with.
11) Provide stuff of different sizes. Some children just love to go big; large cardboard boxes, crates, swimming noodles and big sticks will appeal more to some children than beads, pine cones and sand.
12) Forces and elements are also loose parts! Water, wind, magnetism and even fire can all be incorporated into loose parts play.
