1. Endless possibilities
Loose parts are open-ended materials. You can use a stick to tap, drum, roll, aim and throw. But you can also draw in the sand or wave it about in a sword fight. One moment it’s a horse, the next a flagpole. In other words, the possibilities are endless.
2. Stimulates various skills
Playing with loose parts encourages your child to explore and to look at materials in a different way. So it really sparks the imagination! Playing with loose parts therefore stimulates various skills, including fine motor skills, problem-solving, creative thinking and language development.
3. Loose parts everywhere
Go on, collect them! Loose parts such as twigs, pine cones and pebbles are easy to find and therefore easy to collect. They cost nothing and provide endless fun, especially when combined with toys such as cars, building blocks and action figures. Do always make sure the parts are suitable for your child’s age. Stay with them for safety reasons and, of course, to encourage interaction.
4. For all ages
Loose parts remain fascinating for a very long time. They’re interesting for your six-month-old baby, but also for your pre-teen. For your baby, we highly recommend making a ‘treasure basket’ filled with a variety of loose materials. For example, put in a baby hairbrush, a nail brush, a clean sponge, a scarf and a coaster. The items in the basket encourage your baby to explore! This helps them learn about the properties of different objects and make connections. If your child is a bit older, collect all sorts of loose parts together in and around your home. Chances are you won’t have to look far!
5. Easy to store
It’s lovely to have all these little items around the house, but you’ll want to avoid them lying about everywhere. Fortunately, loose parts aren’t (usually) very big, so you can store them easily. For example, in glass jars, wicker baskets or other handy storage containers. You can sort them by type, season or colour. In short, whatever works best for your child (or for yourself). And have you collected all sorts of loose parts for outdoors? Then you can, of course, store them outside too. That saves you another storage space indoors.