Author: Betty Yau
Principal, Fairchild Nursery and Kindergarten
Loose parts and young children? You may think that it may not be the safest thing to allow very young children access to loose parts. Of course, adult supervision is still very important when children are playing with loose parts, however, when infants and toddlers have the opportunity to engage with loose parts, you can expect the unexpected!
Young children under the age of three are equally curious and want to make sense of their world. Exposing them to different materials will also allow them to be little researchers as they figure out how the loose parts work, and they provide young children choice and control of their interests.
Let’s recap on what loose parts are – they are open ended materials which can be easily manipulated in a myriad of ways. Young children will find loose parts endlessly fascinating, appealing to their natural curiosity to explore wooden utensils, shells, fabrics with various textures, paper tubes, stones and so much more. Children can be deeply engrossed in examining objects, using all their senses as they explore the items on offer. Loose parts can be made from different materials – the wider the variety, the better.
The range of loose parts can vary from materials which are found in nature, recycled materials that can be repurposed for another use, such as cooking utensils, egg cartons, metal napkin rings, or materials which are purchased – discount shops such as Daiso are a goldmine for loose parts, which can bought at low cost.
For infants and toddlers, the main consideration when choosing loose parts must be the safety of each item – they must not pose a choking hazard, and adequate adult supervision must be in place to allow children to freely explore with loose parts, but to do so in a safe environment. Be mindful of the size of the objects on offer – items on offer for infants to play with should be large enough so they can not be swallowed – use a paper toilet roll as a gauge to check the size – if the item can fit inside the center of a toilet paper roll, it is too small and should not be made available to young children. As mentioned, adult supervision is important at all times when children are engaging with loose parts.
Loose parts will support the many learning domains for young children, helping them to build essential life skills as they discover the different properties of the objects on offer. We know children make sense of the world around them all the time. By providing them with interesting loose parts, children will practice fine motor skills as they grab and hold a wooden spoon, for instance.
One great way to allow young children to explore loose parts is to create a treasure basket. Developed by Elinor Goldschmied, an educational psychologist, a treasure basket is a collection of everyday items which are chosen to appeal to the different senses of young children. Children can decide for themselves what they wish to play with. Young children, especially babies, can learn from the items contained in the treasure basket by looking at, touching, licking, banging, shaking, or moving things around. Ensure that all items selected for the basket are safe, but include a wide range of things to explore – natural things such as shells, pine cones, feathers, fruits such as an apple or lemon, or a loofah. Include objects made of natural materials, for instance, a makeup brush or toothbrush, together with wooden things such as curtain rings, clothes pegs or wooden spoons. Metal items such as spoons, whisk, small interesting tins, and clean kitchen utensils such as a tea sieve or a lemon squeezer can also be fun additions, as well as items which appeal to young children’s tactile needs – pom poms, a leather purse with a zip, wool, fabric pieces, a tennis ball, a bean bag, or a small bag containing a natural herb such as lavender, mint or rosemary. Cardboard boxes, tubes or a notebook can contribute as paper items to provide further variety and fun for exploration.
Treasure baskets will provide young children with choice and agency on what they select to play with, allowing them a sense of having control of their own play. The open ended nature of the various items empowers young children to discover for themselves how the ball of wool unravels, or how a metal whisk sounds as it hits a paper box – there are endless combinations for discovery!
