Free Play with Loose Parts 2  – Inspiring Play for Infants and Toddlers

A: Young children under the age of three can also play with loose parts, as they are also curious and want to make sense of their world.

A：You may think that it may not be the safest thing to allow very young children access to loose parts.  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 they can also engage in creative play.

A：Loose parts are open ended materials which can be easily manipulated in a myriad of different 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.

A：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.

A：The safety of each item must be the main consideration.  Loose parts must not pose a choking hazard, and adequate adult supervision must be in place to allow children to freely explore with loose parts. 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.

A：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.