Loose parts and authentic play experiences for children are two vitally important initiatives at Fairy Dust Teaching.
Many administrators and supervisors question whether loose parts can meet any academic objectives. Today I want to share some inspiring invitations and provocations with loose parts that demonstrate the academic value of loose parts.
What skills are available in loose parts play?
- Problem Solving
- Engineering
- Creativity
- Concentration
- Hand-eye coordination
- Fine motor development
- Gross motor development
- Language and vocabulary building
- Mathematical thinking
- Scientific thinking
- Literacy
- Social/emotional development
The list goes on and on…
Let’s take a deeper look at some individual invitations and provocations to see specifically what learning objectives are really being met. The opportunities are endless and specific to your group of children.
Outdoor Loose Parts Play
Materials: Sticks and logs in nature
Potential Objectives Areas Met: Literacy, knowledge of alphabet, cognitive, inventiveness of thinking, persists, science skills in nature
Materials: Rocks, water, paintbrush
Potential Objectives Areas Met: Literacy, writing, fine-motor skills, knowledge of alphabet, cognitive, inventiveness of thinking, persists, artistic expression
Materials: Sticks, leaves, and wood cookies with numbers written on
Potential Objectives Areas Met: Math, knowledge of numbers, cognitive, inventiveness of thinking, persists, classifies in science, thinks symbolically
Materials: Rocks and wood cookies with numbers written on
Potential Objectives Areas Met: Math, knowledge of numbers, cognitive, inventiveness of thinking, persists, classifies, sorting
Materials: Leaves of all colors
Potential Objectives Areas Met: Math, identifies color, sorts, classifies, cognitive, inventiveness of thinking, persists, science skills in nature
Materials: Natural materials such as rocks, bark, dirt, kitchen utensils
Potential Objectives Areas Met: Social/emotional skills, interacts with peers, math, explores spacial awareness, cognitive, inventiveness of thinking, engages in sociodramatic play, science skills in nature
Indoor Loose Parts Play
Materials: Cardboard tubes, logs, blocks, and wood
Potential Objectives Areas Met: Cognitive, inventiveness of thinking, persists, thinks symbolically, math, measuring, language skills, solving problems
Materials: Straight and curve wood sticks, cars (or other loose parts to make modes of transportation)
Potential Objectives Areas Met: Cognitive, inventiveness of thinking, persists, makes connections, math, shapes recognition and creation
Materials: Cd’s and metal loose parts such as washers, nuts and bolts, etc
Potential Objectives Areas Met: Fine motor skills, cognitive, artistic creation, language skills while describing creation, math, counting, shape recognition
Materials: Jenga blocks with pictures of children and large building blocks
Potential Objectives Areas Met: Cognitive, inventiveness of thinking, persists, problem solving, social skills, social studies in understanding people and places they live, math, thinks symbolically
Materials: Natural materials such as leaves, sticks, nuts, rocks, paper, pencil
Potential Objectives Areas Met: Literacy, math, patterns, fine motor skills, cognitive, makes connections, sorts, artistic representations
Materials: Wood stumps, blocks, cd’s, metal candle holders, and variety of unique loose parts
Potential Objectives Areas Met: Cognitive, inventiveness of thinking, persists, math, measuring, shape recognition, literacy with storytelling
Materials: Jenga blocks and different size wood pieces
Potential Objectives Areas Met: Literacy, knowledge of alphabet, cognitive, inventiveness of thinking, persists, shape creation, math, counting
Materials: Cardboard tubes, blocks, cars or ball
Potential Objectives Areas Met: Cognitive, problem solving, inventiveness of thinking, persists, math, scientific inquiry skills
Materials: Can lids, bolts, screws, other metal loose parts
Potential Objectives Areas Met: Math, counting, shape recognition and creation, cognitive, inventiveness of thinking, persists, language while describing actions
Materials: Corks, Jenga blocks with numbers, blocks
Potential Objectives Areas Met: Math, shape recognition and creation, cognitive, inventiveness of thinking, drawing skills, spatial skills
These are just a handful of the powerful ways loose parts can help ignite the flame of curiosity and creativity in our children as well as meeting the rigorous requirements set forth in our schools.
Having trouble cleaning up all those Loose Parts? Download the Loose Parts Cleanup Guide here!
Please share some of your favorite loose parts invitations and how children are meeting their objectives in authentic play based ways!
There is amazing information and provocations here to share with staff. Many creative ways to ensure academic objectives are being met. There are endless possibilities when it comes to loose parts, we just need to be creative.
I am so glad, Patricia. I agree…it’s magical to watch the children lost in creativity when given open-ended materials to use!
Great ideas, thank you
Wow,this is such an an amazing idea. Great to explore with my little ones.
I feel so inspired by this post! After 35 years working with children I’m empowered to present the materials and let them explore, rather than always leading the play. To me, experiences in this line of play promotes children’s “out of the box thinking” which is what will be needed for our next generation of problem solvers. Thank you for your post, can’t wait to dive into the E-Book too!
You hit the nail on the head. It is all about the thinking it encourages and nurtures. Love your passion after 35 years! I know you are a gift.
As a Preschool teacher who values the learning that takes place when young children are free to explore through open-ended yet intentionally planned and scaffolded materials, I find your ideas refreshing, artistic and inspiring!
Yes, i agree with all of those potential learning. The way we provoke children will develop other skills
Awesome article love reading about loose parts and new insight
Hi, I have sent in my email twice now for the looseparts download book, and have not received anything in my email. Other emails from you normally come through ok.
Hi Sue! I’m going to send you the link to access the free teaching elibrary. Just enter in your email address and name and you’ll receive access to our free elibrary where you can find Loose Parts and other ebooks as well!
https://fairydustteaching.com/teachinglibraryaccess/
Thank you
I am trying to access your free ebook and the resource library but nothing is coming into my email???
Oh no! Please email my team at asksally@fairydustteaching.com! They can help you!
Hi where did you find flat curved wood sticks?
Those are a part of Handwriting Without Tears set of wood pieces for constructing letters and letter like forms.
Please may I be kept informed about the Loose Parts Summit
Be sure to sign up on our waitlist to be notified when our free summit ticket go live!
Loose parts can bring concepts to life. They can make it easier to connect the teacher to the child, via suggestion and observation. A kind of silent conversation that puts the child in the center.