Creative learning and creative thinking with loose parts materials

Playwork principle 1.All children and young people need to play. The impulse to play is innate. Play is a biological, psychological and social necessity, and is fundamental to the healthy development and well being of individuals and communities.

• Play is every child’s right (article 31, UNCRC)

• Play is how we “find out about how things work and what stuff does!” (Child, anon.)

• “Play is what we do, when adults stop telling us what to do” (child , anon.)

Playwork principle 2.Play is a process that is freely chosen, personally directed and intrinsically motivated. That is, children and young people determine and control the content and intent of their play, by following their own instincts, ideas and interests, in their own way for their own reasons.

Introduce some loose parts to one area at a time, let the children get used to how they work and what they are for.Start with small amounts and then increase the amount of resources, less is more!Talk to the children about the new resources you could add, do they have suggestions of their own?Support loose parts play by asking children open questions about their ideas of how to use them“what could you do with this?”“what can you see there?”“what can you use ?”“tell me about your ideas”Add books for inspirationTry to be flexible in your approach, loose parts play will test your practice and your patience but the process of learning through play takes time, just like any other skill children learn!

“This is the way we tidy up, tidy up , tidy up..”“All of the shells go here in the basket,All of the bricks go on the shelf”.• Model this to children while you sing the song• Label boxes with words and pictures to help

children (and adults) remember where to put themIt’s okay for things to get broken or not last as most materials are inexpensive or natural- an essential part of the play cycle is to deconstruct a resource.