Loose parts and the wow factor of passive toys

‘Loose parts’ are seemingly simple objects that offer the richest of play opportunities for our young tamariki. These objects don’t tend to fall under the category of ‘toys’. Some of the possibilities are pinecones, bits of fabric, curtain rings, shells, wood rounds, cotton reels, planks, buttons, shells, tubes, bracelets, hair rollers, and tins. These objects also include the very open-ended toys such as blocks, or natural resources such as water and sand that can be used in unlimited ways.   

Toys in the traditional sense can lead the child in their play. They can be quite prescriptive— hinting that there’s one way, or a ‘right way’ to use them. Some even allow very little play on the child’s part, being more about watching and pressing buttons, rather than actually engaging the child. 

Active toys can lead tamariki to take a passive role in the ‘relationship’. Loose parts flip this around. The object is passive. Very passive! Think of a pinecone; it lies there, no flashing lights, no stop and start, no instruction manual. So this pinecone may be a baby to tuck into bed for one child, a dumpling to float in a bowl of ‘soup’ for another, and a rock to transport in a truck to the quarry for a third. Loose parts don’t have the ‘one way’ or definite direction, and therefore the child gets to lead. To dream up, to decide, to create. Play is literally in their hands (and minds), as they take a play object that is a ‘nothing’ (in regard to its set play purpose) and turn it into a something. Not with battery-power or through following instructions, but through genuine child-power and play-power.  

This type of play nourishes children in the moment, but it also packs their ‘kete’ (basket) with learning dispositions and skills that will serve them well in their schooling years and for life. They are exercising and strengthening their abilities to problem-solve, make decisions, be independent, take risks, trust their own creativity, and think ‘outside of the box’.  

It can be a bit of a shift in mindset to see the possibilities in loose parts if we’re used to toys being toys, or noticing today’s children being drawn to play things (toys) advertised or related to popular characters. But, loose parts are filled with imaginative possibilities, and they nurture children’s deep desires to play creatively and courageously. 

Providing loose parts for our child is like offering a smorgasbord of materials to create their own rich play banquet from. If we then give time and space (physical and from our ‘direction’), our children who were born to play will be drawn to these materials that genuinely let them do so. Yes, it could be fair for an adult to see a basket of old CDs, a basket of bottle lids, or a basket of little tubes and think, a little confused, “but what could they do with this”? However, these collections could be the perfect combination for constructing a tower, building a mansion, creating a spider, or designing a pattern or decorative piece that’s manipulated until it looks “just right”. The “What could they do…” isn’t a barrier, but an invitation for the child—“What can I do”? And then, “and what next?”, because their curiosity is piqued, creativity is unleashed, and the uses truly are unlimited.   

Play is how our tamariki learn about and make sense of their world, and also express parts of who they are. Loose parts really honour this, because the child can bring their own interests, experiences and culture to what they are doing. We can’t always say the same for toys that have a more prescribed use. Take for example a plastic hamburger bun. Yes, some of our truly creative children might deviate from “hamburger” when they play with it, but most won’t as the design of the object points to a ‘should-be’. It can still be a “fun” toy, but compare the experience with the use of loose parts. Two wood rounds in similar sizes to the toy burger buns can be any number of food items that are relevant to the child’s experience (hamburgers may not strongly feature in every child’s life, after all). They could be: pizzas, pita bread, chapati, pancakes, bao buns, rēwena bread, chocolate chip cookies – ANY number of things that the child, not the object itself dictates.  

An added bonus of loose parts is that they are cost effective. Toys with a limited window of interest can really add up, and our children can learn to just request ‘the new’ when they’ve used a toy the way it was intended. Loose parts can be collected, and built up over time. Some we might have in cupboards, or be able to source from friends and whānau (loose parts are such a great way to reuse and repurpose, and care for Papatūānuku), and many of the very best loose parts actually come from nature. The parts we offer will need to be checked for safety at different times, but our tamariki won’t get “bored” of them in the same way they may other toys. If they stop being used, and our child is struggling to enact their play ideas, they may just need a freshen up— a few different things added to allow for fresh combinations, or maybe the same object but in a range of sizes or textures (if possible) to add new dimensions and possibilities.  

Loose parts may not look ‘flashy’ in the same way some toys can, but they offer our children PLAY in its truest sense. It is what the child (especially one lucky enough to have had lots of opportunities to develop their ‘loose parts literacy’) does with these parts that brings in the “wow factor”!