The Importance of Loose Parts Learning

What are loose parts, and how do they elevate learning?

You may have noticed that Kodo products don’t include a set of directions on how to use them. There are uses implied through product design, but nothing is dictated on how the end user, the child, should assign meaning to the individual parts. This is, as you may have guessed, entirely intentional. All Kodo products are designed to be open-ended and compatible with Loose Parts. Simon Nicholson was the first to coin the phrase in his article “How to NOT Cheat Children: The Theory of Loose Parts”. He explained, “in any environment, both the degree of inventiveness and creativity, and the possibility of discovery, are directly proportional to the number of variables in it.” Many of us are familiar with the common phrase “less is more.” In the case of Loose Parts, the opposite is true - the more open-ended materials you have, the greater the opportunities are for learning. The more variables you offer children, the more choices you present to them for building, problem solving, and creative thinking. The ideal combination of Loose Parts includes open-ended materials that vary in texture, shape, and size. Loose Parts are valuable for supporting STEM concepts in your program, such as those inherent to engineering. They also encourage dramatic play and socialization as children share in meaning making when incorporating open-ended materials in their play. One of the greatest things about Loose Parts is that they are very easy to curate. Many of our products are designed as systems, comprised of Loose Parts and open-ended materials. They can be supplemented with an assortment of items easily found at your local dollar store, thrift store, even items from your recycling bin! Try collecting egg cartons, bottle tops, cardboard boxes, fabric squares, and other easily available open-ended materials - you’ll be amazed at what those items can become in the imagination of a child! Recommended reading: How to Make Open-Ended Play Not be Overwhelming - from the Kodo Blog Loose Parts: Inspiring Play in Young Children by Lisa Daly and Miriam Beloglovsky Loose Parts 2: Inspiring Play with Infants and Toddlers by Lisa Daly and Miriam Beloglovsky Five Essentials of Meaningful Play - from NAEYC