How to Organize Loose Parts for Open-Ended Learning Through Play
Loose parts are a valuable tool to spark your child's creativity, but often it's difficult to know how to organize them in a way that ignites play. Here’s how we organize loose parts materials to foster independence and open-ended learning through play!
How to Organize Loose Parts in the Playroom
Loose parts are a fantastic addition to your open ended play! If your children enjoy building play with blocks, loose parts are perfect accessories to introduce to your playroom. They give kids the chance to add the details that really make their imaginary worlds come to life.
Some favorite open-ended loose parts in our home include: resin gems, natural materials like pinecones and smooth rocks, Little Bricks, Little Pavers, Branch Blocks, sensory stones, play silks and small battery operated LED lights. This mix of natural and unnatural materials offers kids a big variety in how they can build and play.
Toy storage is always tricky, and when you have a lot of small materials to organize in your space it can feel overwhelming. The key is to give everything a home that makes sense! Small bins and a shelf organizer come in handy for this kind of organization. To encourage open-ended play make sure that your kids can easily and independently access loose parts on their own terms.
In our playroom we have the EdQ 8 Cubby Bin Toy Storage Organizer - 30" which fits these loose parts perfectly and doesn't take up too much floor space. This is ideal for any play space where optimizing the most open floor space is a priority.
By labeling the bins with the names of each material plus a small illustration for pre-readers, kids are able to locate and use the materials they need for play without any adult intervention.
This leads to the deep and meaningful child-led play we’re hoping for!
How to Organize Loose Parts in Your Learning or Art Space
When you’re setting up and organizing your art space consider an open-ended loose parts approach here too. Small parts are fantastic for child-led art. When choosing materials, it helps to think about the potential for how the materials can be used instead of what the children will make. When you think of art in this way you allow the children to focus on the process more than the product and art becomes a form of open-ended play as well!
Choose materials that feel safe and appropriate for your children based on their age and stage of development. Some materials to consider: colorful paper scraps, small plastic tags and packaging, thin cardboard pieces and tubes, metal bits and old tools, pipe cleaners and small wood scraps. For younger children you can offer fewer choices to help them get used to choosing their own materials.
For your art space, consider a shelf with small storage containers like the EdQ Shelves and 10 Bin Storage Unit - 30". Sorting and organizing materials into separate containers makes everything easy to access and facilitates independent child-led work at its finest. Label the containers with the type of material and a visual cue for pre-readers. I place a piece of each type of material directly into the label space to make it super clear what’s inside of the bins.
Organize larger-scale items in a way that facilitates independence too. Separate materials into their own shelf spaces and group them in ways that facilitate the child’s understanding of where to find things that go together. For example, we keep felt sheets just above our embroidery hoops since they often get used together for projects.
It’s also great to find space in your art area to offer small trays for children to use to gather their own materials. This encourages independent project planning and helps kids take ownership of their creativity.
If you haven’t tried organizing loose parts for your children to independently access in your learning and play spaces, I hope these tips will encourage you to give it a try!
