Have you ever watched a child spend 20 minutes stacking rocks, sorting them by size, and burying them in the dirt—all without being asked or directed? That’s loose parts play at its best: open-ended, child-directed, and full of discovery.
Loose parts play isn't a new concept. It's an age-old practice rooted in the simple idea that found materials—like sticks, rocks, clay, shells—are powerful tools for learning. As the authors of Loose Parts Learning in K-3 Classrooms put it, these open-ended materials challenge children to think, build, and create in ways few structured activities can match.
Keep reading to discover the benefits of loose parts play and how to bring it into your early childhood classroom.
A child’s brain develops rapidly during the first five years, and their play experiences shape their ability to think, adapt, and learn. According to a 2023 literature review in the Journal of Intelligence, loose parts play is one of the most effective ways to support young children's cognitive development, strengthening skills like problem-solving and flexible thinking.
Unlike toys with a single, fixed purpose, loose parts can combine many types of play and materials to spark this kind of thinking. A stick can become a paintbrush, a bridge, or a magic wand—depending entirely on how the child uses it. The same flexibility that sharpens young brains also makes loose parts play easy to adapt to any classroom, budget, or age group.
Below we explore four key areas where loose parts play makes a real difference in young children's growth.
Children are born scientists, and they're naturally curious about their environments. As they grow, they become active learners who enjoy testing and exploring the world around them.
When a child works with loose parts, they’re engaging in scientific thinking. They observe, make predictions, test their ideas, and ask “why” and “what if.” Building block towers or constructing paper planes is early scientific inquiry disguised as play. And according to a study in the Journal of Education and Educational Research, these activities build young children’s curiosity, logical thinking, and problem-solving skills.
A few ways to support scientific thinking through loose parts:
Loose parts play is a natural way for children to build vocabulary and communication skills. As they manipulate the loose parts, they narrate their play, negotiate with peers, and discuss their observations.
In Loose Parts Learning in K-3 Classrooms, the authors cite research by Smith-Gilman (2018). This research explains that loose parts play gives children opportunities to create their own stories, ponder, and use open-ended materials to transform them into imaginative constructions or tales. That process of storytelling and reflection is where language growth happens.
A few ways to support language development through loose parts:
Open-ended materials have no set outcome, which frees children to imagine, invent, and create on their own terms. With time, they grow more comfortable trying new approaches and less fixated on finding the “right” answer.
Nature offers some of the richest creative material available. In Loose Parts Alive: Inspiring Child-Led Nature Explorations, authors Carla Gull, EdD, and Laura Wilhelm, EdD, explain that embracing natural elements as loose parts fosters children's creativity, imagination, and curiosity. A collection of pinecones, fossils, or pebbles can become a woodland scene, a counting activity, a pretend restaurant, or a sculpture. With loose parts, the possibilities are endless.
A few ways to set up loose parts to inspire creativity:
Exploring loose parts builds key social-emotional skills in young children, including collaboration, negotiation, self-regulation, and independence. According to the authors of Loose Parts Learning in K-3 Classrooms, learning approaches that use open-ended materials give children choice, time, and autonomy that support deeper, more meaningful learning. Because there's rarely one right way to use loose parts, every child can join in and succeed on their own terms. That kind of child-led exploration builds confidence and a genuine sense of ownership over their play.
Loose parts play also creates opportunities for turn-taking, sharing, and joint problem-solving. When conflicts arise, and they will, they become valuable opportunities to practice negotiation rather than problems to avoid.
A few ways to use loose parts to support social-emotional growth:
Loose parts play does more than fill free time. As children tinker and explore, they're building the critical skills they need to learn, collaborate, and problem-solve.
If you're new to loose parts play, it's natural to feel unsure where to begin. Concerns about mess, safety, or classroom management are common—and worth planning for. But you don't need to overhaul your space to get started. One kit, like one of Kaplan's loose parts kits, can unlock hours of meaningful engagement. These curated collections come organized in trays. That means they're easy to set up, store, and revisit without the mess and clutter of sourcing materials yourself.
Need guidance on embracing this approach and incorporating open-ended materials throughout your classroom? Download our exclusive Loose Parts Mindset PDF, written by loose parts expert Dr. Carla Gull, to get started.