Loose Parts: Why These Materials Matter

At our Popups, you’ll notice something right away. There aren’t many toys.

Instead, we use loose parts, open-ended materials like cardboard, fabric, wood, tubes, crates, rope, and tape.

These materials don’t have a single purpose. They don’t tell children what to do. They leave room for imagination, decision-making, problem-solving, and collaboration.

Loose parts protect the child’s right to direct the play.

Toys vs. Loose Parts

Toys (even the very good ones) are designed with a purpose in mind. A toy phone suggests “pretend to call.” A toy kitchen suggests “pretend to cook.” They already know what they are.

Loose parts don’t.
A cardboard box can be:

• a spaceship

• a bakery

• a cave

• a dragon hospital

• a museum

• a story not yet imagined

Loose parts allow children to think bigger than the object.

What Loose Parts Support

Child-led play with loose parts builds:

• Creativity & Divergent Thinking: There is no right answer or correct outcome.

• Problem-Solving: Children test ideas, adjust, negotiate, and try again.

• Social Skills: Collaborative building requires communication, turn-taking, and emotional regulation.

• Confidence: Children see their ideas become real in front of them.

• Resilience: Mistakes aren’t failures—they’re part of the process.

This is learning from the inside out.

What You’ll See at a Popup

Children:

• Move materials freely

• Combine objects in unexpected ways

• Change direction without explaining why

• Negotiate roles or work solo

• Stay focused longer than adults think possible

Adults:

• Watch first

• Wait before stepping in

• Support safety and space

• Avoid correcting, suggesting, or improving

Play is the child’s work, not ours to direct.

Want to Try Loose Parts at Home or School?

Start small. You don’t need to buy anything.

Here’s our free Loose Parts Starter Guide

Includes:

• Household item list

• Outdoor materials list

• Easy storage ideas

• Simple ways to say “yes” without taking over

Want to go deeper?

Loose Parts Mini-Course: Discover the power of loose parts play and ignite a world of endless possibilities.

Play at Home Guide: For parents: simple setups, real scripts, and ways to protect play.

Play Club Manual: For educators: environment design, observation tools, and templates.

Takeaway

Loose parts aren’t “just stuff.”

They are invitations. Opportunities. Possibilities.

They give children the raw materials to build worlds from their own imagination.

And that is where learning lives.

What the Research Tells Us

Loose parts play is strongly supported in child development research:

• The American Academy of Pediatrics (2018) notes that self-directed play with open-ended materials supports healthy brain development, emotional regulation, and social learning.

• Nicholson (1971) first theorized Loose Parts Theory, suggesting that environments rich in movable, variable materials encourage creativity and complex thinking.

• Studies show that adult-directed play reduces the depth of exploration and limits children’s problem-solving development, while environments with loose parts increase autonomy, collaboration, and engagement (Thomson, 2014).

In short: When children lead, they learn more.