Loose Parts Stores
Why loose parts play?
Children spend 20% of their time at primary school in playtime. Maximise their learning and development opportunities.
- Heightened confidence, physical health, cognitive development, language development, problem solving, social development, cooperation, collaboration, improved mental health and well being.
- Relatively low cost way to stimulate physical activity, imaginations and play.
- There is an exponential increase in play value for every loose part available in the play environment.
What are large loose parts?
Anything found in a play environment that’s not fixed and can be moved. Natural or man made. E.g. sticks, logs, pebbles and branches, tyres, tubes even hoovers!
Not just for loose parts… use to store PE, gardening or other equipment too.
The right storage is vital for your large loose parts, in particular so children can get them out and put them away without adult intervention.
Large loose parts could easily lead to lots of clutter, so being able to organise and compartmentalise them is ideal. It might help if you have a trolley or cart to help to quickly collect up the parts after playtime too.
Watch here just how easily this can be done at a primary school in Gloucestershire.
Produced in conjunction with Michael Follett, founding director of Outdoor Play & Learning (OPAL), a not for profit organisation specialising in programmes for outdoor play and effectively managing school play times.
