“It’s a robot,” three-year-old Wyatt proudly proclaimed, pointing at the creation in front of him.

Behind him, his friend Gabriel nodded in agreement. The structure—three plastic crates stacked vertically with PVC pipe jutting out at odd angles—might have looked like a heap of mismatched parts to an outsider. But in the world of loose parts play, where imagination rules over order, it had transformed into exactly what the boys saw: a robot, full of purpose and possibility.

Listen to this story | Subscribe on Apple Podcasts

“Loose parts play is all about imagination and exploration,” explained 3PreK lead teacher Liz Ellison. “It’s about using materials in ways other than their intended purpose to open up new worlds of possibility.”

Loose parts play is all about imagination and exploration.—Liz Ellison, 3PreK lead teacher

Children have always repurposed objects in play, but architect Simon Nicholson popularized the term loose parts play in the 1970s. The idea is based on using open-ended items in a child-led environment to help them make connections and fuel creativity. It moves children away from playing with toys with a predetermined function and purpose and instead opens a world where any item can be used in any way and become anything.

“A napkin ring can become a train or a car or a tower or a blanket,” said 3PreK lead teacher Alise Anderson. “What's beautiful about loose parts is that there's no introduction needed.”

A loose part can be anything, as long as it can be safely used by children. Alise said she likes to spend time scouring thrift stores for items. Parents have brought in everything from bottle caps to curlers to brightly colored glass stones (and are always invited to bring in more). Empty bottles are great because they can be filled with colored water and glitter to make “bottle babies,” which can be stacked, dragged, or balanced in structures. It is best if a loose part is in a set, so that there are multiples for friends to share and expanded opportunities for cooperative building.

Items from the natural world are amazing as loose parts. “A group of acorns or a collection of seeds are both great. We definitely use what is out there,” said Liz. “In the winter, water is the ultimate loose part. The ice that forms on the tires in the play yard is always great to use. And wood chips—oh, wood chips can be so many things.”

The teachers in the Beginning School have expanded their definition of loose parts to include items that wouldn’t normally be considered, like dolls and toy animals. The importance isn’t the type of item, but that it be played with in any way. You can see this on display in the nature yard when the children play with a whole flock of plastic ducks. The children are not using them as ducks but as cars as they ride them down the slides. The ducks also made a wonderful fence to enclose part of the yard when the children wanted to set up a spot for their “boat mobile” launch pad.

In setting up enclosures and engaging in similar behaviors, the children are taking part in what are known as play schemas. These are natural developmental urges that help them make sense of the world and how to manipulate it. Other play schemas include transportation, rotation, connection, and trajectory.

“These loose parts enable different types of schemas and are ways that children naturally play,” said Liz. “They can access the schemas and explore them in endless ways. It just stirs so much creativity.”

Sparking creativity is an obvious educational benefit of loose parts play, but it is far from the only one. Problem-solving skills, abstract thinking, and mathematical concepts like counting and spatial relationships are among the cognitive skills built through this type of play. The children are also improving their social-emotional intelligence through cooperative play. And both gross and fine motor skills are expanded, depending on the type of items used and how children are using them.

“Heavy work is involved,” said Liz. “They might be hauling things around in crates, so they are using their cores.”

I think of it as a sculpture, slowly introducing new things throughout the year, and setting up in a way that is not telling them how to play with it, but inviting them to explore.—Alise Anderson, 3PreK lead teacher

The genius of loose parts play is in its simplicity. It can happen anywhere and with practically anything. However, that doesn’t mean it can be haphazardly set up. It’s important not to overwhelm children with too many items at once, and to present the items in ways that allow children to see a range of choices, and not just a pile of random things.

“I like to be really intentional in the morning when I'm setting up,” said Alise. “I think of it as a sculpture, slowly introducing new things throughout the year, and setting up in a way that is not telling them how to play with it, but inviting them to explore.”

It’s an approach that families can continue at home by setting up a loose parts area with two or three items. Make sure the items are in a dedicated space and keep things as organized as possible so that a mess doesn’t shut down play opportunities. And don’t be afraid to facilitate. You don’t want to explicitly guide, but rather present options for exploration or storytelling.

“If I see kids building a boat, I might point out things that could create water, like a piece of silk or a pile of stones,” said Liz. “They can take the suggestion or not, but I like to try and show them different options.”

Loose parts play is more than just a creative outlet—it's a foundation for lifelong learning. As children turn what could be considered junk into anything that exists in their minds, they’re not just having fun; they’re developing critical thinking, collaborative skills, and resilience. In a world that often moves too fast and offers too many instructions, loose parts give children the gift of choice, the space to wonder, and the joy of discovering that, with a little imagination, anything is possible.