"Especially in ECE programs where standards and ditto sheets are threatening to take over, advocate for loose parts as supports for the acquisition of skills that children are required to demonstrate when they enter kindergarten," urge Lisa Daly and Miriam Beloglovsky, authors of Loose Parts: Inspiring Play in Young Children.
The authors provide examples of the ways loose parts play can support skill development in multiple arenas. For example, "Children acquire their first math skills and understanding of numerical concepts when they manipulate small loose parts, like blocks and bottle caps, by sorting and classifying and combining and separating them. Once they begin integrating loose parts into their games, you commonly hear them start to count and see them arranging the parts in specific sequences, patterns, and categories by color, type, number and class."
Inspiring Play in Young Children |
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Displaying 1 CommentHumber
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Loose Parts - for both indoors and outdoors are the way to go. There is also a NEW Loose Parts for Infants and Toddlers by the same authors mentioned in the article!
For inspirational outdoor play with large loose parts - think ladders, planks and different size blocks from wood and foam that encourage risky play, independence and creativity, see Anjiplay.com explorations in Anji, China. Worth the visit!!
What is missing from many early childhood programs are the elemental loose parts - water (including wild water - ponds, rivers, lakes and oceans and don't forget snow and ice!) and sand!
An interesting loose part I have used recently are the glass ends of an artist who works with glass...he tumbles all of the coloured bits, the end result being similar to beach or sea glass..endless uses and lovely provocations in windows as well!
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