Loose parts play

January 5, 2022

Here are some links to resources to support your play.

Loose parts play tookit is such a rich and comprehensive free publication from Inspiring Scotland to support your provision and practice
Loose parts outside and intentionality with loose parts blogs by Diane Kashin
Loose parts by schema chart by Michelle Thornhill for supporting schematic play with loose parts. This is a clever chart that shows you can provide for schema in the enabling environment.
Loose parts for physicality from our Outdoors and Active project
The learning in loose parts by Community Playthings
Early Education Journal No 82 – Loose parts and flexible thinking

Letter to the next Prime Minister

The letter below sets out our key asks for the next government.

Physical development in early childhood

Clare Devlin, Early Education Associate What aspects of physical development should we focus on within the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and other early years

Enabling environments and their impact on children’s learning

by Caroline Eaton Creating an enabling environment for play and learning requires careful planning and reviewing. As we all know the impact the environment, we find

Treasure baskets and heuristic play

by Anni McTavish What are treasure baskets? “Treasure Baskets” are a collection of ordinary household objects, that are chosen to offer variety and fascination for

What is loose parts play in the EYFS?

by Debi Keyte- Hartland The term “Loose Parts” was coined by Simon Nicholson, a British architect and designer whose parents were artists Barbara Hepworth and

Learning mathematics through play

by Helen J Williams Early mathematics is essential for children’s full development, it is also predictive of later, wider achievement. Early mathematical learning is critical

Outdoor learning in the early years

by Kathryn Solly The benefits of outdoor learning in the early years have now been firmly recognised for both educators and young children’s learning and

Continuous provision in EYFS

What is continuous provision in EYFS? By Ben White Continuous provision in EYFS refers to the resources and learning opportunities accessible to children all of

Families’ access to nature project

The Families’ Access to Nature Project was undertaken by the Froebel Trust and Early Education between October 2021 and January 2022. Children, their parents, and

The importance of early experiences

by Leslie Patterson At the very beginning of the 1970s I was lucky enough to attend a playschool, at a time when there was very

Risk: A Forest School Perspective

Guest blog by Sara Knight Why are opportunities for risk and adventure essential for normal development in the early years? Tim Gill (2007) identifies four

Can guided play enhance younger children’s learning?

Guest blog from Dr Elizabeth Byrne, University of Cambridge Most educators will be aware that “what works” in support of children’s learning and development is

Going out to play and learn

Why go outside? Big movers Have you ever been in an open space with young children? The first thing they want to do is to

Babies – learning starts from the first day

Taking care of a baby is tiring work, with a lot of feeding, nappies and broken nights. When you are exhausted, it can be harder

Messy play

Messy play provides so many explorative and investigative experiences, which promote so many of the characteristics of effective learning. Some easy ideas to start you

Outdoor play and learning – ideas, info and lots of links

When writing our January Early Years Teaching News, I tweeted a survey to ask if practitioners and leaders would like information about ICT or outside

Babies and toddlers outdoors

This content by Jan White comes from our out of print leaflet “The Sky is the Limit: Babies and Toddlers Outdoors: developing thinking, provision and practice”