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Loose Parts Strengthening our brains and hands to get us Set for School
Using loose parts in our Set for School environment has provided many learning opportunities! Not only to challenge but to also spark creativity and problem-solving skills and also help develop the confidence and independence our children will need in school. How will items like sticks, stones, leaves, shells, and everyday objects such as buttons, bottle caps, fabric scraps, and cardboard tubes help our children with their handwriting?
For handwriting, we need our fine motor skills and by manipulating small objects, children are strengthening those fine motor skills which in turn helps tamariki develop the skills they’ll need for tasks like writing and cutting. There is no set instruction for approaching innovation with loose parts as tamariki have the freedom to come up with unique ways to use various materials to build structures and in this instance, we see children bringing their ideas to life by creating communities of people and building high buildings as described by them.
As early childhood kaiako, we want to provide an array of loose parts that will encourage children to grow their confidence and independent thinking, both of which are important for starting school and at the same time allow tamariki to make decisions and take risks in a safe environment