I see a lot of people sharing pictures of really beautiful small-scale loose parts play, but what really catches A’s imagination is large-scale loose parts play. It answers his desire for intense gross motor activity and his sensory need for crashing into and bouncing off of things.
Nothing in the living room is off limits for this kind of play, other than than large musical instruments and the lamps. Play situates around the armchair usually, with its two large but movable cushions, and behind the couch. I keep a stash of pillows (both light polyfill ones, and two that are heavy and filled with buckwheat hulls) and blankets behind the couch to be used for these type of games. ‘Piggywig’, A’s bouncing animal that he named after the Owl and the Pussycat, is integral to these games.
A lot of the time, large-scale loose parts play looks like this:
A stuffs the chair full of objects, and then piles things up on top. There’s usually a complex story that goes along with this - I usually can’t quite keep up with the twists and turns. Piggywig gets bounced on and off of the couch, and eventually the stack on the chair gets knocked off. Sometimes a pile is made behind the couch, or things (usually soft things!) are flung over the top of the couch. Often things are tied together, set up in an elaborate arrangement, and then jumped over. Frequently A will ask me to hold a cushion and he will run and bounce off of it over and over until my arms are tired.
This kind of loose parts play is much less beautiful than bowls of small wooden pieces or natural objects, but it follows the exact same principles and meets the motor and sensory needs of a busy, exuberant 3 year old who doesn’t have the patience or interest in long, sitting-still games.
A few tips for large-scale loose parts play:
- Decide what’s off limits. In addition to the musical instruments staying out of games, we have a ‘no jumping on the furniture’ rule to keep springs and slats from being broken. Taking cushions off and jumping on them on the floor, or jumping off of furniture, is fine with us.
- Make sure there are enough movable parts. Big foam cushions, blankets, pillows, and large toys are all good for this kind of play, along with odds and ends like woven cord (under supervision, obviously!), cardboard boxes, and play clips.
- Set boundaries around putting away cushions or moving furniture back to where it started. I found I was much more relaxed about this type of play when A knew that it was his responsibility to put everything back when he was done, with my help.
I’m thinking of expanding our large scale loose parts play with some Gonge Hilltops and possibly a small parachute. Do you have any large-scale loose parts pieces your children can’t live without?