The benefits of open-ended play
“What a difference there is between playthings that leave as much
as possible to the power of imagination and giving finished toys that
leave nothing for the child’s own inner activity”. - Rudolf Steiner
When a child plays with a red plastic car, there isn’t much for the child to invent – they are playing with a car. They could make up a story as to who might be driving the car, or where they may be going in it but – fundamentally – part of the narrative is already there: they will always be playing with a red car – a toy whose purpose has already been defined. In contrast, a small cardboard box could be anything in a child’s mind. Not only could it be a car (of any colour), but it could be a boat, a tank, a building brick, a house, a castle, a rabbit hutch – whatever the child may choose to imagine at that time!
The humble cardboard box is a great example of an open-ended resource – the fact children often prefer them to the presents or toys they may find within adds weight to the argument that young children prefer to play that stimulates their curiosity, encouraging them to experiment and explore and to engage their own imaginations.
“Play is the work of childhood” – Jean Piaget
In a recent study, Howard Chudacoff from Brown University looked at the evidence of how children play (not to be confused with how adults want them to play). Something that hasn’t changed over the last 50+ years is how children will happily appropriate places, things and people into their play. What has changed is where they play (eg. natural outdoor spaces to playing inside, due to increasing parental fears over child safety); who they play with (less freely with friends but with more involvement from adults, who may try to structure their play and stifle creativity); and the time available to play (extended school days, parental worries over academic achievement).
Children learn so much more when they are given the time and freedom to experiment and explore. Open-ended play begins in very early childhood as children use objects to learn about the world around them, with no guidance or prescribed activities by adults. As directors of their own play, children will make discoveries, solve problems and develop their own curiosity – and adults will gain invaluable insights into their thinking. Play helps children to understand and make sense of their world: by offering exciting opportunities, they will learn and practise new skills, use their initiative, and experience the joy of being free to create, invent and to discover a world of possibilities where there is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way to play.
Loose parts and open-ended play
Loose parts feature hugely in open-ended play and are enjoying a renaissance, with the original concept first being talked about by Simon Nicholson in the early seventies. With no set instructions, children are free to create, invent and discover a world of possibilities where their ‘loose parts’ can be moved, lined-up, collected, taken apart or combined to create anything their hearts’ desire. Done well, Loose Parts Play helps children to develop in all seven areas of the EYFS and enables them to truly follow their own interests, free from gender issues or stereotypes. Children will employ loose parts in almost every area of your setting – for example; pine cones, twigs, and tree cookies make wonderful ingredients for the role play kitchen, but could also help to create some wonderful transient art!
The growing evidence of the benefits of loose parts play includes:
- Increased levels of creative and imaginative play
- More cooperative play
- Children are physically more active
- Learning outcomes occur through informal play with loose parts
- Loose parts facilitate communication and negotiation skills.
Recent research suggests that children should engage in at least twice as much open-ended, unstructured play as they do in structured play. With open-ended play supporting all three characteristics of effective teaching and learning (from the EYFS and the revised September 2020 Development Matters), we can’t think of any reason not to look for more opportunities to help make this happen.
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Our Connect site offers open-ended and outdoor play items for parents and practitioners here:
https://kcsconnect.co.uk/home-learning-play/outdoor-learning/
https://kcsconnect.co.uk/home-learning-play/early-years/small-world-play/