As a child I remember going into my Dad’s or Grandpa’s workshop and looking at all of the shiny bolts, nuts, screws and other ‘loose parts’ that were so neatly organized in their boxes, trays and the good old baby food jars with the lids screwed to a shelf. I was fortunate enough to be able to not only look but touch and play with these shiny things, so long as I put everything back where it belonged. It was a good thing that I was a child who liked to organize and sort.

Now as an adult, parent and educator, I continue to support and encourage children in playing with loose parts. I have increased my knowledge of the value in this play and the provision of these items to children has now become intentional. It is unknown as to what they will do with the parts which is the exciting part!

During a recent WILD CHILD Day Camp, I set out some bolts, nuts, wing nuts and washer alongside a couple of utensil storage containers with holes in it that were the perfect size for the bolts to fit through. Upon arrival, 2 of the children made their way over the table and started to tinker. They asked what they were supposed to do with everything. They were told they could do whatever they wanted . . . and that, they did! They sat very focused on what they were doing for 1 ¼ hrs creating little people, robots, letters, musical instruments, patterns and objects that could spin. Throughout this time they had moments of silence, deep in thought about what they were creating as well as having great conversations. They worked in co-operation with each other offering suggestions and support.

The older child created a specific pattern around the container and when he decided to figure out how many nuts and bolts he had used in total, he began to count by twos, then started to multiply.

The younger child created patterns with the objects he had created and took the time to count how many men he had made.

Once their play was finished I reflected back on what I had observed. Just by providing everyday items like nuts and bolts these two children were developing skills in:

Fine Motor
Social (co-operation and collaboration)
Mathematics (counting, adding, multiplication, patterning)
Literacy
Science and Engineering
Cause & Effect
Sound Discrimination

Not only were they developing academic learning skills, they were also learning life skills by becoming familiar with real life objects and learning how fasteners worked and their purpose. The possibilities are endless, and these loose parts will be used differently again the next time I’m sure. The next step will be to add wrenches and pliers…I wonder what that will lead to?

Written by Amanda Benton, RECE

Not Just Nuts and Bolts