35+ Easy Loose Parts Play Ideas

Children have a wonderful imagination when they play. They can connect random toys and materials to create stories and worlds full of details and wonder. Encourage this creativity and exploration with this huge collection of 35 Easy Loose Parts Play Ideas.

With loose parts play there is typically no specific outcome or purpose intended with the materials. The play is open-ended and each child can look at the supplies and create something different.

The trays can fit a specific theme, such as the ocean or numbers, or simply be intended for building and creating. Sometimes the trays filled with the most random, and seemingly unconnected materials are the ones that result in the most beautiful and complex creations.

When I create centers for my kindergarten class, I try to always include one loose parts center. These activities always end up being popular and full of learning. They don’t require extra prep, beyond gathering the materials, and you can often use materials you already have to fill the trays.

Part of the fun, and challenge is for children to find a way to connect the materials together to create something. The tray ideas below are intended as a spring board for ideas. If you recreate the trays, your materials do not need to be the same as the ones featured, but hopefully they give you inspiration.

Setting Up Your Loose Parts Play

Below you will find a collection of ideas for loose parts play. These trays are sometimes referred to as tinker trays and can also give you ideas for discovery tables and maker spaces.

As with all activities with children, make sure that all materials you use are safe and appropriate for the group. Make sure to supervise while children create. Especially with loose parts trays, make sure that young children, especially those who are incline to put things in their mouths do not use to trays.

Some of the activity ideas below include a link to a post with more details about the tray and further activity ideas. Others are just images for inspiration and ideas. Some of the trays may work best for small world play or a maker space, but you can offer the small pieces for children to decide what they want to create.

Loose Parts Trays Set Up

Setting up your loose parts play should be quick, easy and inexpensive. Once you have a few containers to set up your center, it becomes easy to switch up the parts. Sectional trays work best to organize the materials, but you can use any containers. A few ideas for containers include:

Egg Cartons
Trays
Muffin Tins
Sectional Plates
Small Bowls/Container

You can provide just the tray and materials, but adding a few extra supplies to children while they create can add to the experience and possibilities. A few things to place with the materials for children to use as they build include:

Felt Pieces
Mirrors
Placemats
Picture Frames
Hot Pot Stands
Cookie Sheets

Themed Tinker Trays for Kids

Dinosaur Themed

If your child loves learning about dinosaurs, create a loos parts play center with a simple tray. Mini dinosaur figures, eggs (Easter eggs work well), fossils/bones and leaves create this center.

Fairy Tale Themed Loose Parts Tray

This center is always a favorite for young children. Set a collection of fairy tale figures and items. Things like small fairies, mini trees, and a string of colorful lights will draw kids to this center.

tinker trays shows a sectional tray with things for imagination play such as fairies and other small world play.

Ocean Loose Parts Tray

Explore the ocean with loose parts play. Fish figures, shells, dolphin figures, blue gems and playdough. You can also include a tray with some sand for kids to create in (but keep in mind the playdough will mix in). The extra tray with sand gives kids a place to create their own little beach world.

loose parts play shows a sectional tray with ocean themed materials.

Farm Loose Parts Play

What kid doesn’t love playing on the farm? Create a farm with lots of animals, a fence, grass and other vegetation, gems for water, playdough and grass and felt mats for a space to create on.

tinker trays shows a tray with stuff to make a farm such as animals, fence and things to represent water and grass.

Magnetic Tinker Tray

Kindergarten and preschool are a great time to explore magnets and how they work. Provide magnetic wands and other magnetic items. Make sure to also include non magnetic materials, such as pompoms and wooden blocks.

Children can explore which have a magnetic force and which don’t. Providing cookie sheets can add to the exploration and keep materials contained.

loose parts play shows a sectional tray with magnetic materials, pompoms and wooden blocks.

Tools and Building Loose Parts Tray

I often ask my kids, and students which loose parts play is their favorite. This tray is always on the list. Provide a collection of small tools, such as screwdrivers, nuts and bolts and pieces to attach and create. Kids love feeling like they are using real tools and it’s great practice.

loose parts play shows a sectional tray shows a tray with tools, wheels, nuts and bolts.

Dollar stores in my area sell lots of kits with these materials for kids. Each kit typically creates one thing, such as a car, bike or even a dinosaur. Take the pieces and mix them with other kits to create this collection.

The goal is not to recreate the intended structure, it’s just an easy way to get the materials. I often have to encourage children to visit another center or else they will stay at this one the whole time.

tinker trays shows a child using a screw driver to make a car.

Build a Snowman

This is a fun tray that can be done in a few ways. I like to provide the tray and initially see what kids create and make from the materials. This gives them some time to explore and play. You can later provide a free printable sheet and a die. Children roll the die and based on the number they roll they add one piece to their snowman until they have fully created it.

Loose Parts Wood Sculptures

If you have a bunch of pieces of wood laying around, this is a great maker space and loose parts idea that kids will love to get their hands on. Provide the materials and kids use nuts, bolts and/or screws to engineer a creative piece of architecture.

wood sculptures shows a tower made from wood pieces and screws. — Loose Parts Wood Sculptures

Mix and Match Collection

Usually I have a theme or focus for each loose parts tray, however, sometimes I have random materials that I am curious what children will come up with.

These trays often end up being the best! Set out a collection of materials that seem completely unconnected and see what children create. I placed picture frames with the parts for kids to focus on creating a picture of some sort.

loose parts play shows a sectional tray shows a tray with bird houses, keys, puzzle pieces, tinfoil and picture frames.

This tinker tray is great for kids who love to build. Include a collection of items that either have holes or things that can be put through a hole, such as buttons, beads and pipe cleaners.

maker space shows things with holes and then pipe cleaners and string and pols to build with.

Sometimes you can mix some STEM learning into your loose parts trays. Provide kids with lots of building materials and challenge them to build a house. They can use any of the materials, or combination of the supplies to build their dream house! For more STEM challenge ideas, check out 45+ STEM Challenge Ideas.

loose parts play shows three bins with random building amterials. — **Preschool Tinker Trays**

This is a really simple building activity. Your loose parts are just pieces of foam strips cut into rectangles of different lengths and widths and brass brads (also called butterfly clips).

The foam pieces are thin enough that kids can poke the brads through. Once connected they can make great moveable structures.

tinker tray ideas shows a bin with foam rectangles and brass brads.

loose parts play shows creations made from connecting butterfly clips to foam rectangles.

Nature Based Loose Parts Trays

Create beautiful leaves using cut outs, craft materials and things from nature. Children can create patterns and beautiful leaves.

discovery table shows a sectional tray with leaves, twigs and beads. — Loose Parts Leaves

Keep things simple and beautiful by filling your loose parts trays with all natural wood supplies. Small wooden trees, wood slices and wooden beads look beautiful and inviting.

Adding wooden peg people make a simple addition to encourage small world play. I also found vintage thumb push puppets that were wooden that kids loved exploring!

loose parts play shows a sectional tray with wooden play toys.

Try your loose parts play outside with this nature art activity. What can you create?

nature art shows a person made from stones, straw and leaves. — Loose Parts Nature Art

Use a collection of nature items and see what kids can create. Place pieces in a muffin tray and provide a small tray with sand. Patterns, designs and pictures are common creations.

loose parts play shows a sectional tray shows materials from outside such as twigs, rocks and sand.

Loose Parts Subject Based Trays

Sometimes you may want your loose parts trays to have a specific focus. If you’re an educator, you likely have lots of alphabet letters in different forms. Place your collection on a tray and let kids explore.

Kids loved creating words with the letters and matching the letters from each set. It’s a great hands-on way to practice letter recognition without a formal lesson.

alphabet activities for kids shows a sectional tray with different alphabet letter pieces.

If you want to focus on math and numbers, you can use the same idea as the alphabet tray above and create one with letters and numbers. Fill each section with dice, dominos, and anything with numbers and let children explore, match and count!

I included a ten frame page with this center to encourage the option of organizing the numbers they find.

loose parts play shows a sectional tray shows math materials such as dice, dominos etc.

Use loose parts to create numbers with this “Create a Number” loose parts activity. Provide a collection of small loose parts and children create numbers on the (free printable) page.

loose parts play shows a sectional tray shows nine bine with random building materials in each.

This activity is ideal for the classroom or as a more structured way to introduce loose parts to children.

create a number math activity for kids shows the numbers 3 and 4 made from random loose parts.

Get creative with your loose parts trays by incorporating learning into play. Print different music notes onto clear gems to create beats/music.

music building loose parts tray shows music notes drawn on beads. — Music Building Loose Parts Tray

This is one of my favorite loose parts ideas. Since I often use these trays in kindergarten, creating one based on a story we have read is always fun and popular with kids. You can do a formal story play storytelling activity with kids beforehand, or simply put a tray with small props to form a story.

Some children may just play with the supplies and not connect them to a story you have read, and that’s okay, others may use them and recreate the story.

small world play shows materials for a frog story.

Loose Parts Play – Seasons

A popular use of loose part trays is for the seasons. As the seasons change children are often excited for the new weather and changes in nature.

This loose parts tray is winter themed. Use small animal figures, such as polar bears or penguins, felt snowflakes, snow covered mini trees, winter themed gems, and Styrofoam snowballs. You can also add warm little lights for kids and mirrors for kids to create on.

maker space shows a tray with winter materials such as snowflake gems, polar bears and mini trees covered in snow.

There is so much you can include for fall, bring things from nature inside such as colorful leaves, acorns and pinecones. Add straw, mini pumpkin toys and gems.

Adding orange, yellow and/or red playdough is always a great addition. (Mix in some cinnamon to your playdough for a full sensory experience.)

loose parts play shows a sectional tray with small materials for fall.

Create a tray for summer filled with lots of colorful objects and loose parts. Plastic bugs, birds, wooden butterflies, colorful flowers and beads that look like drops of water.

maker space shows a tray with items to represent summer such as flowers, bugs and birds.

Create a tinker tray for spring and include Easter eggs, flowers, little pompom chicks, spring gems, carrots and create patterns and pictures on wooden egg boards.

loose parts play shows a sectional tray with items representing spring.

Keep the spring theme going with a sunflower playdough loos parts tray. Yellow playdough and beans create a bunch of different sunflowers!

sunflower tinker tray shows materials to create a sunflower such as yellow playdough. — Sunflower Tinker Tray

Loose Parts for Celebrations + Holidays

The holidays are always filled with excitement for kids, and loose parts play gives them a chance to play and create with themed materials. Try creating a lovebug for Valentine’s Day using lots of red, pink and purple supplies. A free printable activity card is available.

valentines day stem shows a tray with craft materials to make a lovebug. — Valentine’s Day STEM

Provide loose parts to create a card for Mom for Mother’s Day. A free printable STEAM card for Mom is available for this activity. Kids get the freedom to be creative and choose which supplies they want to use.

mothers day STEAM shows a tray with craft supplies. — Mother’s Day STEAM Tray

Use a Halloween themed tray with all of your creepy decorations. Bat gems, bones, eyeball ping pong balls and pumpkin lights leads to endless creations. I often add black playdough to this center.

loose parts play shows a sectional tray with materials for Halloween.

Create a card for Dad using a tray of random nuts, bolts and other fasteners. Kids create a critter using the materials in some way.

fathers day nuts and bolts card example. — Nuts and Bolts Father’s Day Card

There is so much you could add to a Christmas themed tray. Red and green play dough, and any other decorations kids can get their hands on. You can also paint wooden peg people brown and glue twisted brown pipe cleaners to its head to make reindeers.

I included small colored wooden blocks with numbers from a previous Christmas math activity. You can also paint wooden blocks brown and use a white marker/paint pen to create what looks like icing and gingerbread pieces.

loose parts play shows a sectional tray with materials for Christmas.

STEM Challenge Based Trays

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) activities are a great way to work on the skills needed in these subjects, in a fun and hands-on way. Try more STEM activities with 60+ Best STEM activities for kids. The following ideas are simple loose part trays that encourage STEM and building.

Use popsicle sticks of a variety of sizes, clothes pins, wood sheets and playdough for children to build and create a structure or other creation.

stem for kids shows a tray with sticks, boards and play dough.

Generally loose part play does not include a specific goal, however, this clean water activity is always popular and there is a lot of learning that happens during this activity that I wanted to included it.

Create a tray with lots of materials that can create a filter for dirty water. What should each layer include and what works well to help clean the water. Test and then go back to your tray to add or change any part of your creation.

clean water science experiment shows a child taking a coffee filer and materials to make a filter for water. — Clean Water Loose Parts Experiment

Art Based Tinker Trays

Sometimes the best loose parts trays include craft materials. Kids love to simply play, cut, draw and create abstract pieces of art. Provide lots of containers with different art materials in each. It doesn’t matter specifically what you include, but the more the better. You’ll be amazed at what they can come up with.

arts and crafts shows six bins with craft material in each.

Create art using tinker trays. Provide a huge collection of random supplies. From feathers to glasses and challenge children to create a face or other picture using the supplies.

arts and crafts for kids shows twelve bins with random building materials in each.

You don’t have to glue the objects down and children can create one image after another.

object art for kids shows a person made from random materials such as leaves for hair.

The final idea for loose parts play is an invitation to create. Provide a variety of craft materials and a large piece of cardboard to create a flat surface.

crafts for kids shows bins with craft materials.

Children are free to create and explore the materials. If a group is working together they can begin to create a town or find a way to mix different creations together. This often ends up being a project that takes days!

invitation to play shows a mini town made from a cardboard box and craft supplies.

I hope that this collection gives you lots of ideas and inspiration for you to bring loose parts play to your classroom or home. These projects are a wonderful screen-free learning opportunity for kids of all ages.