“Playing and learning outdoors is life-enhancing. It promotes mental, social and emotional wellbeing by helping to reduce stress, increase self-esteem and confidence, develop emotional resilience, and build children and young people’s confidence in their own capabilities and ability to manage risks and deal with uncertainty.”
Scotland’s Outdoor Play & Learning Coalition Position Statement
Playful Schools: The Power of Loose Parts Play
The Playful Schools Project was a collaboration between Play Scotland and ScrapAntics CIC, funded by the Scottish Government’s Wellbeing Fund. It was a pilot project to explore the potential for Loose Parts Play to promote children’s mental health and wellbeing in the context of Covid-19.
Playful Schools delivered Loose Parts Play sessions across Dundee’s Community Hubs during the 2020 summer break. Alongside the delivery of play sessions, we conducted research to understand:
a) the impact of Loose Parts Play on children’s mental health and wellbeing; and,
b) the potential barriers to provision of Loose Parts Play in the context of Covid-19.
The Playful Schools: Toolkit for delivering Loose Parts Play in Covid-19 has been developed to support organisations to plan and deliver Loose Parts Play. Included in the document are examples of Risk Benefit Assessments and a Staff Handbook.
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