Resources for Loose Parts Play

Grapat's "Little Things" are beautifully handcrafted from solid wood. These open ended wooden pieces are made with love and sustainable materials and form the basis of so many aspects of play, from imaginative and small world play, to story-telling and counting and sorting. Their simple and unstructured form allows children to imagine the expression, gender and roles supporting their own emotional development and understanding of the world and people around them. Combine them with Grapat Nins, Wizards, Tomtens, Sticks or Bugs for even more open ended play. Size: 54 mm high, 42 mm diameter. Recommended from 18 mths+

Grapat wooden Mandala Trees are a set of 36 little wooden trees. A superbly versatile, open ended, loose parts resource.  Designed in order to create a unique sensory experience as you design your own mandala, this also encourages the development of fine motor skills and becomes a beautifully interactive way to teach children about symmetry. Handmade from sustainably sourced wood and finished with non-toxic colours, Grapat Mandala sets are a perfect addition to imaginative play, role play, creative picture making and story telling. They are perfect for counting and sorting and assisting with mathematical concepts. The possibilities are inspiring. Contains: 36 small wooden trees in 3 shades of green Size: Each tree is approximately 4 cm high Recommended from 3 yrs+

Building, stacking and finding just the right balance is challenging and fun with these organic, round stone shapes. Enrich small worlds with your own creations. Each set contains 4 pieces in different shades of their colour scheme Materials: lime wood, non-toxic water based colour stain. Size: H-2.5 cm / Lengths- 6 to 12 cm. Recommended from 12 mths+

The Carla set allows for the development of logical-mathematical thinking by classifying, grouping and matching elements through colours and/or shapes. These actions improve hand-eye coordination and motor skills. The rings can be used to thread, stack and create different games. The Nins® can be used as a symbolic game, to create stories and small worlds. Additionally, they can be used for imaginative and open ended play, challenging the mind to think other uses. The adaptability of these materials contribute to creative and divergent ways of thinking. The set includes 12 Nins®, 72 rings and 36 coins in the colors of the rainbow. It also comes with a fabric storage bag. Recommended from 18 months+

A set of 6 Large Wooden Balls in Grimm's Rainbow colour. The perfect addition to the Grimm's Large Rainbow for colour sorting or marble tracks. Materials: Made of maple wood, non-toxic water based color stain. Size: Diameter = 4,5 cm. Recommended from 12 m+

The Grapat Mandala Honeycomb set consists of 36 little yellow honeycombs. This is a superbly versatile, open ended, loose parts resource. Designed in order to create a unique sensory experience as you design your own mandala, this also encourages the development of fine motor skills and becomes a beautifully interactive way to teach children about symmetry. Handmade from sustainably sourced wood and finished with non-toxic colours, Grapat Mandala sets are a perfect addition to imaginative play, role play, creative picture making and story telling. They are perfect for counting and sorting and assisting with mathematical concepts. The possibilities are inspiring. Contains: 36 small wooden honeycombs in shades of yellow Recommended from 3 yrs+

A set of 6 Large Wooden Balls in Grimm's Pastel colours. The perfect addition to the Grimm's Large Rainbow for colour sorting or marble tracks. Materials: Made of maple wood, non-toxic water based color stain. Size: Diameter = 4,5 cm. Recommended from 12 m+

A set of 12 solid wooden balls in Grimm's rainbow colours, packed in a cardboard tub. They are the perfect size for the Grimm's Sorting Boards, your own Rainbow or Marble Run creations. Materials: maple wood, non-toxic water based colour stain, Ø=35 mm Recommended from 3 years+ (choking hazard)

Grapat's Together Set is a beautiful collection of 12 handmade wooden nins, featuring differing shapes and sizes in three skin tones. This multicultural set represents and celebrates cultural and ethnic diversity in our world.  Contains: 12 Nins in 3 skin tones. Made up of: 3 narrow Nins (65 mm high), 3 wide Nins (65 mm high), 3 striped Nins (65 mm high), 3 Baby Nins (38 mm high) and a fabric bag for storage. Recommended from 3 yrs+

This set of 72 pieces favours versatility and  possibilities enhancing creative and divergent thinking. . The different types of tubes assist with hand-eye development, using them as a kaleidoscope, for construction and the creation of imaginary worlds. Some can be seen as trees, buildings, cars etc. It also allows the development of logical-mathematical thinking through classification, grouping and association of elements according to colour and shapes of the elements. The set includes: 72 pieces in 12 different Rainbow colours. 12 big Lola (65 mm) , 12 mid Lola (45 mm), 12 small Lola (20 mm), 12 Tubes (70 mm), 12 Solid Tubes (70 mm) and 12 half Tubes (70 mm). Lola figures, beakers and tubes Rainbow colours and different sizes Symbolic pieces for open-ended play Recommended from 3 yrs+

The word heuristic derives from the Greek word “eurisko” meaning “I discover” and describes an intuitive way of meeting challenges and solving problems. This TickiT wooden heuristic play resource provides an opportunity to capitalise on a toddlers’ curiosity about the objects that make up the world around them, and provides valuable opportunities for extending children’s learning. The open-ended nature of heuristic play encourages children to explore and investigate in their own way, applying their own creative ideas and building on their own experiences through free play without adult guidance. The 20-piece set is made of beech wood and includes one of each of the following resources as well as an activity guide and a large drawstring bag to hold the components when not in use: Ball 50 mm, ball 60 mm, hemisphere 40 mm, disc 60 mm, wheel 50 mm, wheel 40 mm, conical figure 103 mm, cube 40 mm, cube 50 mm, egg cup 63 mm, egg cup 70 mm, napkin ring 47 mm, bowl 70 mm, bowl 92 mm, ring 48 mm, ring 56 mm, ring 70 mm, barrel 55 mm, spool 35 mm, onion top 50 mm, a cotton bag and an activity guide (click here to view & download) Supports the following areas of learning: • Personal Development - sensory• Physical Development - construction• Physical Development - motor skills• Understanding the World - observation Age: Recommended from 10 mths+

The Seven Friends in 7 bowls are perfect for sorting and matching. They are also a great visual resource for the 7 days of the week. Materials: Alder and maple wood, non-toxic water based color stain/non-toxic plant based oil finish. Size: Frame diameter 19 cm, peg dolls height 6,5 cm, diameter 3 cm. Recommended from 12 m+

Perfect for imaginative play, small world play, sorting and colour mapping. Each one of our little hand-painted wooden figures has a different look and individual wood grain. These happy little wooden figures are made from different types of wood from trees indigenous to central Europe. Each hand-painted peg doll is unique. Materials: Three different types of wood from sustainable forestry, depending on availability (maple wood, beech wood, cherry wood or alder wood), non-toxic water based colour stain.  Size: Peg doll's height 6.5 cm, diameter 3 cm. Recommended from 12 mths+

The Grapat Mandala Raindrops are a magnificent open ended, loose parts wooden toy. The creative possibilities are endless. Designed in order to create a unique sensory experience, they also encourage the development of fine motor skills and become a beautifully interactive way to teach children about symmetry. Handmade from sustainably sourced wood and finished with non-toxic colours, Grapat Mandala sets are a perfect addition to imaginative play, role play, creative picture making and story telling. They are perfect for counting and sorting and assisting with mathematical concepts. Contains: 36 small wooden raindrops in 3 shades of blue Size: 3 cm high Choking Hazard. Recommended from 3 yrs+

Where's nin? In this rainbow coloured set from Grapat the nins can be completely hidden, and slowly revealed, by the circular rings. How many rings do I need to add to hide the nin? Who will hide theirs first? Will I put a coin lid on my pile? What colour goes on top? Lots to do and learn with this simple set. Different shapes, sizes and neutral shapes. The best starting point for imaginative play. No instructions, no rules just free and open-ended play with beautiful, colourful wooden shapes. Recommended from 12 mths+

The Grapat Mandala Fire set consists of 36 red flames and is an incredibly versatile, open ended, loose parts wooden toy. Design your own mandala or use them for small world play. Encourage the development of fine motor skills in a beautifully interactive way to teach children about symmetry. Handmade from sustainably sourced wood and finished with non-toxic colours, Grapat Mandala sets are a perfect addition to imaginative play, role play, creative picture making and story telling. They are perfect for assisting with mathematical concepts. The possibilities are endless. Contains: 36 small wooden flames in three shades of red. Size: around 4 cm high Recommended from 3 yrs+

The 6 Rainbow coloured Tomten don't have faces or features, so you can create your own characters around them.  Size: 70 mm high Recommended from 12 mths+

The Grapat Mandala Small Cones is a superbly versatile, open ended, loose parts wooden toy resource. Designed for its unique sensory experience and as an encouragement to practise fine motor skills, it becomes a beautifully interactive way to teach children about symmetry. Handmade from sustainably sourced wood and finished with non-toxic colours, Grapat's Mandala sets are a perfect addition to imaginative play, mandala making and story telling. They are also perfect for counting and sorting, assisting with mathematical concepts. Contains: 36 cones in 3 different shades of green Recommended from 3 yrs+