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A little bit of play Theory
Play is vitally important to a child’s social and emotional development. As parents, you are your child’s first and favorite playmate. By focusing your attention on them and by allowing them to “master” their environment, you will help build their self-esteem. Treat the play time with your child as if it’s an important business meeting. Turn off your cell phone. Don’t check your e-mail. Give your child your undivided attention.
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Learning about Play Schemes and Schemas

A Indredible Guide to Play Schemas

Have you ever noticed your child sometimes seems to have uncontrollable urges to do infuriating things like throwing things, hiding objects in strange places or lining toys up in lines? Chances are it’s a play schema not willful disobedience. 

Play schemas are patterns of healthy, normal mental structures your child uses to make sense of the world. They manifest themselves as strong fascination with or urges to perform an action repetitively in order to develop and understanding of how something works or gain mastery of it. For example by throwing objects (the trajectory schema) they learn about gravity, they learn different things make different sounds, they learn they can control the speed and distance something is thrown. Knowing about play schemas can help caregivers reframe what may seem like bad behaviour into the child teaching themselves important things!

Being able to spot and identify schemas is also useful in order to manage the child’s environment, to provide them with the opportunity to fulfil those urges, or to make adjustments that help keep them and others safe.

Not all children will experience all of these schemas, and this is not an exhaustive list, but I have tried to outline some of the most common schemas that children experience and suggestions of toys and activities you can offer that your child may be interested in. Take a look and let me know if you recognise any in your child’s play!

What are play schemas and why do they matter?

Schematic play activities for each of the 9 schemas

When we understand and recognise these natural urges in our children’s play, we can support and extend their play. We also learn to redirect “dangerous or inappropriate urges” to safer alternatives instead of stopping them completely (e.g. redirect M to throw bean bags into a box instead of throwing a big bouncy ball in the house)

Most Popular Schemas of Play

  1. Connecting and Disconnecting

  2. Orientation

  3. Positioning

  4. Trajectory

  5. Rotation

  6. Transporting

  7. Transforming

  8. Enveloping

  9. Enclosing

Why is schematic play important in early childhood development?

Schemas matter because they give us clues for what excites individual children most about their world. Ultimately, play schemas can help give us more ideas for how to build up key skills in early education by encouraging patterns in play.

Children can be engaged with more than one schema at a time, or tend to favour multiple schemas in their free play. But it's not necessarily children's repeated behaviour that's so important — it's what they're exploring through that behaviour. 

All play schemas occur naturally, so it’s not something you need to teach children. But, when we understand the characteristics of different play schemas, we can then provide opportunities for children to play in ways that extend their learning.

Some behaviours might come off as reckless at first glance, like throwing objects in the trajectory schema. But, understanding play schemas helps us see the experimentation and learning occurring when children engage in these forms of play. Observing and developing children’s play schemas is a fantastic way for practitioners to tune into the voice of the child, because play schemas by their very nature demonstrate children’s thoughts, preferences and interests. In terms of child development, they are a way that children explore their own ideas and thoughts and express their thinking through play.

Sound familiar? Most early educators will be able to identify times that they've seen these kinds of behaviours and interests at work, but it’s also important to be curious about what children are learning through the play schema.

However, when Early Years practitioners understand the characteristics of different play schemas, we can identify when our children are using these and then provide opportunities for children to play in ways that extend their learning.

Seen in this light, play schemas are a stepping stone toward developing key skills later in life, and a motivating factor in early childhood brain development.

It's not your job to make schema play happen. Rather, observing the schemas children are naturally experimenting with, and operating within, allows you to provide meaningful play activities that support their learning and development.

Supporting the Schemas in Play

The past few months I have been trying to understand the reasons behind certain behaviours my children exhibit. I came across the term “Schematic Play” and I thought it gives me a clearer understanding why my children do the things they do. Schemas are pattern of behaviours that help young children to make sense of the world and understand the social rules; the process of forming and organising knowledge.

As we all know play comes very naturally for babies and children, is their way to explore and understand how things work and how people react to their actions.

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So why do we need to know about Schemas in Play (natural urges)?

I like to see these play schemas as “natural urges” which make them exhibit certain behaviours which they are compelled to do; which on the surface they might seem like just-playing.

“…a fancy word for the urges that children have to do things like climbthrow things and hide in small places.” – Clare Caro

The reason why I want to share about these schemas on my blog is because I wished I had known them sooner as a teacher and a mum. I only know these as common play behaviours. Sometimes, we are so into planning activities for them with goals in mind, we sometimes failed to understand some behaviours we said “no” to are actually natural urges. When we suppressed these natural behaviours, the children might direct the urges to something not appropriate as they grow up (I think of it like they are trying to satisfy their curiosity).


1. Connecting and disconnecting

Using a popsicle stick to slice to disconnect the hook-and-loop blocks

Connecting bricks together, stacking the magnetic tiles on top of one another, stacking items up vertically or horizontally, a common scene at home? Probably before all these, they enjoy knocking down towers.

Exploring how to link the cardboard tubes together with the sticks

Putting things together and taking them apart help them to understand how the materials work. So before you keep insisting your child to construct something in the way you think he or she should, let them explore the toy first and build the way they want. Don’t be mad if the young ones keep destroying your structures.

Materials and play ideas: Wooden blocks, foam blocks, magnetic tiles (with a lot of supervision), connecting train tracks, Lego bricks, connecting toys, bowls and cups, plastic jars, ribbons, threading activities, tapes (older ones can connect the dots with paper and pencils).

2. Orientation

“Who is that below me?”

Often catch your baby looking between their legs? Your child going down the slide on the tummy instead? Well, I was very puzzled why my babies will do those fancy yoga poses while I breastfeed them. Probably they have nothing else to do so this natural play urge kicks in.

M likes to hang from a bar or rope and tilt his head back.

Seeing the world upside down can be very fun, it also teaches the child to take on different perspectives – the same object or scene can be seen in different ways. This will help greatly in the future when it comes to navigating around a new place (noticing prominent landmarks), reading maps, and even fitting in pieces of puzzles.

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I love adding mirrors to extend on this schema, creating depth and new perspectives.

Materials and play ideas: Monkey bars, swings, higher platform furniture (I used chairs, Wobbel and foldable play mats). mirrors.

3. Positioning

J lining up his (huge collection of) cars. While it might appear like a “random” action to us, he is building on his positioning schema.

Does your child arrange toys in lines too? This is the positioning schema. I think I am still building on this schema now myself; I like arranging items in a line, putting them in order of height or colours.

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“My child is just lining things up!” is a feedback I hear so often when parents are asked about how their children play with toys. Putting objects in rows or forming a circle is NOT just lining things up – think about the amazing wonders in their minds as they are positioning objects. Probably thinking “let’s lay the cars along and see where will it end!” , or “how many different lines can I make with all these cars?” Well, we will never know whats going on in the minds of these fantastic toddlers.

M laying the Playmags (magnetic tiles) in neat coloumns on the light pad.

When M is stacking or lining objects, he is also learning about the shapes, patterns, lines and sometimes even learning how to balance the objects or how to make sure the hand does not knock down the objects while he is lining them up.

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Materials and play ideas: Variety of loose parts materials with a boundary to work on to create patterns, cars, twigs / sticks, provide variety of textile objects, vary in sizes and weight.

4. Trajectory

This is probably the schema that led me to research more about M’s behaviours.

When people tell me about “trajectory”, I usually think about ramps and getting an object move from one place to another. There is more to that. Throwing objects and jumping (moving own body) is also trajectory! It is all about movements and how we or the objects respond to the movement.

I said “NO” to him a few times without realising the behaviour he is exhibiting is part of the schema of trajectory. He throws things, jumped a lot and absolutely obsessed with ball runners and water walls / fountains.

Throwing a ball

I thought these were misbehaviours of a very active toddler who loves water play. Being a teacher, I know I had to redirect his energy to appropriate activities. However, I have ignored addressing his urge to throw, move and interact with moving objects.

He now learns that he can throw bean bags in the house and the big ball is only for outside play. He now creates his own throwing game at home and almost everyday he will bring his ball along to throw and let it roll down the slide (he loves doing that with a friend, sharing the ball is his tool to make new friends).

M and E exploring how the balls move on the Wobbel board

Do you experience the classic my-baby-likes-to-drop-things-down-from-the-highchair? Yes, that is the trajectory schema too. I like how these schemas are not formed based on physical experiences with the objects, but also how the babies will take note of our expressions and give that cheeky giggle when we picked up the items for them again and again.

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Materials and play ideas: Ramps, slides, swings, balls, cars, ball / marble runner, water pipes, bean bags, containers (to throw or drop items into), cardboard tubes, paper aeroplane, chalk, tape or string as movement guidelines, roll on different surfaces and materials.

5. Rotation

Rolling the tyre from one place to another (rotation and trajectory schemas are observed in this scene)

My boy is that child who is obsessed with wheels and anything that goes round. His favourite song on repeat mode was “The Wheels on the Bus”. Because he likes things that goes round, I used to buy a LOT of car and driving toys for him. However rotation schema goes beyond playing with cars.

M exploring the lazy Susan at the Blue House atelier when he was a crawling infant

Spinning things around (e.g. top), rotating objects, and even scribbling round and round are part of the rotation schema.

Materials and play ideas: Spinning tops, spinner, windmill, twisting (large) bottle caps, doing activities on lazy susan, round bottles, drawing circles, hula-hoops, or sing songs that involves turning (eg. The Wheels on the Bus, Hokey-Pokey)

6. Transporting

N enjoys pushing her favourite toys in a wagon walker around the house.

Just a few days ago, I saw N trying to carry as many packets of wet wipes she can, then later trying to transfer three diapers from one cupboard to another. She cried in frustration when she failed to do it. I put her little bag next to her and she used it to put the diapers inside and she was a happy baby once again.

I strongly recommend having a wagon walker at home. Not only it helps toddling infants to learn to stand and walk independently at their own pace (note that those sitting baby-walkers are a big no-no for me), it supports their transporting schema. We bought ours from Ikea and she likes to put things on it and push around.

Using a pot to contain the blocks as she moves from one place to another

Placing items in containers to bring them another location is also transporting schema (sometimes overlapping with enclose).

Materials and play ideas: Wagon-walker / trolleys, baskets, containers of different sizes, bags, cardboard tubes, cars

7. Transforming

Observing changes in the baking soda experiment, learning about cause and effect.

I used to wonder why M likes to pour every basket of toys onto the floor and used his hands to swipe and mix them. I think his urge to mix things up is very strong. The daily dose of sensory and dough play is making mess at home more manageable.

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I find transforming schema quite therapeutic for myself, hence i like to play with different types of dough.

Baby N mixing paint colours with her brush and fingers

The transforming schema has a strong link to learning about cause and effect.

Materials and play ideas: Cookery activities, painting with different colours, providing variety of loose parts and utensils, translucent colour materials and toys, dough play (try having more than one colour), ice and water play.

8. Enveloping

Hiding the buttons in the dough

My kids like to “bury” objects in their dough and I remember I always tell M not to push the objects too hard into the dough when we creating letters and Chinese words. He was actually having the urge to push them deep inside to see how far they can go. Even better, till they disappear from sight. N recently likes to wrap her biscuits in her hand into a tight fist and not let them go, I am suspecting it is the envelop schema at work.

N playing peek-a-boo with momma, covering herself with a play scarf

Envelop not only applies to objects, but also to one’s body. How about wrapping scarf and blanket around themselves? Hiding their faces with their hands? Playing peek-a-boo with you? Lots of giggles and fun when the play scarf is drape over the baby!

Colouring one colour over another is also building on the schema of enveloping. M is still doing this at 3 year-old.

Materials and play ideas: Play scarves, light shawl, light blanket / napkin, papers, pails, large hat, play Peek-a-Boo, wrap / unwrap objects with paper and scarf, tapes, crayons
Warning: Keep plastic bags and items that has the risk of suffocating away from young children!

9. Enclosing

Drawing in a carton box

Boxes can entertain my children for a pretty long period of time. Not only it provides imaginative play, the enclosed space serves an avenue for the children to build on their enclose schema. I remember when I was young, I am always drawn to tents and playhouses, going in and out, feeling the difference in the “spacial atmosphere”.

Inserting popsicle sticks into the slit of a container

Do you lose things in the house with a toddler around? That’s them trying to insert our items into holes and container with this play urge. It took me days of searching for baby Jesus from our nativity play set, only to find N chewing on it with a cardboard tube beside her almost a week later.

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Enclose can also be a form of drawing where the child draws an “enclosure” around her drawings. M has been drawing borders on his paper and now I know why.

Materials and play ideas: Boxes, tent, DIY fort with blankets, containers with holes, tugging and pulling ribbons from box or colander, inserting pom poms into narrow-opening bottles, stencils.

Understanding, Supporting and Extending Schematic Play

When we learned and recognise these natural play urges, we are better at extending their play experience, curating materials and toys for them, and redirecting inappropriate play behaviours to a safe activity that still allows them to build on the schema.

If your child is currently “obsessed” with some schema, it can get tiring and frustrating to deal with, but remember that they are growing their brain, and organizing their ways of thinking about the world as they explore this schema again and again. – Jangle Durham

Probably often, you don’t see a schema isolated in an activity. Sometimes a play activity can fall into two types of play schemas or more.

When playing with cars and ramps, the child might learn about trajectory, transporting, rotation and transforming (push force).

As you can see from the examples, there are many opportunities for problem-solving, creative and imaginative thinking, critical-thinking, and development of social and emotional skills (e.g. perseverance). This is why play is an important part of the early years to discover about the world.

When you observe how your child plays the next round, see if you can match their behaviours and actions based on these schemas 

Learning About Play (2): Stages of Play1st Feb 2020In "Information about Play"

Learning About Play (1): Types of Play13th Dec 2019In "Information about Play"

Encouraging child-directed turn-taking and waiting5th Feb 2020In "Home teaching"

What is the trajectory play schema?

The trajectory play schema reflects an interest in how objects move through space.

This sort of action is present in all sorts of play, but you'll certainly notice it in activities like:

  • Throwing objects

  • Dropping things, or pushing something off a ledge

  • Rolling balls or other objects down an incline

  • Swinging on a swing set, or pushing someone else on a swing set

  • Playing with the flow of water

Trajectory schema play activity ideas

1. Become a test pilot for paper planes

Source: Early Impact learning & Kids Activities Blog


A pink paper airplane

How it connects to play schemas: Children who engage with trajectory schema play will be fascinated by the movement of paper planes as they fly. Paper airplanes are easy to put together with materials you’ve already got on hand, and watching their motion can also be a miniature physics lesson for little ones.

What you’ll need:

  • Paper

  • Scissors

  • Tape

How you do it: There are lots of different ways to make a paper plane. You might start by showing children an example you made as a child, and then let them experiment with their approach. To make it more interesting, you can make a flying distance challenge where you can use tape for starting and finishing lines, and children can fly their planes towards the finish line while enjoying the soaring plane.

2. Paint a masterpiece with rolling marbles 

Source: Busy Blooming Joy Art for Kids Hub

How it connects to play schemas: Rolling marbles in paint on paper draw out children’s creative, artistic impulses while exploring a medium that’s extra fascinating due to the trajectory schema. With its artistic process, this activity allows children to explore different materials, colors, and textures by the rolling movement of the marbles and enhances their ability to understand the cause-and-effect phenomena.  

Paper laid on a table with bowls of paint for children's art

What you’ll need:

  • Paint

  • Marbles

  • Jars

  • Spoons

  • Cardboard box

How you do it: Start by placing your paper inside the cardboard box, to help contain your marbles and your mess. Prepare jars with different paints and add marbles to them. Put the lid back on and shake them around in the paint. Use the spoon to bring them out. Have your child start rolling the marbles in the cardboard and create a beautiful pattern. 

3. Splishing and splashing through a water pipe maze

Source: Early Impact

How it connects to play schemas: Water splashing and manipulation can fall under different play schemas, but is relevant for the trajectory schema as well. It allows children to enjoy the interesting irregular movement of water through different pathways of pipes, and if presented properly, can boost their experimental and problem-solving capabilities.

Alphabet signs stuck in a grassy lawn

What you’ll need:

  • Water

  • Pipes or tubes

  • Balls

  • Tape

  • Pallet

How you do it: Attach a pallet to a wall and create a pathway with pipes or tubes. Secure the pipes with tape. Make sure the tubes are movable, so children can create their pathways to manipulate the flow of water. They can also pour balls with the water and predict their path through the pipelines.

Image Source: All For The Boys

4. Toy car derby: Ramp rally racing

Source: The Toddler PlayBook

A cardboard ramp for racing toy cars

How it connects to play schemas: Ramps can be a key tool for engaging children with trajectory schema play, as it allows for all sorts of options for rolling objects. Using toy cars can give this activity some more structure, and turn the activity into cooperative play with one another.

What you’ll need:

  • Cardboard box

  • Tape 

  • Glue

  • Pens

How you do it: Take an empty cardboard box to use as the base for the ramp, by folding the cardboard into an angled surface you can set it on the floor. If you like, you can cut rectangular pieces out of another cardboard box and glue them on the ramp, to create separate lanes for your cars. Once it's complete, let children roll their cars or balls down the lanes. 

Image Source: Pinterest



What is the transporting play schema?

A transporting schema is one of the most common play schemas. As a practitioner you’re likely to see this one a lot! We tend to notice it because it involves children carrying objects around the play areas. So if we’re finding dolls’ prams full of cars, buckets full of conkers, LEGO pieces and blocks, or, yes, sand in the book corner, we are probably witnessing a transporting play schema at work.

Some of the common interests of children with a transporting schema may include:

  • Moving and carrying items with prams, trolleys or wheelbarrows

  • Filling buckets and containers and walking around with them

  • Playing with mud, sand, or sensory materials

  • Making collections of small items that they take around with them

  • Filling their pockets with objects and moving them to another place

It’s likely that all of this sounds very familiar if you’ve been working in Early Years for a little while. But it’s important to consider what children are learning through this play schema.

Transporting schema play activity ideas

1. Sorting objects with pom-poms and tweezers

Source: Busy Toddler- Pom Pom sorting

How it connects to play schemas:: Pom pom and tweezer activities are great for developing fine motor skills and building up the muscles in the fingers, hands and wrists ready for children to learn to write later on, however, they are also a fantastic way for children to develop their transporting play schema on a small scale. Here, everything is still quite contained, but there is still the opportunity for children to experiment with moving objects from place to place.

What you'll need:

  • Pom poms or other small items

  • Tweezers, tongs or pegs to move the items

  • Bowls or small containers

  • A tray to keep everything together 

How you do it: Use a tray to keep everything contained, and give children a discrete area to work and set up a selection of different containers. Place pom poms or other small items into one of the containers and provide children with tongs, giant tweezers or even clothes pegs to grip and move the items from one container to another. Items like conkers, small pine cones or acorns could be ideal for children exploring natural resources, or you could use shells, stones or buttons depending on what you have available.

Depending on your children's ages, you could place numerals in the containers and ask children to sort the corresponding number of items into that container.

2. Transporting play with tubes and pipes

Source: Illinois Early Learning- Investigating Pipes

How it connects to play schemas: Pipes and tubes help children explore the way in which substances can be moved from one place to another. Rolling items down tubes and pipes lets children with a transporting play schema to work within their interest, watching how items or substances move from one place to another. This can then become the site for lots of experimental learning, where children can test out the properties of different items. This problem solving process allows children to explore lots of STEM learning as they build an understanding of different ways to move objects around.

What you'll need:

  • Lengths of pipe, these can be plastic drain pipe, cable pipe or flexible plumbing materials.

  • A selection of items to fit into the pipes; balls, toy vehicles, natural resources like conkers.

  • Water, sand, and messy play resources

How you do it: Children can help you to select pipes based on how long they are, how wide their openings are or how bendy they are, and adults should take advantage of teachable moments encouraging children to experiment with speed and distance. Making use of open ended questions in this way will help to extend and expand children’s thinking.  Some children may want to record their results through mark making or writing, or using technology to record videos or take photos of their experiments. 

3. Get outside for a nature scavenger hunt

Source: LEAP Lambeth: Nature scavenger hunt

How it connects to play schemas: Getting children outdoors more and keeping them active to meet the physical activity guidelines is a priority in the Early Years. operating within the transporting play schema are investigating the concepts of journey, moving and distance.

What you'll need:

  • Outdoor area or planned outing

  • A list of things for children to find (try the Woodland trust for inspiration)

  • Containers for children to keep their treasures in!

How you do it: Provide children with a checklist of things to find, these might be specific items like ‘a pinecone’ or ‘a chestnut leaf’ (use photos!) or you might simply provide colours for children to match objects to depending on their age, stage, interests and needs. Help children collect things matching those on their lists and provide children with baskets, boxes or buckets too, so they can transport their treasures back to nursery.

4. Taking a trip to the postbox

How it connects to play schemas: Writing a letter or card and then taking a trip to the postbox supports a real range of skills and can also support transporting schemas too, as children can use the sending or receiving of a letter as a means of understanding the concept of a journey.

What you'll need:

  • Envelopes

  • Variety of paper and card 

  • Pens, pencils, crayons

  • Stamps

How you do it: The basic idea is that the children are going to send a letter on a journey. You might choose to pair up with another setting in a different part of the country and exchange letters, or perhaps write to someone influential, you could post letters to the children’s homes or even post letters straight back to nursery! The key concept is that children make a card or write a letter, put a stamp on it and go on an outing to the nearest post box or post office to see the letter sent on its way.

5. Construction play tray

Source: Pre-school Play- Construction Tray

How it connects to play schemas: Construction vehicles are designed with transporting in mind so they’re easy to load up with mud, sand or other sensory materials, and little transporters will be happy to play for an extended period of time, moving things around, going over bridges or around the edge of the tray and experimenting with building piles and clearing areas.

What you'll need:

  • Tuff tray, or builders mixing tray

  • Sand, mud or sensory materials

  • Toy diggers and dumpers

  • Extra elements like guttering or bridges

How you do it: Fill a tuff tray or builders mixing tray with sand, soil, gravel or another sensory material like porridge oats or lentils and provide children with toy diggers, dump trucks, small spades or spoons and some enhancements like bridges or pieces of guttering. Children can then engage in lots of transporting play, moving mud from one area to another, and moving the diggers and dump trucks around too.

6. Water play with pipettes

Source: Nurture store- Water play with pipettes

How it connects to play schemas: As we’ve looked at previously, the transporting schema doesn’t just apply to solid single objects — many children also like to transport substances like sand or water. Lots of children will enjoy mixing different coloured water together and experimenting with how colours combine and change. Using pipettes is a fantastic way to build fine motor skills and develop the small muscles in the fingers that children need for pencil control and writing.

What you'll need:

  • Water

  • Food colouring

  • Paper

  • Pipettes

How you do it:  Set out jars filled with water and food colouring. Provide children with paper and pipettes and allow them to play in ways that are meaningful for them, using the pipettes to “transport” the water onto the paper. The activity can also be adapted to suit children's particular interests, needs, age and stage of development by choosing the colours that are set out, or perhaps by adding different implements to transport the water with things like cotton buds or paint brushes.

What is the connecting play schema?

A connecting play schema often appears as an interest in connecting objects together, and often this is followed by disconnecting them too! You might notice children repeat something like tying items together and then untying them, sticking collage materials together and then pulling them apart, zipping and unzipping a coat, or building a tower and knocking it down again!

The connecting play schema often also incorporates opening and closing, so children might open and close doors or boxes and demonstrate great interest or curiosity about this.

Some of the common interests and behaviours of children engaging in the connection schema may include:

  • Building huge towers out of LEGO

  • Fiddling with clothes fastenings (zips, velcro, poppers, buttons)

  • Tying things together

  • Joining things like train tracks

  • Sticking different objects together

  • Playing with magnets

Connecting schema play activity ideas

1. Constructing with magnetic tiles

Source: Making Danish- Activities and Play ideas with Magnetic Tile

A child

How it connects to play schemas: Magnetic tiles are a fantastic resource for any early years classroom. They’re open-ended, so you can use them for a whole range of different activities and they allow children to play in their own way. Magnetic tiles are ideal for children with a connecting schema. Playing with these tiles allows children to experiment with shape, create patterns and how shapes fit together, which improves their spatial reasoning.

What you'll need:

  • Magnetic tiles

  • Space to play

  • Imagination

How to do it: Magnetic tiles are a good resource for continuous provision as children can choose how they want to play with them. You can fit most sets of these tiles together so you can start with a small collection, and see how children play with them before investing in more sets. Children will often come up with more inventive and imaginative play ideas than we can but practitioners can support their play and learning by allowing them time and space to play, asking provocative, open-ended questions or providing additional resources to enhance play.

2. Open-ended building with LEGO

Source: Famly- LEGO in EYFS Development

A pile of LEGO blocks is a classic toy for the connecting play schema

How it connects to play schemas: In early education, LEGO can be used as part of continuous provision or in countless activities to support learning across a range of different areas of development.

For children with a connecting schema, LEGO is the perfect resource as it will allow them to connect bricks in different ways for different purposes. It's also a fantastic way to keep working on those fine motor skills and building up the small muscles in the wrists, hands and fingers for writing later on.

What you'll need:

  • LEGO or Duplo, depending on your children’s development and age

  • Space to play

  • Space to keep ‘in progress’ construction

How you do it:  You can simply provide LEGO, or DUPLO, depending on the age and stage of your children, as part of your continuous provision and scaffold learning through the use of careful questioning. Another good idea when using LEGO is to provide a safe space that children can keep models that they’re still working on. Allowing children to come back to their models helps to extend learning and also demonstrates respect for them and their work.

3. Using woodwork tools (safely)

Source: Pete Moorhouse - Learning through woodwork

Woodworking can allow children to engage in the connecting play schema

How it connects to play schemas: There are a whole host of benefits to woodwork in early childhood, as expert Pete Moorhouse will tell you, specifically in his blog for Famly here! But for children with a connecting play schema, woodwork is ideal. It allows them to experiment with the process of connecting things together through hammering, screwing or gluing whilst also honing fine motor skills and developing their confidence in designing and making.

What you'll need:

  • Wood — soft wood like balsa is best

  • Hammers and nails

  • Hand drills

  • Screws, screwdrivers

  • Workbench or safe space to work

How you do it: Simple tools, pieces of wood and things children can attach to the wood will engage children with a connecting play schema in some deep learning. You can talk to the children about using tools and equipment safely, demonstrate how to hammer nails in and then allow them to design and make their own wooden sculptures. Children can be creative and make faces or pictures, or simply have a go at the physical process of connecting different materials.


4. Colour sorting activity using velcro strips

Source: Best Toys 4 Toddlers- Velcro fine motor colour sort and patterning activity

This bucket of velcro strips holds the potential for connecting schema play

How it connects to play schemas: Any kind of activity using velcro is going to appeal to children with a connecting schema as velcro can be connected and then disconnected over and over again with a really satisfying sensory input. This particular activity also incorporates ideas of sorting and patterning, which are foundational early maths skills.

What you'll need:

  • Coloured velcro

  • Coloured fabric shapes (baby hair ties are ideal!)

How you do it: Give children access to strips of coloured velcro (the rough side) and fabrics in the same colours. Hair ties designed for babies and toddlers are ideal as they are made from a soft, fuzzy material that will stick easily, come in lots of different colours and can be purchased in bulk very cheaply.

For younger children this can be used as a colour matching activity, helping to build their concepts of similarities, differences and categories. For older children, you can begin to introduce simple patterns by asking what comes next in a pattern you have created, or encouraging them to develop their own.

5. Getting creative with junk modelling materials

Source: Nursery World- All about junk modelling

Loose parts model building is a good example of connecting play schema

How it connects to play schemas: Junk modelling is simply finding new uses for ‘junk’ like bottle lids, cardboard tubes, cereal boxes and yogurt pots to make models. This is a way to use more sustainable resources to lower costs and the environmental impact of your setting. Adding tape, glue, or string will allow children to connect different elements in order to create their model experimenting with the way that different items interact with one another, or hold together. 

What you'll need:

  • Clean ‘junk’ materials e.g. cardboard boxes, cardboard tubes, plastic pots, bottle lids

  • Fastening equipment suited to the age and stage of children, e.g. masking tape, sellotape, glue sticks, PVA glue, glue guns, staplers, split pins.

How you do it: Junk modelling is best as part of continuous provision, so children are allowed to access these resources as and when they freely choose to do so. When this is the case children are more likely to construct with a purpose in mind.

For example, they may be engaged in role play and decide they want to make a bed for their baby doll, or they may be busy playing with cars and want to make them a garage. Being able to access junk modelling materials means that they can get started on this project right away, whilst the spark of creativity is still fresh!

6. Outdoor weaving on a large-scale loom

Source: Creative Star Learning- Outdoor Weaving Inspiration

A plastic bag woven through a fence engages the connecting play schema

How it connects to play schemas: Young children have a natural fascination for anything big and enjoy the chance to operate on a large scale, so providing a large loom outdoors is a great way to tap into this and support children with a connecting play schema who can experiment with ways of joining and the concept of creating something new through joining.

What you'll need:

  • Weaving frame, purchased or made

  • Ribbons, fabrics

  • Natural resources

How you do it: In your outdoor area, provide or create a large scale loom. You can create one fairly easily by screwing together pieces of wood or branches in a square, or rectangular, shape and tying strings in between the top and bottom pieces (Some good instructions here).This gives children a basis for creating with a range of different resources. You might choose to provide ribbons or fabrics, which could be selected based on their texture or their colour, or you may choose to go down a more natural route and have children use resources that they find in the outdoor area like leaves, grass or twigs


‍What is the ‘transforming’ play schema?‍

The transforming play schema focuses on how substances or objects change. Often, this involves mixing, mashing, or disassembling. Sometimes the transforming schema is mistaken for ‘bad’ or destructive behaviour. But when we look closely at what children are doing, the transforming schema helps us understand this play as a form of experimentation.

The transforming play schema may also incorporate destruction. Children may break items into their component parts, or just break objects to see how different materials respond to force. If you’ve noticed children who seem intent on breaking things, and you don’t think there are any additional safeguarding issues, you might be looking at a transforming play schema.

Some common things you might see in a child working within a transforming play schema include:

  • Mixing different substances, making potions or mud pies

  • Making substances and items wet

  • Breaking items into their component parts

  • Enjoying covering items in various substances during messy play

  • Painting their own hands, or colouring on their skin with felt tips!

Children using a transforming play schema are experimenting with cause and effect. They are also exploring the concept of change over time, and being able to effect change.

Transforming play schema activity ideas

1. Transforming fruit by making healthy smoothies

Source: Children First Hackney- Making Smoothies

How it connects to play schemas: Smoothie making offers children with a transforming play schema lots of opportunity to smush, slice, peel, blend and mash. Plus, it's a nice way to encourage children to try new foods and encourage healthy eating. There are also numerous opportunities for developing new vocabulary as you teach children the names of fruits, describe textures and tastes, or discuss what peeling, juicing, or blending means.

What you'll need:

  • Fruits

  • Yogurt, milk, or dairy free alternatives

  • Ice

  • Blender

  • Cups

  • Recipes optional, children usually enjoy making their own!

How to do it: Preparing ingredients to go into the blender can present learning opportunities, so invite children to help. They can count the fruit, negotiate quantities and practise fine motor skills in cutting. When everything is in the blender, encourage children to notice what is happening, how the ingredients are changing and how the technology works. When the smoothie is ready, you can support children to taste the smoothie, describing the smell, taste, colour and texture and discussing what they like, dislike, or might do differently next time.

2. Cooking different kinds of foods

Source: Teach Early Years- Recipes to get children cooking

How it connects to play schemas: When we allow children to cook, we offer them an invaluable, rich, holistic learning opportunity. Cooking helps children get in touch with where food comes from and how it's made. This gives us opportunities to talk differently about food, and may help children who are selective or anxious eaters. For children with a transforming play schema, cookery is perfect: just think of all the ways that food changes throughout the creation of a recipe!

What you'll need:

  • Child friendly recipes

  • Ingredients

  • Confident practitioners

How you do it: What you decide to cook is going to depend on the confidence and skills of your practitioners, the equipment you have available, and the children’s preferences. You might create parent partnerships here, by asking children to bring in family recipes from home. This can be a lovely way to value the cultures, traditions and tastes of different families, and to connect home and the setting for children too. You'll need to work alongside children and manage risk as appropriate, but many preschoolers can do a fantastic job at cutting vegetables if given the chance.

3. Experimenting with scent by making perfume

Source: Children First- Queen's Nursery-Perfume Making

How it connects to play schemas: Children learn best through experiential learning, getting hands-on with resources, touching and feeling them, and often breaking them down into their component parts to see what things are made of. For children with a transforming schema, the chance to experiment with flowers and herbs and change them so that they release their scent even more is invaluable.

What you'll need:

  • Pestle and mortar

  • Bottles

  • Labels

  • Water

  • Flowers and herbs

How you do it: If you have your own garden or wild area, children can select and gather their own ingredients, otherwise you can provide them with a selection. They can then be encouraged to explore the different flowers and herbs using their senses: touching, examining and smelling them. Children will then need to use the pestle and mortar to grind the herbs and flowers to release their fragrance even more, when the flowers and herbs have been ground into a paste you can mix this with water, strain or sieve it, and then put into bottles.

4. Mark-making with melting ice paints

Source: Easy Peasy and Fun- Painting with Ice

How it connects to play schemas: Ice melting is great for the transforming play schema. Children will delight not only in watching the ice melt, but also in causing it to do so, thereby experimenting with cause and effect, and notice what causes ice to melt more quickly. Ice play is always popular because it’s such a tactile and sensory experience, and therefore taps into the way that children love to learn through their senses.

What you'll need:

  • Water

  • Red, yellow, green, and blue food colouring

  • Short lolly sticks

  • Ice cube tray

  • Old newspaper/wipeable tablecloth

  • Paper

How you do it: Pour water into an ice cube tray. Then, add a drop of different coloured food colouring to each of the cube sections. Place a short lolly stick into each ice cube section and freeze. When the ice cubes are completely frozen, pull on the sticks to remove them from the tray. Cover a surface with a wipeable table cloth, or old newspaper for stain protection. Then allow children to hold on to the wooden sticks and use the ice cubes to paint with. As they begin to melt, they will leave a lovely watercolour effect on the paper.

5. Mixing up ingredients with potion making

Source: Hygge in the Early Years- Create STEM Opportunities with potion making

How it connects to play schemas: Potion making is a fantastic activity to support the development of early science skills as children experiment with mixing and transforming ingredients. All the while, they build up their abilities to make predictions, try things out and observe the results. As well as building STEM skills, potion-making is also an ideal provocation, inspiring children to play in all sorts of different ways.

What you'll need:

  • An area to play; mud kitchen, outdoor area, tuff tray, table

  • Bowls, pots, pans, cauldrons to mix potions up in

  • Spoons, ladles and whisks for mixing

  • Potion ingredients: Water, bubble bath, food colouring, porridge oats, whatever you have to hand!

  • Bottles to put potions in

How you do it: Children should be allowed free access to a range of suitable materials to make potions with, like water, bubble bath or washing up liquid, glitter, food colouring, oats, whatever you have easy access to and are willing to let them experiment with! As children play practitioners can observe their learning, either formally as a recorded observation or ‘in the moment’ and consider ways that they could extend it, for example by encouraging children to record their recipes.

What is rotation schema play?

A rotating play schema can often be very physical. You may see it expressed in children who love to:

  • Spinning in a circular motion

  • Twist and twirl their own body

  • Roll themselves down hills

  • Play with rolling objects

  • Spin the wheels on bikes or toy cars

  • Turn taps on and off

  • Run in circles

  • Ride bikes round and round. 

This can be a very energetic play schema, making it a more common schema for practitioners to notice. 

Children experimenting with a rotational play schema often love to move, because they are exploring the concept of movement around a fixed point. They will naturally want to explore this in depth by trying out different ways of moving, different speeds, directions and sizes of movement.

Children working within a rotating play schema are developing an understanding of moving objects, and feeling the different ways in which their own bodies can move too. They're developing their sense of balance, coordination and understanding how their body is positioned. Rotating play engages the proprioceptive and vestibular senses, helping to build children’s bodily awareness and can support sensory processing too.

Conceptually, children engaging in the rotational play schema may also be investigating infinity, as they appreciate the ongoing nature of a circle by turning it around and around repeatedly. This builds many key skills needed for much higher level mathematics, and even philosophy later in life. In that way, children's schemas feed into the big picture of child development, and the growth that follows us our whole lives.

Rotation play schema activity ideas

1. Winding with wool

Source: The Budding Artist- Making yarn sticks with kids

How it connects to play schemas: Using wool to wrap up different objects can be a lovely art project and it also really engages children with a rotation schema, because they are able to experiment with rotating either the wool or the object in order to achieve the wrapping effect. This activity is also brilliant for building fine and gross motor skills that children will need later on for writing. Many children find this kind of play very soothing and calming, and it’s also great for building children’s ability to focus on one activity for a significant period of time.

Winding wool yarn around a stick can fulfill rotation play schemas

 What you'll need:

  • Balls of wool

  • Sticks

  • Selection of natural loose parts.

How you do it: Loop some wool around an object and tie a knot, show children how to wind the wool around the object to cover it. You can choose natural items from your outdoor area, and use this as a forest school or beach school activity or use items found in your usual classroom. As you wind you may need to push the wool closer together in order to achieve complete coverage of the item. Children will also be able to experiment with how taut they need to pull the string to get a good wrapping technique, which activates and develops proprioception.

2. Tool time play with screwdrivers

Source: How we Montessori- Montessori Bolt/Screw Activity Board

How it connects to play schemas: Getting children into woodwork and allowing them to experiment with a range of tools has plenty of benefits in the early years. Children can hone their fine motor skills and control which will greatly benefit their handwriting when the time comes, they can build a deeper connection to issues of sustainability by valuing making and repairing items, and lay down early foundations for mathematics by problem solving, measuring, estimating and counting as they work.

Using a screwdriver with screws in wood can express a rotation play schema

What you'll need:

  • Cardboard boxes of different sizes

  • Blankets

  • Enhancements like marker pens, or paint.

How you do it: How your setting decides to implement this will depend largely on the age, stage and needs of the children, as well as the skills of the staff and the ethos of the setting itself. Some settings may decide to run this as a specific activity time led by a member of staff and specifically supervised, whilst others may be happy to set up this area as part of their continuous provision offer. Children can use large screwdrivers to try and put screws into soft balsa wood or something like pumpkins, or use something like the Montessori screwdriver boards available to try out different tools.

3. Salad spinner art

Source: The Imagination Tree- Salad spinner art

How it connects to play schemas: Salad spinners are designed to have salad leaves placed in the middle after they have been washed, the user then turns a hand which spins the inside portion of the device, spinning water off of the leaves. But in the context of rotation schema play, salad spinners can be used to encourage a whole range of different learning. Using them for art gives a fantastic opportunity for colour mixing, produces a splatter effect on paper and demonstrates a value on process over product.

Bottles of food dye on a table

What you'll need:

  • Salad spinners

  • Variety of different coloured paints

  • Large paper e.g. wall paper, flip chart paper

  • Paper cut into circles

How you do it: If you’re using an enclosed salad spinner then cut out paper circles the same size as the tub in advance so children can use these as their canvas, then simply pop the paper into the tub, pour in the paint, close the lid and turn the handle. Children will enjoy making the spinner go faster and faster, and watching the paint mix colours inside the tub.

If you’re using an open salad spinner, things are going to get messy! But that’s okay in early education. It’s all part of the fun and allows children a rich sensory experience as well as the opportunity to work on a large scale. In this case you’re going to want to cover a large area of the floor with large pieces of paper like wall paper or flip chart paper. Then pour lots of different coloured paint into the spinner, and spin away.

4. Messy play with bubbles and whisks

Source: The empowered educator online-Toddler Fine Motor Whisk and Sieve

How it connects to play schemas: Whisks are brilliant tools to enhance a variety of different learning experiences. They’re great for messy play, water play, sand, painting and an ideal, authentic addition to a muddy kitchen area too. Children can use whisks to mix up mud, ripped-up leaves, water and so on. There are also a variety of different kinds of whisk available, making for different learning experiences and the opportunity for children to experiment with different effects. You can get whisks where you turn a handle to make them spin, and these are particularly ideal for children with a rotating schema. 

Whisking food dye into soapy water can fulfill the rotation play schema

What you'll need:

  • Tub or tray

  • Water

  • Liquid dish soap

  • Food colouring

  • Selection of whisks

How you do it: 

Provide water and liquid dish soap in a large tub or tray and a selection of whisks, demonstrating to children how whisking the water will create foam and bubbles. Adults can support children’s play by engaging in sustained shared thinking with them (find out more about sustained shared thinking here) allowing children to work out how to do things, and what will work and what won’t. The adult can model problem solving, curiosity and contribute ideas as well as listening to and drawing out the children’s ideas.

5. Rotational art with paint rollers

Source: Teaching 2 and 3 year olds- Easy toddler easel activity

How it connects to play schemas: Opportunities for mark-making are vital in early years provision, and many of us think that means paper, pens and writing, but there is so much more to mark making than simply trying to write. It’s important that children are given opportunities to try out different kinds of mark making, with a focus on the process rather than the product, because it is the process that provides the learning opportunities. A simple activity to engage children with a rotation schema is to provide an easel and paint rollers to work with.

A child expresses the rotation play schema by rolling a paint roller on a wall

What you'll need:

  • Easel

  • Paint rollers

  • Paint

  • Paper

How you do it: Provide an easel, or board mounted on a fence, or paper taped up on a vertical surface. Set out paint and rollers and allow children to get creative with them. They might cover the paper entirely, or try to create shapes, it’s likely that they will mix colours together or try layering colours. Children with rotating play schema will like the physical rolling and rotating sensation of the paint roller and enjoy seeing a physical mark left by this movement too.

What is the ‘enclosing’ play schema?

Children with an enclosing schema are interested in borders and containing. They are often also interested in categorising and organising different resources. You may see children with an enclosing play schema:

  • Putting items into containers

  • Constructing fences or walls around items

  • Making borders

  • Enclosing their own bodies by hiding or wrapping themselves up

  • Filling buckets with sand or water (and emptying them too!)

  • Drawing circles or drawing around items

The enclosing schema is similar to the enveloping schema, but is distinctive in that an object doesn’t have to be completely hidden from sight in this schema! A child using an enveloping play schema may wrap a doll up completely in a silk scarf, whereas a child using an enclosing play schema may build a fence or wall around the peg doll.

The difference here has to do with which concepts children are exploring through their play. In an enveloping schema, children are experimenting with object permanence, i.e. does an object cease to exist when it is out of sight. But in an enclosing play schema, children learn about placing objects into categories, separating objects from one another and how to form enclosures.

Children using an enclosing play schema are learning about the properties of objects, developing and refining their spatial awareness, making sense of their experience by ordering and experimenting with how things work in relation to one another.

Enclosing play schema activity ideas

1. Playing with patterns through masking tape borders

Source: Creative STAR Learning- Masking Tape Shapes

How it connects to play schemas: Playing cooperatively can be managed through the use of enclosing, and this masking tape painting activity is a good example of that, where areas can be allocated and divided up with the use of physical boundaries. An art project like this is a fantastic provocation for children interested in an enclosing schema because it allows them to explore both physical and social boundaries.

What you'll need:

  • Masking tape

  • A sheet or large sheet of paper

  • Paint

  • Paintbrushes

How you do it: Lay out a sheet or roll of paper, then use masking tape to create different enclosed shapes and areas, tape the whole thing down to the floor or a table so it’s easier to work with. You can then provide paint and paintbrushes and allow children to use these to create art, when the masking tape is removed the borders will remain giving nice straight edges to enclosed areas of colour.

For children engaged in an enclosing play schema, having everything in neat sections between borders and the sensation of being able to remove any ‘mistakes’ by peeling off the masking tape to reveal nice clean lines will extend their learning about categories and separation.

2. Hold a sidewalk chalk art exhibition

Source: Teaching 2 and 3 year olds- Sidewalk chalk activities

How it connects to play schemas: Mark-making on a macro scale is a brilliant way for children to develop their gross motor skills and using sidewalk chalk has the added benefit of taking place outdoors which can help children to think and play more imaginatively (Check out Linda McGurk’s article on outdoor sociodramatic play to see this in action).

What you'll need:

  • Sidewalk chalk

  • Outdoor space with suitable surface for drawing on

How you do it: Provide children with a selection of sidewalk chalk and a large outdoor play space. Children can then be encouraged to have a go at drawing different shapes or pictures, they can also be given the time and space to explore and experiment. Children with an enclosing schema will enjoy the whole body experience of placing the chalk to the floor, and moving around in order to draw, especially if this involves creating an enclosure around an item, or their own body.

3. Enclosing water play with dams and locks

Source: PBS Kids- Build a dam and explore water flow

How it connects to play schemas: Children with an enclosing play schema like to enclose things, and that includes experimenting with enclosing, or containing different substances. Water play is a versatile activity, used frequently by early years practitioners for a range of different developmental benefits and it’s relatively cheap too! Adding the element of making a dam can transform water play into an experiment with enclosing and containing.

What you'll need:

  • Water

  • Cardboard box, aluminium foil and tape OR: plastic guttering OR: an area to dig

  • Crates, boxes or blocks to raise the box or guttering if used

  • Natural resources like rocks and twigs

How you do it: Create a model river by using a long cardboard box, with the inside covered with tin foil, or plastic guttering. If you want to play outside, any soil or sand can be used to make your river by digging a pathway. This could also be used as a beach school activity if you live near the coast. Make sure one side of the “river” is higher than the other so that water will be able to flow.Then you can pour some water into the model river. Children can drop leaves or flower petals into the river to observe the flow of water.

4. Create enclosures with bricklaying play

Source: Learn with play at home- Bricklaying for kids: Invitation to play

How it connects to play schemas: For a child who likes to play within an enclosing play schema, enclosing and containing items and areas, what’s better than the opportunity to create barriers with which to do this? Building a wall by bricklaying can be done in a number of different ways to suit the skills and resources of your setting, staff and children, but it provides a hands-on construction opportunity and way for children to divide, separate and enclose space. 

What you'll need:

  • Wooden blocks and playdough

  • Sand and blocks

  • Sand, cement, bricks, protective gloves

  • Trowels

How you do it: There are several different ways that you can approach this activity depending on the resources, space and skills that you have available in your setting. A simple, low-cost way to achieve this is through using wooden blocks and playdough. Children can use playdough to stick bricks together using the correct pattern, and smoothing out any overspilling playdough the way a bricklayer would with cement.

On a larger scale, you could use a tuff tray and sand with larger, outdoor wooden blocks or foam construction bricks depending on what you have available.

What is enveloping schema play?

An ‘enveloping’ play schema will often express itself in the desire to wrap up items like dolls, teddies, small figures and loose parts, covering them completely from view. 

Some children also love to wrap themselves up in blankets, make dens or hide away from view. At its most fundamental level, this has to do with children exploring the concepts of shape, space and measure, experimenting with volume and building their own bodily awareness. 

Conceptually, children are investigating the concrete nature of objects, how something or someone does not cease to exist when they disappear from view, they may also be interested in whether objects maintain the same form when they are put into different contexts. As well as all of this, these children are often experimenting with sensory input and what they find soothing in order to build their capacity for self-regulation.

Enveloping schema play activity ideas

1. Make some ooey-gooey oobleck goop

Source: Early Years Careers- Making Gloop

How it connects to play schemas: Children with an enveloping play schema are typically fascinated by burying their hands, feet or other objects in different substances. Sand and water play are great opportunities for this, but messy play activities like making gloop or oobleck can help to keep this kind of play fresh. Most children are really entranced by oobleck, and it is particularly good for supporting children with an enveloping play schema.

Children engage in enveloping schema play by covering objects in goop

What you'll need:

  • A tray  

  • Cornflour

  • Water

  • An area that can be easily cleaned

  • Aprons or old clothes

How to do it: To make gloop, all you need to do is mix water and cornflour (the ratio is around about 1 part water to 2 parts cornflour). You can add food colouring too if you want to spice things up a bit. Mix until the desired consistency is reached and then allow children to experiment with the gloop. Many children will be happy to play with their hands, others might prefer the addition of spoons, cups, or small objects to bury and uncover.

2. Enveloping objects in ice

Source: Play of the wild- Toy ice rescue

How it connects to play schemas: Perfect for outdoor play in the winter or for cooling down on a hot day, children with an enveloping play schema will love playing with items frozen, or enveloped, in ice. As children work to get the objects out, they are exploring lots of different scientific concepts, like heat, friction and change, as well as playing in line with their schema. This activity also works for children with a transformation schema, as they get to explore the properties of different materials.

Enveloping schema play can involve freezing toys in ice

What you'll need:

  • Containers in which to freeze items

  • Water

  • Selection of objects to freeze, e.g. sequins, beads, food colouring, small world figures, natural loose parts.

  • Brushes, small jugs, tools to get items out of the ice.

How you do it: To set up this activity you just need to freeze objects so that they are completely encased by ice. Children can then use brushes, cups of warm water or tools to try and break the items out of the ice. Practitioners can either provide all of these tools or set the activity up as a problem-solving challenge to encourage teamwork and critical thinking skills.

3. Think out of the box with cardboard boxes

Source: MSU- Out of the box

How it connects to play schemas: It’s a long standing joke that children don’t need presents because they just play with the box, but there’s so much truth in that! Box play is a great open-ended activity for all children in the Early Years, simply adding different sized boxes to your provision can lead to all sorts of learning opportunities. Children are able to experiment with construction, imaginative play and shape, space and measure through playing with boxes.

A boy hiding in a cardboard box is a good example of enveloping schema play

What you'll need:

  • Cardboard boxes of different sizes

  • Blankets

  • Enhancements like marker pens, or paint.

How you do it: Simply provide a good selection of boxes, including ones that are big enough to climb into and close up and stepping back to allow children to lead play and learning will have the best results. Children often take activities in a way that we wouldn’t have thought to (see our blog on child-led learning here). Adults should encourage exploration, letting children be creative and play in their own way, and keep the focus on the process rather than the product. 

You could introduce paints, markers, blankets, soft toys, or cardboard tubes into the play and see what happens. Allow the play to keep growing and flourishing by holding on to the boxes, so that children can revisit and reimagine the project.

4. What’s in the bag?

Source: The SLT Scrapbook- What's in the Bag?

How it connects to play schemas: Children who love to use the enveloping schema may also like mystery activities and guessing games, because it touches on the same concepts of things continuing to exist in the same state even when out of sight. The "what's in the bag" game is utilised in a variety of different kinds of therapies because it helps to build trust, interaction and communication as well as building problem solving and critical thinking skills.

Hiding toys in a bag can engage the enveloping play schema

What you'll need:

  • Opaque bag

  • Variety of different items: could be sensory toys or familiar objects

How you do it: Simply take an opaque bag and put an object or some objects inside. Children then take turns putting their hand inside the bag (ideal for children with an enveloping schema!) and feeling the object inside. Older children can be encouraged to use language to describe what they can feel, and guess what it might be, whereas younger children can simply feel the objects and be given processing time. The object can then be removed from the bag and the child can check their guess, or be encouraged to use the correct vocabulary about the object.

5. Building blanket forts, dens and hideaways

Source: Pentagon play- Why our children need to build dens

How it connects to play schemas: Making dens and playing in them fits really well with an enveloping play schema. Children with this kind of schema typically love to see the types of spaces they can fit into and to envelop themself in both materials and spaces. They will particularly enjoy dens where they can be completely hidden inside. Providing den-making materials and allowing children to make their own spaces allows children to experiment with creating different spaces and ways to envelop themselves.

The enveloping play schema can also involve hiding oneself in a fort or den

What you'll need:

  • Large sheets of material

  • Washing line, pergola or trees to hang materials from

  • Pegs or clips to secure materials

How you do it: 

Provide open-ended materials such as large sheets, blankets or camouflage netting, a space to build dens such as over a washing line, between trees or even just under tables and perhaps some pegs or clips to keep material in place and then let the children get to work! Adults can support children’s play by engaging in sustained shared thinking with them (find out more about sustained shared thinking here).

6. Enveloping with envelopes: Post office play

Source: Nurture Store- Pretend Play Post Office

How it connects to play schemas: How about taking “enveloping” very literally and transforming an area of your classroom into a post office? Writing letters and putting them into envelopes, posting them into a box, and wrapping and unwrapping parcels is a fantastic way to support children with an enveloping play schema. It also supports a whole host of other skills, for example allowing children to engage in meaningful mark-making or perhaps writing for older children.

An envelope is an obvious way to engage enveloping schema play

What you'll need:

  • Pens, pencils, crayons

  • Paper, envelopes

  • Ink, stamps

  • Boxes, wrapping paper, string or tape

  • Post box

How you do it: Some children may need to be introduced to the real world concept of a post office before they are able to engage in this kind of imaginative play so you could take a trip to the post office to send a parcel, or go to the postbox to send a letter. You may need to scaffold (learn more about this here) children’s play to support this role play scenario. This could be a temporary enhancement to a role play area or you may choose to make this kind of play a more permanent feature of your room.

7. Parachute playtime

Source: Kidadl- Best Parachute Games

The schema play idea: Parachutes are perfect for the enveloping schema as many of the games and activities that we use them for involve running, sitting or hiding under the parachute. You can also encourage the children to use the parachute as a kind of tent, with one child acting as the pole in the centre and everyone else sitting around the edge of the parachute to form the tent. Especially for children who like being enveloped, the novelty of being enveloped with all of their friends will really appeal to them.

Hiding under a parachute satisfies enveloping schema play

What you'll need:

  • Parachute

  • Teddies, balls, small toys

  • Sufficient space to play

How you do it: There are plenty of games that you can play with a parachute, but for children with an enveloping schema, ‘Washing Machine’ is brilliant. For this game, children can choose items to place in the middle of the parachutes. You can use teddies, balls or small toys, but it's best to pick things that are soft and unlikely to cause injury if they fall or bounce off the parachute. The children then each take a handle of the parachute and walk around the edge of it in a circle, holding the parachute handle at waist height. The material of the parachute will begin to wrap up the teddies or toys, enveloping them. The idea is that the children are acting as the washing machine; they can move faster, slower, and change direction, building listening skills as the adults give directions.

What is the orientation play schema?

The orientation play schema is often a very physical one! It's an interest in seeing how things look from different angles, and how things might change when oriented, or directed, in different ways.

This is heavily connected with activating the vestibular system. The vestibular system is a sensory system that helps us get our bearing, and a sense of space. Its main role is to process and categorise incoming sensory information ,and pass this information onto the correct regions of the brain. This can help to prevent humans from becoming overwhelmed by sensory stimuli, and also plays a role in emotional regulation.

Some common things you might see in a child working within an orientation play schema include:

  • Hanging upside down over the edge of the sofa

  • Playing laying on their tummy, with their head sideways

  • Turning items over, upside down, sideways

  • Experimenting with balance

  • Turning themselves upside down or fidgeting

Children using an orientation play schema are experimenting with perspective. They're exploring the concept of perspective, and having control over changing their view of how things look. Children may begin to make connections between different orientations and different views, which builds their understanding of cause and effect, and may support their understanding of symmetry and mathematical patterns.

Like all schematic play, the orientation play schema occurs naturally. When we identify that our children are using this schema, we can and then provide opportunities for children to play in ways that extend their learning.

Let's look at 10 ways to engage children in the orientation play schema.

Orientation play schema activity ideas

1. Experimenting with orientation through yoga

Source: My Teaching Cupboard - The Orientation Schema

How it connects to play schemas: Practising different yoga positions allows children to experiment with getting their bodies and heads into unusual positions and see the world from a different perspective. Yoga has been shown to have many benefits to children, and one of these is helping with sensory processing. It also helps to develop strength, flexibility, balance and coordination and gives practitioners a chance for a much-needed stretch!

What you'll need:

  • Yoga mats, or the carpet

  • A yoga video, or a willing practitioner to play instructor!

How to do it: There are plenty of yoga videos available online, and many designed particularly with young children in mind (think Cosmic Kids or GoNoodle). However, a confident practitioner instructing is always best! If they can watch through a few videos and learn a few poses then they will be able to offer children a basic yoga session, and can undertake training to improve and develop as time goes on. A few poses that may be beneficial for children with an orienting schema include downward-facing dog or the forward fold pose.

2. Using ladders for problem solving

Source: Nursery World- We've Explored crossing Mud

How it connects to play schemas: Ladders are a fantastic resource for supporting children with an orientation play schema, but they are also great for supporting all children’s development of physical skills including balance and coordination. They can also add an element of risk to children’s play, which presents the opportunity for children to risk-assess activities for themselves. Children with an orientation play schema will particularly benefit from using ladders as they can offer different heights and perspectives from which to view the world.

What you'll need:

  • A range of ladders

  • Space to play, preferably outdoors

How you do it: Make ladders available as part of your provision and watch how children decide to use them. You may choose to set the ladders up and have them fixed in place, or have them available for children to move around. If you opt to allow children to move them then it may be worth teaching children how to do this safely, and how to ensure that a ladder has been set up safely too. Ladders are fantastic when used as part of an obstacle course, or to access different areas (like trees, or climbing frames) or to support the use of different equipment like ramps and spouts.

3. Messy splatter painting

Source: Artful Parent- How to do splatter painting with kids

How it connects to play schemas: Experimenting with different ways of using materials can be of great interest to children operating within an orientation play schema. It allows them to consider how things look, work and behave from different angles or perspectives. Splatter painting focuses on the process rather than the product, allowing children to develop their own ‘how’ and ‘why’ for the activity.

What you'll need:

  • Runny paint in cups

  • Paper, canvas, or sheets

  • Spoons or brushes

How you do it: This is an activity where you have to expect mess! For this reason it might be good to do your splatter painting outdoors where you can simply lay your paper, canvas or sheet down on the ground and let children get on with their art. To splatter paint, children just need to dip their spoon or brush into the paint and then flick it across the paper. They can experiment with speed, motion, force, direction as well as shape and colour through this activity.

4. Mark-making on mirrors

Source: Learning and Exploring Through Play- mark Making Mirror Tuff Tray

Mark Making Mirror Tuff Tray using Shaving Cream, Paint and Nature.

How it connects to play schemas: This activity is fairly simple but it allows children to explore mark-making and experiment with patterns that pave the way for handwriting, all while viewing their own marks from several different angles. This builds a strong visual and mental picture of the way their own movements create effects.

What you'll need:

  • Large safety mirror or mirror lined tuff tray

  • Pens or mark making resources

  • Messy play materials

How you do it: On a large safety mirror, or in a tuff tray lined with a mirror, children can use markers to mark-make. You can encourage them to create patterns including horizontal and vertical lines, circles, zigzags, wavy lines or spirals. Whiteboard pens are ideal as they can be wiped away as children experiment with different mark-making. You can also use messy play substances like gloop, shaving foam or paint to mix things up and encourage children to mark make in a range of different ways.

5. Upside down mark-making

Source: Free Rangers- Michelangelo Mark Making

How it connects to play schemas: This is a very simple but effective activity that supports children’s mark-making skills and coordination. Children lay underneath a table, reach up and draw or write from their lying position, the same way that Michaelangelo would have painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. For children with an orientation play schema, it offers the obvious benefit of being upside down, viewing mark-making and writing from a different perspective and feeling different sensations as they draw.

What you'll need:

  • Table

  • Paper

  • Tape

  • Pens

How you do it: Tape paper to the underside of a table and provide children with mark-making implements. Children will happily direct their play as suits their interests. They might make a den under the table, draw maps of the stars or refer to the table as a bat cave. Practitioners can support with supplying resources to extend play.

SCHEMAS OF PLAY IN THE GREAT OUTDOORS

I love to watch my children play. A lot of the time, I don’t get on the ground and play with them. There is value in independent play, and there’s value in observing our children’s play. Children demonstrate natural play schemas (or schemata, to get technical!) through the stuff they find in nature. Schemas of play follow a child’s developmental stages. Young children, who learn through play, demonstrate different schemas or urges, through their play.

Think of schemas as instinctive and repeated reponses or experiences related to how to learn and play. By prompting these “instructional patterns” over and over, children develop physically and cognitively. With these skills, they are better able to engage in the world around them. 

It's important to note that children can play within multiple schemas simultaneously. Play patterns are constantly changing and growing with your child.

One of the absolute most incredible things about play schemas is that it doesn't matter where a child grows up, what language they speak, the color of their skin, or their family's economic status; all kids exhibit these same play schemas. It's something that naturally connects children all over the world.

These schemas were identified by Jean Piaget, a psychologist who is often noted for his discoveries of child development. Some people, especially those who truly believe that a child is capable of learning without being spoon-fed ideas, think that Piaget underestimated the thinking abilities of young children.

But, I think there is still value in understanding how our children learn through play. Play is so important to their learning, and when we can identify what they’re doing as valuable and as building blocks for future skills, we feel more comfortable with a play-based learning through out life.

Schemas of Play

Sometimes, my little ones have different ways to play that leave me scratching my head. Miss Hope asked for Washi tape for Christmas, and it basically has ended up in layers all over my house. Instead of wondering why she’s wasting her tape, I can recognize it as a brain-building play schema. For this post, I wanted to focus on what these schemas would look like outdoors, since that’s where the bulk of the Charlotte Mason early years are spent! When it comes to outdoor play, I try make sure they have access to a variety of different settings, from travelling to nearby beaches, walking through forests, and even simply playing in our own back yard.

Related: Nature Study Must-Haves from Amazon

Enclosure/Container

This contains an image of: Discovery Box 11: Pine Cones - The Imagination Tree

This is a play schema where children place things inside of larger things. They might even enclose themselves in a big box or fort.

Nature Play Examples:

  • Weston has a little red tricycle with a storage container on the back. He just LOVES to cruise around on it and find treasures for the storage container. This quickly gets filled with leaves, sticks, and rocks.

  • Playing in a hollowed out tree or outdoor fort.

  • Filling up a bucket with rocks, water, or sand.

  • Putting bugs in a jar or insect viewer.

  • Building a snow fort.

Position

Organizing things into a specific order is the schema of position. Maybe your child will sort the different things they found in nature. While using this schema, a child is laying the foundation for future mathematical and spatial skills.

Nature Play Examples

  • We have rock landscaping in our yard. Miss H went through a phase where she loved to sort the rocks that she found. The reddish rocks went into one pile, while the gray rocks went into another. Rocks with a slight shimmer were the ultimate find, and they got their own special spot on the top of the porch steps.

  • Lining up bark, flowers, or other nature finds in a row.

  • Arranging different items from biggest to smallest, smallest to biggest, etc.

Related: Starting a Family Nature Journal

Transporting

Children with a transporting schema are interested in transporting themselves and objects from one place to another.

This is one that has bothered me in the past! I’m thankful that I can recognize it now as meaningful play rather than annoying behavior! Children showing this play schema like to move things from one place to another. In our house, I know that if a library book is missing, it has probably been transported in Miss H’s backpack!

Nature Play Examples

  • Moving pebbles from one area to another.

  • Filling up a truck or bucket with bark and moving it to another place.

  • Hauling armfuls of snow from one place to another.

Transformation

This schema, transformation, allows children to explore the properties of different things in nature. They put different parts and pieces together to make something new.

  • My kids love to make mud! In the summer, they search out water so that they can make a desolate part of our yard into a mud pit. I’ve learned to not let this stress me out so much!

  • Making pretend soups and stews with grass, bark, etc.

  • Mixing natural objects with snow.

Trajectory

This is a schema that is definitely better outside! Children love to throw things: sticks, pine cones, and balls. Inside the house, throwing things can be problematic. But outside, this is such a fun way for them to develop their fine motor skills (while picking up a small object to throw) and their gross motor skills (when they throw the object.)

It’s hard to not automatically put the kibosh on throwing things, especially if there are other little ones around. I’ve learned that if it looks like E is going to hurt himself or someone else while throwing something, I can find a way to help make it a little safer. Instead of just throwing rocks at random, we can throw them into the stream.

Nature Play Examples

  • Skipping pebbles on a pond.

  • Tossing pine cones to hit a target.

  • Jumping off of a large rock.

  • Throwing blades of grass into the air and watching them come down.

Related: The Indoorsy Mom’s Guide to Getting Outside

Rotation

A sweet little one, spinning around until he gets dizzy, is experimenting with the schema of rotation.

Nature Play Examples

  • Spinning a bird feeder that’s suspended from a tree.

  • Turning a pinwheel around in the garden.

  • Drawing circles in the dirt or snow with a stick.

  • Marching around in circles.

Connecting/Disconnecting

Miss H is having fun with this schema currently! It includes putting things together, and maybe even taking them apart. Layering, stacking, and tying all fit into this category. Our Washi tape obsession comes from connecting it and layering it.

Nature Play Examples

  • Making daisy chains.

  • Making humans chains (just my kids??)

  • Stacking flat stones.

  • Tying a rope around a tree or tying sticks together with rope.

Related: Practice the Alphabet in the Great Outdoors

Orientation

Seeing things from a different perspective is the orientation schema. Through this schema, children learn that they can see the world through different perspectives. They do this literally now, but eventually they will learn to do this figuratively, too!

Nature Play Examples

  • Hanging upside down from a branch.

  • Doing handstands or cartwheels in the grass.

Enveloping

This schema involves wrapping things up. Your child might even wrap himself or herself up!

Nature Play Examples

  • Burying toes in the sand.

  • Wrapping things up in a big leaf.

  • Your child might wrap up in a picnic blanket.

Which schemas are your little ones (or, is your little one!) interested in these days?

STARTING TO INTRODUCE AUTHENTIC RESOURCES

Are you hesitant to introduce breakables into your Early Years setting ?

That’s OK we were too when we first started.

Today, we want to share with you ideas regarding swopping out plastic pretend tea sets and play kitchen toys for real household objects. How you can introduce authentic resources for mixed aged group settings, children with SEND or younger age groups.

( Risk assessment always necessary )


At The Curiosity Approach® we feel that by incorporating authentic resources into children’s play spaces, you can create a rich and engaging experience for children that promotes cultural diversity, equality exploration, imagination, and a deeper connection to the world around them. By introducing real-life objects, we can remove the stereotypical gender constraints that often accompany commercialised toys.

Maria Montessori, advocated the use of authentic resources in early childhood settings. 

Children should have the freedom to explore and engage with a wide range of materials, regardless of societal expectations. Authentic resources create an inclusive environment where all children can freely express themselves and develop their interests and skills. At The Curiosity Approach® we look to remove the stereotypical pink and blue divide from children’s play spaces.

No longer will children ‘self police’ each other dictating what toy children should or shouldn’t play with due to its pink or blue colour!

Another benefit of utilising authentic resources is their positive impact on sustainability.

By replacing plastic toys with real, durable items, we reduce our dependence on materials that harm the environment. Stainless steel objects, for example, are not only robust but also versatile, making them ideal for various play areas such as the home corner, sand and water play, and even outdoor mud kitchens ( and much more )

🌟 Stainless steel kitchenware, like pots, pans, and utensils, can transform your home corner or outdoor kitchen into a bustling culinary hub.

🌟 When it comes to sand and water play, stainless steel items truly shine. They are resistant to rust and easy to clean, making them perfect for outdoor exploration.


Children can pour water, build sandcastles, and engage in sensory experiences, all while developing their fine motor skills and understanding of scientific concepts. The versatility of stainless steel objects allows for endless possibilities, sparking children's creativity and encouraging open-ended play.


One of the greatest advantages of incorporating authentic resources is their accessibility and cost-effectiveness.

Many stainless steel items can be collected for free by simply reaching out to parents and carers. Families are often willing to donate unused or spare kitchenware that would otherwise go to waste. This not only strengthens the connection between your setting and home but also teaches children the value of repurposing and recycling.


Show families what your after and tell them WHY 

At The Curiosity Approach® we break free from the confines of plastic pretend toys and introduce real-life experiences and materials to create powerful rich play and learning spaces and places.

Firstly you can mix and blend them together with current resources, then as collections grow, donate the unwanted unused plastic items.

Finally - When you start to build collections of REAL items that truly reflect the cultures of the children within your setting. Children feel recognised, valued and engage in imaginary play experiences relevant to THEIR lives.

They feel like they belong and are recognised here. Play is no longer pretend it’s real and relevant to them



Play Schema with Early Learners

What is a play schema?

Vygotsky’s play theory highlights the significance of the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) and the role of more knowledgeable others (MKOs) in scaffolding a child's learning. 

His theory emphasised the role of social interactions in learning. As a play-based teacher, you no doubt encourage collaborative play. According to Vygotsky, this is where the magic happens. Here's an overview of Vygotsky's theory and its implications for play-based learning: 

Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)

Vygotsky introduced the concept of the Zone of Proximal Development. This zone is about the difference between what a child can do independently and what they can achieve with the guidance and support of a more skilled individual. 

Play-based learning can be tailored to a child's Zone of Proximal Development by providing learning experiences that are just beyond their current level of competence but are still attainable with assistance. It’s a tricky task for a beginning teacher – I know! I also want to let you know that it becomes easier. With experience, you will be able to design learning provocations that progressively build a child’s skills and knowledge.

Scaffolding Play

Scaffolding refers to the support provided by a more knowledgeable other (a teacher or a peer) to help a child accomplish tasks within their Zone of Proximal Development. In play-based learning, teachers and other classroom members can act as scaffolds for learning. You can scaffold the learning by offering guidance, asking open-ended questions, and encouraging critical thinking. Through this scaffolding, your students will develop higher-order thinking and problem-solving skills.

Cultural Tools and Artifacts in Play

Vygotsky emphasised the role of cultural tools, like language, writing, and technology, in shaping a child's cognition. Try to include cultural artifacts and communication tools in your learning provocations. Give your students opportunities to explore and understand their cultural heritage in your play-based learning environment. It is important that you offer opportunities for your children to use many ways to communicate and express themselves.

Collaborative Learning

Vygotsky's theory highlights the value of collaborative learning experiences. Play-based learning is all over this! Collaboration and group activities where children work together, share ideas, and learn from one another are common in a play-based classroom. This type of cooperative play nurtures social skills, empathy, and a sense of community.

Private Speech in Play

Vygotsky observed that children often use private speech (talking to themselves) during play or problem-solving tasks. This self-talk helps children regulate their thinking and actions. Play-based learning environments should recognise and encourage thinking aloud and private speech. It really does help a children's cognitive self-regulation.

Make-Believe Play

Vygotsky’s theory suggests make-believe or pretend play is very important in a child's development. Imaginative or dramatic play gives children the opportunity to take on different roles and act out different scenarios. The imagination, creativity, and the exploration of social roles and situations will all be developed through this type of play.

Continuous Development of Play

Vygotsky's theory suggests that development is a continuous process influenced by social and cultural factors. With this in mind, play-based learning should provide ongoing opportunities for children to engage in activities that align with their changing developmental needs and interests.

Vygotsky's development theory supports the inclusion of opportunities for social interaction, cultural context, and collaborative learning in a child's cognitive growth. A play-based learning environment is perfect for supporting these principles. It will provide a rich and supportive environment that nurtures children's development, fosters creativity, and helps learners thrive both intellectually and socially.


Everything you need to know about play schemas for toddlers

What is schema play?

❥ Little ones engage in what’s called schema play. That means they repeat similar types of activities, over and over again, to learn more about how the world works.

❥ Maybe your child is curious about how different objects move through space. To experiment with this schema, they may spend a lot of time chasing bubbles, throwing balls, or rolling cars down a ramp.

❥ As they explore, children adjust their schemas — mental patterns that explain how things work — to reflect what they’ve learned. 

❥ They might notice that a ball flies quickly through the air, while a scarf floats down slowly. Or that a paper airplane travels further than a feather.Keep reading to identify which schemas your child is exploring, plus fun activity ideas for each schema!Pin it now, read it later…

what are the 9 play schemas

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“Play is the work of the child” and it is through play children develop. As toddlers grow and develop, they engage in a variety of play activities that help them learn about the world around them. When we understand their play we can better support our toddlers’ learning and development. One way to understand play better is through understanding play schemas, repetitive patterns of play that help toddlers learn about the world. This blog post discusses the 9 play schemas, how to identify them, and ideas to prepare the environment for each one.

Play schemas are not actually Montessori but they are well aligned with the philosophy. They help us understand our children and their play. They are based on the work on schemas of Jean Piaget, one of the most influential developmental psychologists of the 20th century.

One of the key concepts in Piaget's theory is the idea of schemas. Piaget believed that children construct their understanding of the world through experiences and interactions with their environment. Schemas are the building blocks of this understanding, representing the child's mental structures for organizing and interpreting new information.

toddler play schemas

The 9 Play Schemas

Transporting Schema: This play schema involves repeatedly carrying objects from one place to another. Children might carry toys, blocks, or other objects around the room, moving them from one location to another. This type of play helps children to develop their gross motor skills and their understanding of spatial relationships.

Activities:

A wheelbarrow for transporting objects is perfect for the transportation schema

  • Fill a container with toys or blocks and have your toddler move them from one location to another. Provide tools for transportation such as a wagon, wheelbarrow, bags, doll strollers, and boxes. This is also a great schema for children to engage maximum effort (a Montessori concept referring to the desire of young children to exert their maximum physical strength). Provide heavy objects for moving.

  • To work on fine motor work, provide small materials to transfer such as beans from one container to another. Provide different transferring materials based on the child’s age. A young toddler may use their hands, a slightly older toddler a spoon, and an older toddler might use tongs.

  • You can involve the child in practical life with activities such as emptying the dishwasher or putting away the laundry.

Trajectory Schema: This play schema involves repeatedly throwing or dropping objects from a height. They also might be interested in how objects roll down a ramp. The trajectory schema is all about lines and how objects move through space. Children might drop toys from their highchair or throw them down the stairs. They might also jump off things themselves, seeing how they move through space. This type of play helps children to understand the concept of cause and effect, as well as to develop their hand-eye coordination and gross motor skills.

Activities:

  • Provide your toddler with soft balls or other safe objects that they can throw or drop from a height. Provide a basket for your child to aim the ball into (this can simply be a cardboard box!) or a target such as bowling pins.

  • You can also create a makeshift ramp with cardboard and have your toddler roll toys down it. Slides also offer great opportunities for rolling toys or cars as well as themselves. Ball runs are also perfect for the trajectory schema.

  • A simple water sensory bin with pouring options can be perfect as well.

Rotation Schema: This play schema involves repeatedly spinning or turning objects. Children might spin wheels, turn knobs, or rotate objects around in their hands. This type of play helps children to understand concepts such as cause and effect, as well as to develop their fine motor skills.

Activities:

  • Provide your toddler with wheeled objects and knobs. These spinners are often super fascinating during this schema or gear type toys. This stacker is also perfect for the rotation schema.

  • Bikes, scooters, and cars are likely interesting during this schema as well.

  • A salad spinner is a perfect practical life activity during this schema as well as a mixer.

Positioning Schema: This play schema involves repeatedly arranging objects in a particular way. Children might stack blocks, line up toys, or organize objects by color or shape. This type of play helps children to understand concepts such as spatial relationships, size, and shape.

Finding toys lined up and sorted is a sign of the positioning schema

Activities:

  • Provide your toddler with blocks or other objects that they can stack and arrange in different ways. The Montessori Pink Tower is perfect for the positioning schema, but other stacking toys and stackers work well too.

  • Sorting is also interesting during this schema so you can provide opportunities to sort by different characteristics such as by color or shape.

  • Placing dot stickers on lines is a simple and easy activity you can provide for a toddler during the positioning schema. You can also make an animal parade with a blue painter’s tape line your child can place animals on.

  • Try sorting silverware or setting the table for practical life.

Connection Schema: This play schema involves repeatedly joining objects together. Children might connect blocks, link chains, tie things together, put tops on containers, or snap buttons. I noticed this with my son when he was trying to attach a container top to a circle on his stroller’s wheel. It might also include knocking things down to explore disconnection. This type of play helps children to understand the concept of cause and effect, as well as to develop their fine motor skills.

Activities:

puzzles are perfect for the connection schema

Puzzles are a great material for the connection schema

  • Provide your toddler with train tracks, LEGOs/Duplos, lincoln logs, magnetic tiles or other building toys that they can snap together to create structures.

  • Puzzles, including jigsaw puzzles, knobbed puzzles, and 3D puzzles, are also a great option for toddlers interested in connection.

  • For practical life exploring self dressing including buttons and zippers is great. The Montessori dressing frames are a great place to start there.

  • Containers with lids are also perfect for the connection schema.

Enclosure Schema: This play schema involves repeatedly enclosing objects in containers. Children might put objects into boxes, baskets, or bags. Or they might put themselves into boxes or cabinets. They might build fences around a toys. This type of play helps children to understand the concept of containment and develop their fine motor skills.

Activities:

Fort building can be fun during the enclosure schema

  • Provide your toddler with boxes or other containers that they can create structures with and contain objects in.

  • You can also create a "fort building station" where your toddler can use blankets and pillows to create a cozy fort.

  • Get a large cardboard box for them to color inside.

  • For practical life involve them in putting groceries or silverware away.

  • A coin drop box can also work on fine motor skills while containing or a shape sorter for containment and shape discrimination.

Enveloping Schema: This play schema involves wrapping objects or themselves up. Somewhat similar to the enclosure schema, it is different in that the child or object is fully covered. Children might wrap up toys or other objects, or even wrap themselves up in blankets or towels. This type of play also helps children to understand the concept of containment and develop their fine and gross motor skills.

Activities:

  • Provide your toddler with a variety of scarves or pieces of fabric that they can wrap around objects or themselves. Play scarves are perfect for the enveloping schema. You can also create a "burrito station" where your toddler can wrap themselves up like a burrito.

  • Forts can also be great here.

  • Nesting dolls are also perfect for the enveloping schema.

  • For practical life, activities such as making crescent rolls that involve enveloping something in dough are fun.

  • For sensory play, a sensory bin where the child can hide objects in the sensory base or toys frozen in ice to unearth are great for the enveloping schema. Play dough and other materials like that such as kinetic sand can also be fun. Those dino eggs you dig out would be perfect.

Transforming Schema: This play schema involves repeatedly changing the form or appearance of objects or materials. Children might fold paper, mold clay, or cut out shapes. This type of play helps children to develop their creativity and problem-solving skills as well as exploring cause and effect.

Activities:

  • Provide your toddler with play dough or other materials that they can mold and shape into different forms. Even better- make the play dough together as the dough transforms as you make play dough.

  • This is the perfect schema for a lot of cooking, particularly making doughs. We love making tortillas together, for example because it is so easy. It also involves a lot of transforming: from flour to dough to a flat tortilla. Cookies and other doughs are also fun.

  • Art activities where your toddler can mix colors are a great option. For sensory play you can create a water play station with food coloring where your toddler can pour water from one container to another and mix colors.

Orientation Schema: the orientation schema involves an interest in seeing objects from different angles. Children might hang upside down, for example, or look under their legs. 

Activities:

  • gross motor toys such as a Pikler triangle, swings, and a play couch are a great option here. Depending on the child’s age, monkey bars might be of particular interest.

  • Activities such as toddler yoga can be really fun for a toddler exploring orientation.

  • You can offer a magnifying glass for another view of the world.

  • Try a Michelangelo art project and tape paper under a table for them to paint from below.

toddler play schemas connection schema

Train tracks can be perfect for the connection schema

Understanding play schemas can help parents and caregivers better understand their child's play behaviors and provide appropriate toys and activities to support their learning and development. This is why they are particularly well aligned with Montessori. Understanding them allows us to better prepare the environment for our children and provide activities and materials of interest. It can mean offering specific materials during a specific schema or even taking a break from certain materials during a schema (such as glass during the trajectory schema).

Some of the behaviors children might display while exploring a play schema can be frustrating for a caregiver. For example, throwing food off a high chair can be a difficult part of the trajectory schema. These behaviors though are simply the child exploring the world and learning. Understanding play schemas can help us greet them with more compassion. Providing alternative activities can redirect this energy and allow them to learn.

Play schemas are a natural part of a toddler's development and provide opportunities for exploration, creativity, and learning. By recognizing and supporting play schemas, parents and caregivers can provide appropriate toys and activities to support their child's learning and development. Through play, toddlers can develop their problem-solving skills, creativity, and social skills.

What are the most common play schemas?

While other schemas exist, the following types are most likely to pop up in your Toddler’s play…


1 | Trajectory: 

Exploring how things move Is your child obsessed with throwing balls, bean bags, scarves, or other objects? Do they love running and jumping? Are they fascinated by bubbles, birds, cars, and other things that move in interesting ways?Your toddler might be exploring the trajectory schema!


 



Here are a few activity ideas to try…

Play chasing games like tagThrow, kick, or roll a ballPush toy cars down a rampToss scarves up in the airBuild block towers and knock them overToss beanbags (or rolled socks) into the laundry hamperChase bubblesSlide down a slidePlay with a ball tracker 



2 | Connecting: 
 

Putting things together Children exploring this schema might enjoy building with LEGOs, connecting train tracks, or even holding hands! You may also notice your child is fascinated by “sticky” materials like tape, stickers, and Velcro.Sometimes this schema also involves taking things apart — think knocking over a block tower or tearing paper. 



Here are a few activity ideas to try…

Build with blocks or LEGOsPlay with fridge magnets or Magna-TilesMake a collage with rip or cut paperPractice using a dressing frameExplore stickers or Washi tapeOpen and close containersExplore locks and keys (or a latch board)


3 | Transporting: 

Moving things from one place to anotherChildren exploring this schema like to move objects around. You may notice your little one filling various containers — like pockets, bags, or baskets — with objects and carrying them around with them wherever they go.(This can be one of the messier schemas, so it rarely goes unnoticed!) 



Here are a few activity ideas to try…

Explore transferring activitiesFill a toy truck with small objects to push aroundHelp carry groceries insidePull toys around in a wagonWater plants, carrying water from plant to plantCollect natural objects in a basketWalk on a tape line while carrying a beanbag or bellTransport dirty laundry to the washing machine



 

4 | Rotating: 

Spinning things around Is your child fascinated by objects like wheels and gears? Do they frequently twirl around in circles or like to be swung around? Do they love rolling a ball back and forth with you?If your child is exploring this schema, any rotating object is fair game: Toy cars, nuts and bolts, spinning tops, and more.Here are a few activity ideas to try…


5 | Positioning: 
 

Lining up or arranging thingsIf you often catch your child lining up their toys, they might be exploring this schema. They may also love stacking, balancing, sorting, and finding other interesting ways to arrange objects.(This schema is usually pretty easy to identify if you know what you’re looking for!)



Here are a few activity ideas to try…

  • Build with blocks

  • Play with stacking toys

  • Line up natural objects like sticks or rocks

  • Set the table

  • Arrange pegs on a pegboard

  • Match identical objects or picture cards

  • Sort buttons (by color, shape, or size)

  • Arrange flowers

  • Work with a geoboard


6 | Enveloping: 

Covering or hiding thingsDoes your child love piling on dress-up clothes or bundling up in blankets? Are they obsessed with games like peek-a-boo or hide-and-seek? Do they often hide things around the house, tucked away in odd corners?If so, your little one might be exploring this schema!



Here are a few activity ideas to try…

  • Play with nesting cupsbowls, or dolls

  • Make a collage

  • Explore play silks

  • Play hide-and-seek

  • Wrap up a baby doll in blankets

  • Crawl through a play tunnel

  • Paint (or fingerpaint)

  • Stack measuring cups or mixing bowls

  • Set up a fort or tent

  • Play dress-up

7 | Orientation: 

Exploring different points of viewChildren exploring this schema want to see the world from every angle. They might hang upside-down, crawl under the table, or climb up high.(Since this is such a physical schema, you probably won’t miss it!)



Here are a few activity ideas to try…

8 | Enclosing: 
 
 

Containing things inside a defined spaceDoes your child build “fences” around their toys? Do they spend a lot of time filling containers  — water in cups, sand in buckets, toys in baskets? If so, they’re probably exploring this schema.(You may have noticed that enclosing is pretty similar to enveloping. While there is a small difference, your child will likely enjoy both types of play!) 



Here are a few activity ideas to try…

  • Build with blocks

  • Color inside a cardboard box

  • Make a DIY puzzle by tracing familiar objects

  • Play hide-and-seek

  • Collect objects in an egg carton (or muffin tin)

  • Scoop and pour water or sand

  • Explore a shape sorter

  • Play in a ball pit

  • Make a fort with pillows & blankets

9 | Transforming: 
 
Experimenting with changeChildren exploring this schema are fascinated by change. They might cover their entire face with paint, mix all their food together, or knock over a block tower to see what will happen.Look for ways to combine ingredients to make something new, like mixing vinegar and baking soda or water and dirt. Your child might also enjoy watching objects transform  — rising bread or a fizzing bath bomb.. 

Here are a few activity ideas to try…
  • Bake bread together

  • Make a smoothie

  • Add food coloring to water

  • Melt blocks of ice with warm water

  • Play dress-up

  • Make a lemon volcano

  • Mix paint together

  • Whisk eggs or soapy water

  • Explore playdough

  • Make popsicles

  • “Paint” the sidewalk with water

  • Juice citrus fruits


Have fun! 

🥰 Keep in mind that play schemas are just another “lens” you can view your child’s development through. So don’t stress about tying every little action to a specific schema, or pushing endless activities. (Schema play comes naturally to children, remember?)As always, keep it simple and follow your little one’s suggestions _if they are safe) 


 

Fun nature activity ideas for toddlers

7 Nature-Inspired Activities Your Toddler Will LoveIn "Learn & Play"

Nature Based  Play Schemas 

 

Schemas are repeated patterns of behavior that children exhibit in their play.

In this post, I’ll give you a brief overview of each of these 9 schemas. I’ll talk about what they are, and how best to support each with resources and activities.

1.Trajectory

What It Is

Children that display a trajectory schema enjoy movement. They like watching movement or making movement happen.

These children are experimenting with direction, forces, and cause and effect.

You may often observe them throwing objects, and watching them as they land.

This is one of the earliest schemas that is often witnessed in childhood.

Activities To Support It

To support this schema, provide lots of opportunities for children to throw and push objects, but in a safe manner.

Some great ideas include:

  • Blowing bubbles, and catching and chasing them

  • Playing in puddles, swirling, whisking, and creating movement in the water in a variety of ways

  • Using rope and tire swings

  • Using gutters, and rolling balls or water down them

  • Throwing leaves in the air

  • Swinging in hammocks, and enjoying being swung by their friends

  • Throwing objects at a target, for example throwing bean-bags into hoops, or throwing natural objects into buckets

  • Rolling down hills

  • Jumping off objects, such as tree stumps, stacks of crates, or obstacles such as planks

  • Throwing and catching scarves and ribbons

  • All types of ball games

  • Throwing, striking and catching balloons

  • Pouring and whisking water in a variety of ways

Hammocks provide the movement to interest children with a trajectory schema

2. Transformation

What It Is

Children with a transformation schema are interested in change. They will be fascinated by objects changing in appearance or substance.

They may also show an interest in their own bodies changing. (Source)

Children are developing an understanding of cause and effect. these children are continually asking, what if?

Activities To Support It

  • Using natural paint brushes to paint in mud, send or other malleable substances

  • Wellington boots stamping in mud

  • Adding water to mud or sand and creating marks

  • Japanese happa zome – bashing flowers with hammers to create pictures with the dye

  • Clay and mud activities

  • Pretty much any activities in a mud kitchen – pouring, wisking, stirring, creating potions

  • Bark rubbing

  • Using a pistol and mortar to create potions and mix substances

  • Making marks with loose parts

  • Clay and play Doh activities

  • Gloop with loose parts

Creating Happa Zome art, a Japanese art-form of bashing flowers

3.Transporting

What It Is

Children that show a transporting schema are fascinated by carrying objects around a space.

They are learning about where things belong. They are also developing an understanding of distance and mapping an environment.

These children will use all sorts of methods of transporting objects.

Activities To Support It

  • Using pulley systems

  • Wheelbarrows and moveable containers such as trailers

  • Having a variety of differently sized containers around the space, for children to transport mud, water, leaves, and whatever else they find

  • A variety of baskets, buckets, cups and jugs

  • Lots of natural loose parts to be transported – such as pebbles, flowers, sticks, pinecones etc

  • Mud kitchen containers, such as pots and pans

  • Small construction toys in builder’s trays

  • Bags such as rucksacks, handbags, or ‘superhero bags’

Transporting objects using a wheel-barrow around the outdoor space

4.Rotation

What It Is

Children that show this kind of schema enjoy things that turn or rotate.

They are learning to understand body position balance and coordination. They are developing an understanding of how objects move.

You may notice they have an interest in anything that rotates, in rotating their own bodies, or in rotating objects that they find.

Activities To Support It

  • Large wheels

  • Tires to roll and spin around inside

  • String or wool to wind around objects

  • Balls thought they can roll, kick or spin

  • Screwdrivers and real tools

  • Circle games that involve movement such as duck duck goose

  • Salad spinners, spoons and whisks

  • Toy windmills that they can blow or that spin on windy days

  • Natural mobile’s hung from trees

  • Large hoops you lied

  • Tires to roll, or tires swings to spin around in

Spinning in tire swings provides the experience of rotation

5.Positioning

What It Is

Children with a positioning schema are interested in placing objects in an alignment of some description.

In the real world, this often manifests as placing toys and objects in a line. Often these children might place a favorite toy in a line repeatedly.

These children are learning about order, and are also interested in sequences and symmetry.

They will repeat patterns of objects on top of one another and alongside also.

Activities To Support It

  • threading leaves onto string

  • Creating jewellery by threading things like pasta tubes onto string

  • Positioning rubber bands on natural geoboards

  • Observing reflections in water

  • Using hammers, nails and screws

  • Placing objects on 10 frames and five frames

  • Counting and sorting natural objects

  • Playing with small loose parts in trays

  • Creating plaques with clay or mud

  • Using mirror books with natural objects

(Source)

Mirror books and loose parts are fantastic for positioning schema

6. Orientation

What It Is

An orientation schema is an interest in how objects look from different angles.

These children like to see things from an unusual perspective. They may hang upside down, or look at things through their legs.

They experiment with balance height and weight.

Activities To Support It

  • Have ladders of different sizes around your environment so children can look at things from different heights

  • Rope swings

  • Tree stumps and planks for building walkways

  • Allow the children to climb trees if you have any in your learning space

  • Rolling down hills

  • Building natural obstacle courses with large loose parts

  • Bug hunts using binoculars and magnifying glasses

  • Cloud gazing

Rope ladders provide the opportunity to see everything from a different perspective

7.Enveloping

What It Is

An enveloping schema is an interest in wrapping up objects or themselves.

Children are developing an understanding of shape, space, and volume. They are experiencing body awareness and a sense of one’s self.

You may see a child wrapping up their toys, covering paintings or drawings in one color, or creating dens to hide in.

Activities To Support It

  • Provide hammocks which create that feeling of being enclosed

  • Provide lots of den-making materials, such as large sticks, tarpaulin, string, clothespins, sheets, and camouflage nets

  • Have small world areas with lots of natural resource is to help children in enclose play figures

  • Burying their toes in the sand or mud

  • Blankets and other large material to wrap things in

  • Large boxes

  • Dressing up clothes

Dens provide that sensation of being enveloped

8.Enclosure

What It Is

Children with an enclosure schema are interested in creating borders to contain objects.

They construct fences and walls around items. They also construct borders in the objects that they interact with.

They are also interested in enclosing their own bodies and will wrap themselves up or hide in different spaces.

Activities To Support It

  • Playing hide and seek

  • Hiding inside large cardboard boxes

  • Creating walls and borders as part of block play

  • Creating dens using a range of resources

  • Crawling through tubes and tunnels

  • Placing objects in containers and putting lids on

Large sticks can be made into borders or structures to hide inside

9.Connection


What It Is

Children with a connexion schema are discovering how things join, fasten and separate.

They are learning about shape and matching forces of push and pull.

these children will be observed connecting and disconnecting objects,

Activities To Support It

  • Make worry dolls from sticks using string

  • Create journey sticks, connecting objects they find on a journey to sticks using string

  • Use real tools to connect materials

  • Stacking stones and other natural loose parts

  • Den building

  • Tying string around trees

  • Daisy chains

  • Paper dolls

  • Using construction toys

Using real tools such as screwdrivers is an excellent way of supporting a connecting schema

Supporting Schema Play

It makes a lot of sense to support the schemas that you see, as this has a range of benefits.

Schemas help deepen and intensify children’s play. By encouraging their schemas, you will get children that are wholly involved in what they are doing.

Schemas help children flourish, and think independently.

They can also help them make more accelerated progress. Good luck spotting and supporting schemas!

UNDERSTANDING YOUR CHILD THROUGH PLAY SCHEMAS

We’ve all been there: Your 12 month old is in a highchair and continues to drop her bowl to the floor over and over again. You wouldn’t be alone in thinking, “Just quit it already!” What you might not realize is that you’re asking your infant to go against a very deep urge she is having, and it is only an uphill battle trying to change it. What she’s experiencing is a play schema.

“Play schema” refers to the urges children have while they play. Child development researcher Jean Piaget identified play schemas as part of the stages of development that children go through. Play schemas are one of the ways children test and re-test their theories about the world. Think about the child that just can’t resist throwing a toy across the room or the child that is climbing on top of the table—they’re experiencing specific schemas that are influencing how they want to engage with the world around them.

Play schemas are one of the ways children test and re-test their theories about the world.

Cluing into the types of schemas your child is having can help you plan their play in really meaningful ways, while also harnessing their energy safely. It also can help you avoid those frustrating situations where it feels like your child just absolutely refuses to listen. If you can identify the urge they’re having you can provide a safe situation for them to fulfill it in, for example, going outside to climb a tree rather than climb on the coffee table, or providing them with a soft beanbag they can throw, rather than a block.

Here are play schemas you might recognize in your child and ways to engage them in that schema.

Orientation is all about changing your point of view.

  • What it might look like:

  • Hanging upside down

  • Climbing under a table or chairs

  • Climbing on top of a piece of furniture

New idea to try:

  • Tape a large piece of paper to the underside of a table and invite your child to draw on it

Positioning is all about arranging things in a specific way.

What it might look like:

  • Lining up cars, animals, or other toys

  • Stacking objects

  • Straightening rows of shoes

New idea to try:

  • Use painters tape to create different shapes on the table or floor and provide different blocks or toys that can be arranged along the tape

Connection is all about joining materials together and taking them apart.

What it might look like:

  • Connecting train or car tracks

  • Connecting legos pieces

  • Attaching things with a string

New idea to try:

  • Playing with magnets on the fridge

Trajectory is all about moving objects around.

What it might look like:

  • Knocking down blocks

  • Dropping things

  • Throwing things

  • Fake explosions

New idea to try:

  • Make paper airplanes and throw them from different heights

Enclosure is all about filling space with objects or materials.

What it might look like:

  • Filling cups with water, sand, or other materials

  • Climbing into boxes

  • Squeezing into tight spaces

  • Building walls/fences around toy animals or people

New idea to try:

  • Save cardboard boxes from deliveries to use to build forts, tunnels, cars, whatever your child decides

Transporting is all about the urge to carry many things from one place to another, whether in your hands or in a bucket.

What it might look like:

  • Filling a bucket or basket to carry

  • Filling and dumping pockets

  • Filling dump trucks, wagons, or other wheeled device

New idea to try:

  • Bring a basket or wagon to the park for your child to fill and move around

Enveloping is all about wrapping yourself or others up in paper, fabric, or something else.

What it might look like:

  • Wearing a sheet or other fabric over your head

  • Wrapping toys in paper or tape

  • Burying items in the sand

  • Building a fort

  • Hide and seek

New idea to try:

  • Provide your child with loose fabrics of different sizes so they can wrap themselves, dolls, or stuffed animals up

Rotation is about anything that goes around in a circle—wheels, knobs, tops, etc.

What it might look like:

  • Watching the washing machine

  • Spinning around in a circle

  • Using a water wheel with sand or water

New idea to try:

  • Bring cars or balls to the park with you and send them down the slide

Transformation is all about watching how things change and testing out cause and effect.

What it might look like:

  • Mixing paint or other colorful materials

  • Combining water and sand

  • Playing with the food on your plate

  • Dressing and undressing baby dolls

New idea to try:

  • Using different materials to mix potions (for example: soap, water, food coloring, sand, etc.)

For anyone that spends time with young children, a familiarity with play schemas is an awesome tool to have in your toolbelt. It’s not an enjoyable experience for anyone to continuously say “no” or be told “no”. Play schemas allow you to recognize the need a child is having and try to brainstorm a better way for them to satisfy it. You and your child will both have more fun.

Find a high-quality play-based child care or preschool program near you.



SCHEMAS - HOW TO SPOT & SUPPORT THEM

Schemas - How to Spot & Support Them

A schema is a pattern of actions or thoughts that are used to understand types of information and the relationships between them. Schemas help children experiment and explore the world around them to best understand how they can interact and live within it. Schemas usually emerge in early toddlerhood and continue to around 5 or 6 years old.

If you can learn about schemas you can learn to identify them in your child's behaviour and use them as a better way to connect with and understand your child. We all engage in schemas and us them in our lives but young children do it in a much more obvious, visible way. And we can use these hints they're giving us to support their interests. This in turn helps us provide toys/activities/resources that support these interests.

Below we've put together a simple list of the main 9 schemas children exhibit, how to spot them and then how to support them. This video also has a quick run through!

 Trajectory

This is all about exploring how objects move through space!

How to spot: Your child will be loving balls, throwing/dropping toys, and jumping off things.

How to support: Drop objects into containers, roll balls along a surface or drop them, throwing soft objects at a target, pouring from one container to another, babies can explore how their arms and legs move different directions by waving and kicking

Little girl throwing a felt ball toy up in the air.

Balls are the perfect toy to explore trajectory. You can roll them, throw them or  bounce them! These Papoose ones are great for young kids because they're large and soft.

Two little girls doing sensory play with coloured rice.

Sensory play is a great way to expand the trajectory schema. Tipping and pouring is perfect for studying how trajectory works.

Mum and daughter playing with a play silk.

Sarah's Silks can also be great for when a child is in the trajectory schema. The float slowly down and can be throw vigorously without causing damage.

Little boy dropping grapat wooden toy coins into a magnetic tile set up.

Ball runs, coin drops and all games similar are a fantastic way to explore during the trajectory schema for older kids. Photo by @today.our.children.

Baby sitting in a highchair playing with a homemade posting activity using wooden toy loose part from Grapat.

For younger kids, posting activities are a great way to explore the dropping aspect of the trajectory schema. Photo by @ashchidlow

Enclosing

This is all about joining lines and creating enclosures around objects!

How to spot: Your child will be loving building fences around toys, drawing borders around artwork and running in circles around objects.

How to support: Use fences or blocks to make a zoo or farm with enclosures for animals, create artwork and provide something to create a fun border, use loose parts to create outlines around a group of objects, build houses and put people or other objects in them

Wooden farm animal toys enclosed in a wooden toy fence.

 Fence building is the classic enclosure activity. You can make a farm or a zoo, and remember anything can be used as fences - blocks, sticks, string you don't need to buy speciality toy fences.

Little Girl making a zoo with animal figurines and wooden blocks

 Here's a fabulous zoo Big Sis building with her Small Counting Blocks and Collect A figurines

Close-up of little girl playing with crystal and wooden toy animals.

Enclosing can also present itself as drawing borders around things or like the above outline other objects with loose parts. It's a great way to explore the shape or something and negative space.

Transporting

This is all about transporting, moving and exploring objects!

How to spot: Your child will be loving moving objects from place to play using their hands, bags or trolleys.

How to support: Provide vehicles, particularly ones with a space to carry animals, people or loose parts, use a wheelbarrow, trolley or toy pram to transport objects to different rooms, get a small bag and let them pack it to carry things around, pouring with water/sensory bases

A playroom with a big pile of Grimms wooden toys and magnetic tiles in the centre.

 The transporting schema can be a messy one! But it's worth taking a moment to stop and ask your kids what they're doing and before panicking. This day my girls were doing imaginative play packing toys to take to their friend's house that didn't have any toys.

Two little girls playing with a wooden train set and a Grimms wooden rainbow.

 

Train sets are perfect for the transporting schema! Especially good is any open carriages where they can store little goodies to transport along the railway.

Toddler playing with small glass jars in a wooden tray with coloured rice.

Transporting can take the form of transferring things from one tray or bowl to another or carrying things to another room and making a pile. You can offer opportunities for this with bowls and loose parts or even set up a basket in another room to encourage transporting a toy to that space. Photo by @acraftyliving

 

 

Enveloping

This is all about hiding and wrapping objects or themselves!

How to spot: Your child will be covering themselves or objects with different materials such as building forts, wrapping objects, dressing up, putting things in a bag or painting their hands.

How to support: Build pillow forts or tent with blankets, recycle some big boxes to play in, dress ups (particularly gloves or socks), do some painting in the bath and allow them to paint their bodies, wrap presents with paper or playsilks (pretend or real!), posting activity with balls/loose parts

Little girl playing with a Montessori lock box quality wooden toy.

 

Something like this Montessori Lockbox with lots of compartments and doors is great for supporting the enveloping schema. They can hide small objects in there and explore how to get them and how to hide them.

 

A family playing with a large yellow Sarah's Silk play silk. The youngest daughter is sitting in the silk and being lifted up.

An important thing to note for the enveloping schema is it often takes the form of the child trying to envelope their own body. In this situation tent, cubbies and play silks can be ideal for play.

 

Little girl playing with pompoms by pouring them into a jar with a bamboo scoop.

A great fine motor activity that works well in the enveloping (and transporting) schema is transferring pompoms from one container into another. Use scoops or tongs to practice dexterity and strengthen those little hands.

 

 

Rotation

This is all about twisting, spinning and rolling objects or themselves!

How to spot: Your child will be loving spinning tops, twisting ribbons, rolling down hills, and spinning in circles.

How to support: Roll down a hill or spin around in circles, play with spinning tops,  riding bikes, particularly in a circle, lock and key games, ribbons to twist and spin, trucks, trains, buses, trolleys, cars - anything with wheels!


 

Little girl playing with Mater wooden spinning tops.

Spinning tops are perfect for exploring the rotational schema. We love Mader spinning tops and while they're not necessary we find the boards make top spinning a lot easier for little hands.

Little girl playing with a pretend car wash using Grimms wooden toys and a Grimms Rainbow and Grimms red truck and a play silk.

Cars, trucks, trains... anything with wheels is great for exploring when your child is in the rotational schema!

 

 

Positioning

This is all about positioning, ordering and arranging!

How to spot: Your child will be loving positioning objects in a line or be very specific about where everything should be placed.

How to support: Make mandalas or lines on washi tape with loose parts, line up objects from smallest to biggest, real-life tasks like setting the table or putting away laundry, puzzles or stacking game, sorting objects in categories - colour, shape or size

Colourful mandala made with Grapat Mandalas pieces.

Mandalas are a great way to explore the positioning schema, especially for older children because you can get a good grasp of spacial awareness and pattern making in a 2-dimensional way. Photo by @_walkinginthewild_

Little girl playing with crystals and washing tape, lining them up on the floor.

Lining items up is a great sign that they're in the positioning schema. You can support this by supplying loose parts and maybe setting up an invitation to play like this with washi tape.

Little girl play with a Ravensburger puzzle.

 Puzzle are excellent for exploring the positional schema. Ravensburger are the gold standard in puzzles and have been for many decades. They come in themed sets, 1:1 scale pictures to help little ones and are self-correcting because none of the pieces can be placed in the wrong spot.

A little girl arranging crystals on an empty egg carton.

Egg cartoons and trays with sections can be great for the positional schema. Set out an invitation with loose parts and an egg carton and you can either play together and spark their imagination or see what they come up with themselves.

Connecting

This is all about joining or linking objects together!

How to spot: Your child will be loving forming chains, linking, buckling and even tying objects together.

How to support: Art activities involving glueing, build with magnetic tiles or blocks, threading activities or bracelet making, fine motor play with clips, snaps, buckles or other fasteners, make paper chains, tie objects onto a ribbon

Little girl playing with Flockmen wooden toys

Flockmen are a great toy to explore the connecting schema. They link together in a variety of ways and can be played flat on the floor or stacked like this.

Little girl connection rubber Way To Play road toys.

 Connecting Way to Play roads is a great exercise for small hands and great way to explore how things connect and how they come apart.

Little girl playing with Montessori lock board wooden toy

Montessori lock boards are fantastic for exploring different types of fastening and how things can connect in a multitude of ways.

Little hands doing fine motor activity putting wooden toy rings onto a play silk.

Grapat Rings are fantastic for threading onto all sorts of items and this is a really great way to explore the connection schema. In the above photo we used our Grapat Rings on our Sarah's Silk but you can use rope or any play fabric you have.

This natural building kit is great for exploring connection. Little ones can build their own tree and add branches, leaves and flowers. Photo by @through_our_days 

Orientation

This is all about looking at things from different perspectives!

How to spot: Your child will be loving looking at things upside down or through their legs, they may even climb to get a look from above.

How to support: Get down on the floor together and discuss what something looks like, then stand up and talk about how it looks different (try this in different positions), move objects around (up/down/near/far) and talk about how they look different even when you stay still, lie on your back/look through your legs and discuss how the world looks

Two little girls doing yoga poses with quality flash cards.

Yoga is an excellent way to explore the orientation schema. Looking at the world from a different perspective is fun for children and this can be a great way to encourage it.

A little girl playing on her Wobbel  balance board.

Wobbel boards are excellent for vestibular input and they encourage playing in different positions and levels which is perfect for the orientation schema. 

We hope this blog helps you understand what schema your child may be exploring and how best to support their play

Trajectory

This is all about exploring how objects move through space!

How to spot: Your child will be loving balls, throwing/dropping toys, and jumping off things.

How to support: Drop objects into containers, roll balls along a surface or drop them, throwing soft objects at a target, pouring from one container to another, babies can explore how their arms and legs move different directions by waving and kicking

Little girl throwing a felt ball toy up in the air.

Balls are the perfect toy to explore trajectory. You can roll them, throw them or  bounce them! These Papoose ones are great for young kids because they're large and soft.

Two little girls doing sensory play with coloured rice.

Sensory play is a great way to expand the trajectory schema. Tipping and pouring is perfect for studying how trajectory works.

Mum and daughter playing with a play silk.

Sarah's Silks can also be great for when a child is in the trajectory schema. The float slowly down and can be throw vigorously without causing damage.

Little boy dropping grapat wooden toy coins into a magnetic tile set up.

Ball runs, coin drops and all games similar are a fantastic way to explore during the trajectory schema for older kids. Photo by @today.our.children.

Baby sitting in a highchair playing with a homemade posting activity using wooden toy loose part from Grapat.

For younger kids, posting activities are a great way to explore the dropping aspect of the trajectory schema. Photo by @ashchidlow

  

Enclosing

This is all about joining lines and creating enclosures around objects!

How to spot: Your child will be loving building fences around toys, drawing borders around artwork and running in circles around objects.

How to support: Use fences or blocks to make a zoo or farm with enclosures for animals, create artwork and provide something to create a fun border, use loose parts to create outlines around a group of objects, build houses and put people or other objects in them

Wooden farm animal toys enclosed in a wooden toy fence.

 Fence building is the classic enclosure activity. You can make a farm or a zoo, and remember anything can be used as fences - blocks, sticks, string you don't need to buy speciality toy fences.

Little Girl making a zoo with animal figurines and wooden blocks

 Here's a fabulous zoo Big Sis building with her Small Counting Blocks and CollectA figurines

Close-up of little girl playing with crystal and wooden toy animals.

Enclosing can also present itself as drawing borders around things or like the above outline other objects with loose parts. It's a great way to explore the shape or something and negative space. 

Transporting

This is all about transporting, moving and exploring objects!

How to spot: Your child will be loving moving objects from place to play using their hands, bags or trolleys.

How to support: Provide vehicles, particularly ones with a space to carry animals, people or loose parts, use a wheelbarrow, trolley or toy pram to transport objects to different rooms, get a small bag and let them pack it to carry things around, pouring with water/sensory bases

A playroom with a big pile of Grimms wooden toys and magnetic tiles in the centre.

 The transporting schema can be a messy one! But it's worth taking a moment to stop and ask your kids what they're doing and before panicking. This day my girls were doing imaginative play packing toys to take to their friend's house that didn't have any toys.

Two little girls playing with a wooden train set and a Grimms wooden rainbow.

 

Train sets are perfect for the transporting schema! Especially good is any open carriages where they can store little goodies to transport along the railway.

Toddler playing with small glass jars in a wooden tray with coloured rice.

Transporting can take the form of transferring things from one tray or bowl to another or carrying things to another room and making a pile. You can offer opportunities for this with bowls and loose parts or even set up a basket in another room to encourage transporting a toy to that space. Photo by @acraftyliving

 

 

Enveloping

This is all about hiding and wrapping objects or themselves!

How to spot: Your child will be covering themselves or objects with different materials such as building forts, wrapping objects, dressing up, putting things in a bag or painting their hands.

How to support: Build pillow forts or tent with blankets, recycle some big boxes to play in, dress ups (particularly gloves or socks), do some painting in the bath and allow them to paint their bodies, wrap presents with paper or playsilks (pretend or real!), posting activity with balls/loose parts

Little girl playing with a Montessori lock box quality wooden toy.

 

Something like this Montessori Lockbox with lots of compartments and doors is great for supporting the enveloping schema. They can hide small objects in there and explore how to get them and how to hide them.

 

A family playing with a large yellow Sarah's Silk play silk. The youngest daughter is sitting in the silk and being lifted up.

An important thing to note for the enveloping schema is it often takes the form of the child trying to envelope their own body. In this situation tent, cubbies and play silks can be ideal for play.

 

Little girl playing with pompoms by pouring them into a jar with a bamboo scoop.

A great fine motor activity that works well in the enveloping (and transporting) schema is transferring pompoms from one container into another. Use scoops or tongs to practice dexterity and strengthen those little hands.

 

 

Rotation

This is all about twisting, spinning and rolling objects or themselves!

How to spot: Your child will be loving spinning tops, twisting ribbons, rolling down hills, and spinning in circles.

How to support: Roll down a hill or spin around in circles, play with spinning tops,  riding bikes, particularly in a circle, lock and key games, ribbons to twist and spin, trucks, trains, buses, trolleys, cars - anything with wheels!


Little girl playing with Mater wooden spinning tops.


 

Spinning tops are perfect for exploring the rotational schema. We love Mader spinning tops and while they're not necessary we find the boards make top spinning a lot easier for little hands.

Little girl playing with a pretend car wash using Grimms wooden toys and a Grimms Rainbow and Grimms red truck and a play silk.

Cars, trucks, trains... anything with wheels is great for exploring when your child is in the rotational schema!

Positioning

This is all about positioning, ordering and arranging!

How to spot: Your child will be loving positioning objects in a line or be very specific about where everything should be placed.

How to support: Make mandalas or lines on washi tape with loose parts, line up objects from smallest to biggest, real-life tasks like setting the table or putting away laundry, puzzles or stacking game, sorting objects in categories - colour, shape or size

Colourful mandala made with Grapat Mandalas pieces.

Mandalas are a great way to explore the positioning schema, especially for older children because you can get a good grasp of spacial awareness and pattern making in a 2-dimensional way. Photo by @_walkinginthewild_

Little girl playing with crystals and washing tape, lining them up on the floor.

Lining items up is a great sign that they're in the positioning schema. You can support this by supplying loose parts and maybe setting up an invitation to play like this with washi tape.

Little girl play with a Ravensburger puzzle.

 

Puzzle are excellent for exploring the positional schema. Ravensburger are the gold standard in puzzles and have been for many decades. They come in themed sets, 1:1 scale pictures to help little ones and are self-correcting because none of the pieces can be placed in the wrong spot.

A little girl arranging crystals on an empty egg carton.

Egg cartoons and trays with sections can be great for the positional schema. Set out an invitation with loose parts and an egg carton and you can either play together and spark their imagination or see what they come up with themselves. 

Connecting

This is all about joining or linking objects together!

How to spot: Your child will be loving forming chains, linking, buckling and even tying objects together.

How to support: Art activities involving glueing, build with magnetic tiles or blocks, threading activities or bracelet making, fine motor play with clips, snaps, buckles or other fasteners, make paper chains, tie objects onto a ribbon

Little girl playing with Flockmen wooden toys

Flockmen are a great toy to explore the connecting schema. They link together in a variety of ways and can be played flat on the floor or stacked like this.

Little girl connection rubber Way To Play road toys.

 Connecting Way to Play roads is a great exercise for small hands and great way to explore how things connect and how they come apart.

Little girl playing with Montessori lock board wooden toy

Montessori lock boards are fantastic for exploring different types of fastening and how things can connect in a multitude of ways.

Little hands doing fine motor activity putting wooden toy rings onto a play silk.

Grapat Rings are fantastic for threading onto all sorts of items and this is a really great way to explore the connection schema. In the above photo we used our Grapat Rings on our Sarah's Silk but you can use rope or any play fabric you have.

This natural building kit is great for exploring connection. Little ones can build their own tree and add branches, leaves and flowers. Photo by @through_our_days

Orientation

This is all about looking at things from different perspectives!

How to spot: Your child will be loving looking at things upside down or through their legs, they may even climb to get a look from above.

How to support: Get down on the floor together and discuss what something looks like, then stand up and talk about how it looks different (try this in different positions), move objects around (up/down/near/far) and talk about how they look different even when you stay still, lie on your back/look through your legs and discuss how the world looks

Two little girls doing yoga poses with quality flash cards.

Yoga is an excellent way to explore the orientation schema. Looking at the world from a different perspective is fun for children and this can be a great way to encourage it.

A little girl playing on her Wobbel  balance board.

Wobbel boards are excellent for vestibular input and they encourage playing in different positions and levels which is perfect for the orientation schema.

 

We hope this blog helps you understand what schema your child may be exploring and how best to support their play. 



Planning Provocations. Invitations, Discovery trays,and baskets

Decoding your child’s behaviours through play schemas

Posted in Back to SchoolEarly Childhood DevelopmentFine MotorLiteracyPreschool Play IdeasToddler Play Ideas on August 21, 2023

We’ve all been there. Staring in bewilderment as our child repeatedly tips over a cup of water or endlessly hides the remote in the most bizarre places. You’ve probably caught yourself thinking “Why do they keep doing this?!”

The good news is that there’s often a pattern to this seemingly random behavior. And once you understand it, not only does the inner-workings if your little learner’s mind become that much clearer, you’ also gain a precious tool to nurture their development and support their growth.

And it all comes back to a little something called Play Schemas.

What on Earth are play schemas?

Picture this. You’re observing your little one throughout the day and you notice they seem fixated on a specific and repetitive action. It might be stacking their toys over and over, hiding under tables, sitting in baskets or tubs or lining up their toys over and over.

These aren’t random acts of toddler rebellion – they’re your little learner’s way of exploring and making sense of the world around them!

These patterns of repeated behaviour are known as play schemas. They’re the keys to understanding your child’s developmental needs, giving you a peek into their ever-evolving mind. 

When you can make sense of what’s driving these interesting behaviours, not only can you breathe a sigh of relief, but you can also create inviting play activities that will capture your little learner’s interest for more than 23 seconds!

Read the blogPlay Schemas: the secret to a successful invitation to play!

Whenever I start to feel overwhelmed about the behaviour of my own little learners, I think of Ross Greene and the quote “Kids do well if they can.” When your little learner engages in these repetitive behaviours (that are sometimes appear a little mischievous or cheeky at first!) they’re not just playing – they’re communicating. 

They’re letting you in on what intrigues them, what challenges them and where their interests lie. These behaviours are windows to their developmental journey, not problems waiting for solutions.

Spotting play schemas in action

Let’s get practical. Here are some behaviours you might have spotted in your little learner and the play schemas driving them:

  • Throwing or dropping things? They’re investigating the trajectory schema.

  • Spinning objects or themselves? They’re diving into the rotation schema.

  • Moving toys from one spot to another? Transporting is their current fascination.

  • Wrapping things up or burying them? The enveloping schema is at play.

  • Building enclosures or creating defined spaces? They’re dabbling in the enclosing schema.

The list goes on but the fascinating bit? Each of these behaviours is your child’s way of grappling with and mastering different aspects of their environment and setting an incredible scientific foundation and understanding of how the world works!

When we can make these connections between behaviours like transporting their toys all over the house, we can better create playful activities and play spaces that meet our children exactly where they’re at.

For example, when I observed my toddler constantly lining their toys up, I prepared this simple block matching game with a sheet of old cardboard. She loved positioning the pieces into the right spot and also explored early mathematical concepts all through play.

When I observed my toddler enjoying sensory tubs and transferring the bases from bowl to bowl, we experimented by adding tongs and bottle tops for a simple transporting activity in the backyard.

Below are 8 of the most popular schemas. If you’d like to learn more about each one, you can download my FREE Play Schema Cheat Sheet. It will help you connect the behaviours you’re noticing in your toddler with those 8 popular schemas so you can better prepare your play spaces and activities too!

Benefits of making sense of play schemas

When you tap into your child’s play schemas, magic happens.

  1. Deepened Connection: You get a clearer picture of where your child’s at, allowing for more meaningful interactions.

  2. Fostering Development: By supporting their current schema, you’re fueling their cognitive, physical and emotional growth.

  3. Less Frustration: Understanding the ‘why’ behind behaviours can shift your perspective, making parenting a tad smoother.

At the heart of it all, recognising and supporting play schemas is about understanding. It’s about taking a moment to see the world from your child’s eyes and using this insight to foster their innate curiosity. When we approach our children with this understanding, we’re not just decoding behaviours…we’re also building bridges of connection, understanding and love.

So, the next time your little learner seems obsessed with lining up their toys or pouring water back and forth, take a moment. Watch, wonder and engage.

These moments are an incredible window in your little learner’s world.

Spotted any intriguing behaviours in your child lately? Share your observations below and let’s journey together into the delightful world of play schemas together!

And if you’d like more support in unpacking play schemas in your home, you can grab this popular Play Schema Bundle ($39) and turn those mischievous toddler moments into playful invitations your child will actually enjoy for more than 6 seconds so you can see more purposeful independent play!

Schema Based Resources:

Series 2, Episode 1: A Schematic Approach to Arts in Early Years

Learn all about taking a schematic approach to the expressive arts in early years!

The Creative Skills Podcast: Series 2

5 Ways With… Schemas: Connection

Schemas are patterns of repeated behaviours which children engage in. Here are some ideas can help channel the connection schema!

Wee Inspirations 

Schemas

5 Ways With… Schemas: Transporting

Schemas are patterns of repeated behaviours which children engage in. Here are some ideas can help channel the transporting schema!

Wee Inspirations 

Schemas

5 Ways With… Schemas: Orientation

Schemas are patterns of repeated behaviours which children engage in. Here are some ideas can help channel the orientation schema!

Wee Inspirations 

Schemas

5 Ways With… Schemas: Enclosure

Schemas are patterns of repeated behaviours which children engage in. Here are some ideas can help channel the enclosure schema!

Wee Inspirations

5 Ways With… Schemas: Enveloping

Schemas are patterns of repeated behaviours which children engage in. Here are some ideas can help channel the enveloping schema!

Wee Inspirations 

Schemas

5 Ways With… Schemas: Transforming

Schemas are patterns of repeated behaviours which children engage in. Here are some ideas can help channel the transforming schema!

Wee Inspirations 

Schemas

5 Ways With… Schemas: Positioning

Schemas are patterns of repeated behaviours which children engage in. Here are some ideas can help channel the positioning schema!

Wee Inspirations

5 Ways With… Schemas: Rotation

Schemas are patterns of repeated behaviours which children engage in. Here are some ideas can help channel the rotation schema!

Wee Inspirations 

Schemas

5 Ways With… Schemas: Trajectory

Schemas are patterns of repeated behaviours which children engage in. Here are some ideas can help channel the trajectory schema!

Wee Inspirations 

Schemas

Resources

Schemas

What are schemas and why are they important? How they can be used to engage young children in arts experiences, both participatory and performance?

Training & Development

 

Resources

Child exploring paint

A week of outdoor inspiration at Abbey View Nursery

Artist Kirstin Abraham reflects on her week-long residency at Abbey View nursery in Abroath, focusing on creating resources around creative play ideas for children with additional support needs. 

18 May 2023

Wintertime Wish List: 5 Ways With…pegs

Pegs are the perfect present to help wee ones explore their schematic play. Whether wooden or plastic, there's plenty of joy playing with pegs. 

Wee Inspirations 

At-Home Activities

 

Resources

Performances in Development

Starcatchers work with artists and companies to create high quality, inspirational, age-appropriate performances and visual art installations.

Training & Development

 

Artists

Arts and Early Childhood: Young children’s right to cultural and artistic life

Early years pedagogue and researcher, Dr Caralyn Blaisdell, reflects on her experience of the Erasmus Creative Europe Project: Arts and Early Childhood, a transnational collaborative effort to explore and share best practice in early years arts and creativity.

5 July 2022

Scrap Box Costumes

Costumes can be a great way to "transform" into a character - but they don't need to be expensive! Use different colours or textures of cloth to represent different characters in your story.

Wee Inspirations 

Christmas

 

Creative Movement

 

Drama

 

Emotional Literacy & wellbeing

 

Wee People Big Feelings

Exploration and curiosity at Where We Are

Where We Are lead artist, Callum Younger, reflects on the last 13 weeks of the project and his observations around the importance of creative play, music and early years development.

2 September 2021

Babies playing drums in outdoors creative play session

Current

Kent Playground

Playground is an exciting programme of creative play sessions taking place across Kent from November 2021, working in consultation with Starcatchers.

Training & Development

 

Early Years Professionals

Moving matters

Creative movement provides wonderful opportunities for young children to make independent choices and express their thoughts, feelings and ideas. Touch and movement are our earliest senses and provide learning experiences which have a huge influence on development and wellbeing, says Skye Reynolds, dance and creative movement artist.

2 December 2019

Creative Skills and the expressive arts within child-led approaches

Since 2013 Starcatchers has delivered artist-facilitated training for early years professionals across Scotland, building creative confidence and sharing open structures to give babies and young children a voice through the expressive arts. Here, Creative Skills Manager, Heather Armstrong, reflects on the role of adults in child-led practice.

31 May 2019

Starcatchers – Home

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Click the categories below to shop for children based on their schematic development:

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THE TRAJECTORY SCHEMA

The trajectory schema is all about movement. If you have children in your classroom throwing things, fascinated with moving objects or force and motion, you probably have children developing their trajectory schema.

This blog post will explain exactly what this play schema is and give you a number of playful hands-on activities you can easily use in your classroom to support children developing their trajectory schema.

WHAT IS A PLAY SCHEMA?

Schemas are repeated patterns of behaviour. You will be observing play schemas whenever you notice children in your class doing certain behaviours over and over when they play. There are nine schemas most commonly observed in young children.

This blog post is about one of those nine schemas – the trajectory play schema. If you are interested in learning about any of the other play schemas, check out this blog post: A Guide to Play Schemas in Early Childhood Education

Schematic play is about how a child plays and explores the learning resources and environment. It isn’t a specific type of play like dramatic play or sensory play. You can observe play schemas in all areas of the classroom.

You might observe a child demonstrating the trajectory play schema at block construction when they spin, slide and throw blocks around the area. You might see them making paper planes to throw around the room at the Makerspace. This would be another example of a child using the trajectory schema.

Sometimes you might not make a connection between these observations because they seem like different forms of play in different scenarios, but the play schema in these examples remains the same.

Once you’ve observed a child displaying a specific play schema, you will often notice that child repeating the same action schematically using a range of different objects or even their own bodies.

WHY ARE PLAY SCHEMAS IMPORTANT IN A PLAY-BASED CLASSROOM?

Understanding play schemas and being able to pinpoint the ones your students are developing is critical to the success of your early childhood classroom. When you become aware of the play schemas your students are developing you will:

  • Understand your students and their developmental needs.

  • Deepen your understanding of how children learn.

  • Be able to tap into your student’s interests.

  • Increase engagement.

  • Know how to encourage your students to be more curious.

  • Extend the learning and the intensity of your student’s play.

  • Make the right observations to inform your planning.

  • Be able to easily differentiate the learning experiences you offer.

When you understand play schemas, you can use this knowledge to help you make informed observations. You’ll be able to document what and why the children are demonstrating certain behaviours during investigative playtime. Understanding play schemas will help you gain insights into your children’s passions and interests. You will be armed with the information you need to adapt the curriculum and plan for appropriate engaging and purposeful learning experiences.

Understanding play schemas can also help you understand what can sometimes be seen as an undesirable classroom behaviour. For example, you might have a child constantly flipping or spinning objects at dramatic play. This would certainly be quite annoying for you and all the other children trying to play there. This behaviour might be seen as undesirable, but when you understand that this behaviour is coming from a child exploring the trajectory schema, you can set up a learning invitation to accommodate this schema and turn the undesirable behaviour into a desirable one.

When you understand why certain behaviours are happening, you come to realise children do not simply misbehave. There’s always a reason for desirable and undesirable behaviours and sometimes play schemas can be that reason.

Being able to recognise and use play schemas is crucial to the success of any play-based classroom.

WHAT IS THE TRAJECTORY SCHEMA?

Children building the trajectory schema enjoy movement. They will love experimenting with direction, force and motion, and cause and effect. They are attracted to observing and creating movement, as well as being moved and moving their own bodies.

These children are fascinated by how things move horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. They like to investigate what happens when objects are thrown or pushed. During schematic play, you will notice them knocking things over, running fast, or making objects to fly through the air.

Exploring movement and the Science unit on How Things Move is going to grab the attention of children developing their trajectory schema. This schema is all about movement.

Developmentally, this schema is one of the earliest and most common schemas that young children explore. I have had many children still interested in this schema in preschool or kindergarten and even in first grade. They benefit from activities involving toy cars, paper planes, spinning objects, marble runs, and anything to do with balls.

Because the trajectory schema involves a lot of throwing and pushing, it is one of the play schemas that requires a lot of support in the classroom. As educators of children developing the trajectory schema, we need to help these children express this schema in a safe way.

WHAT ARE CHILDREN LEARNING?

Children exploring the trajectory play schema are consistently experimenting, observing, and learning. With every drop or throw, they are learning.

Not only are they learning cause and effect, but they are discovering how different things can fall at different speeds. They notice how objects make different sounds when they land on different surfaces. How the different forces used when dropping or throwing things changes the result and even how objects feel different in their hands when they are dropped or thrown.

Children developing their trajectory schema are also developing their gross motor skills. They will be fine-tuning their visual tracking skills and growing in their body awareness. These children will also be working on scientific skills like observing, and predicting.

As children mature and develop their trajectory schema further, you might notice them beginning to explore their spatial awareness and developing their positional language.

They become interested in shapes and grids. They use their understandings of horizontal and vertical lines to explore open and closed lines, corners, and curves. Shapes like rectangles, squares, and triangles become interesting to them. These children will start to make marks in the forms of crosses, ladders, and grids.

An interest in lines and grids will naturally lead these children into explorations of number lines and arrays.

Children naturally develop mathematical concepts through their exploration of the trajectory schema. They will deepen and extend their understandings of measurement concepts like length, height, and distance.

WHAT VOCABULARY SUPPORTS THE TRAJECTORY SCHEMA?

Fly, spin, twirl

Glide, float, drop

Bounce, high, low

Heavy, light

Land, target, take off, launch

Swing, pendulum, pulley

Up, down, fast, slow, high, low

If you are interested in supporting your student’s oral language through their interest in the trajectory schema, you will love my illustrated movement vocab cards. Add them to any investigation area to act as provocations that will stimulate new learning explorations and language development.

Movement Vocabulary Cards

Movement Vocabulary Cards

$3.00

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HANDS-ON ACTIVITIES TO SUPPORT A TRAJECTORY SCHEMA IN THE PLAY-BASED CLASSROOM

Because children exploring the trajectory schema will be fascinated with movement, there are numerous hands-on learning experiences you will have the opportunity to offer your students. Supporting this schema in a play-based classroom is easy!

In kindergarten and first grade, children should have access to a wide variety of resources that foster their experimentation of movements.

It is important that educators consider how and where these resources are offered too. Exploration of the trajectory schema is often related to risky play so it’s very important to understand and always follow your health and safety guidelines.

How Things Move Science Unit

The foundation stage science unit on force and motion or how things move is going to be of particular interest to children exploring their trajectory schema. This science unit is all about the way objects move and how movement depends on a variety of factors, including their size and shape.

In this science unit, students observe and describe movement. They will also consider terms for describing movement and focus on the movement of objects and their own bodies. Any students interested in movement will love this unit.

I have designed 10 PowerPoint Science lessons and a corresponding Student Journal for this unit. If you are teaching this ACARA Science unit, you might be interested in checking it out. It has everything you need to teach the Australian Curriculum Physical Sciences Unit on Movement for the Foundation Stage.

Movement BUNDLE .jpg

ACARA Foundation Stage Science MOVEMENT Lessons and Journal BUNDLE

The lessons and the journal activities in this bundle have been carefully aligned to ACARA and all the content descriptors from the Foundation Physical Sciences strand are covered. Each page in the student journal corresponds with each of the 10 PowerPoint lessons.

Your students will be able to use the journal to record and represent their knowledge and understandings and it could also be used as evidence of learning and to inform assessment grades too if you want.

Exploring the Trajectory Schema through Block Play

Block play provides many opportunities for your students to explore the trajectory schema. How you do that has everything to do with the supplementary resources you offer in this space.

Cars and road mats are always popular with children interested in the trajectory schema. Trains and train tracks are another good resource to add. Head to your math resources and find some wooden 3D shapes that roll – cylinders, spheres and cones.

You can always set up some ramps using the blocks in your block play area if you want to encourage children to explore their trajectory schema. They will love exploring ramps.


One of our favourite investigations at block play is when we investigate force and motion in science. We make a little pendulum wrecking ball by putting a tennis ball into a stocking hung from the ceiling. The children love exploring simple physics laws with this simple tool.

The Trajectory Schema in the Makerspace and Art Area

To support the trajectory schema in a makerspace or through art and craft experiences, you need to think about adding resources to encourage children to experiment with movement. Here are some ideas you might like to try:

  • Blowing paint with straws.

  • Adding eye droppers and coloured water to the area.

  • Supply spray bottles filled with watered-down paint.

  • Add paint to squeezy bottles for children to experiment with dropping paint.

  • Provide upright painting surfaces like easels and runny paint.

  • Introduce Marble Rolling Painting. Children can make marks by rolling paint-covered marbles in a tray lined with paper.

  • Making tracks and marks with car wheels that have driven through paint puddles.

  • Constructing frisbees, paper planes and boomerangs.

  • Supply a variety of wood and cardboard circles, plastic bottle tops, rubber bands, and split pins for children to make moving toys.

  • Tie a length of string to a paintbrush for children to paint with a pendulum action.

  • Supply glue in large syringes so children can explore the way the glue is moved through the syringe.

Dramatic Play and the Trajectory Schema

Offering your students opportunities to develop their interest in the trajectory schema at your dramatic play spaces is not that difficult when you remember movement is at the centre of this play schema.

Think about all the authentic moving objects and any objects that create movement when you are wanting to support the trajectory play schema at this investigation area. Prams, toy clocks, toasters, whisks, bowls and stirrers, egg timers, lava lamps, mobiles and flags are just a few that come to mind.

Setting up a Doctors to explore how our bodies move is another great learning experience that will attract children exploring the trajectory schema.


Dramatic play includes many small-world play setups too. City small worlds that include trains and tracks or roads and cars are the perfect learning provocations for the trajectory schema.

Supporting the Trajectory Schema through Sensory Play

Sensory play is very important in early childhood education. When you combine movement and sensory play, optimal learning always occurs.

If you are looking for sensory play activities that incorporate movement, you might like to try some of these:

  • Bubble blowing. So much fun chasing and catching them too!

  • Playing with water pipes, funnels and water pumps. Children exploring the trajectory schema love interacting with things that are already moving, like putting their hands under running water.

  • Water and sand play. Add jugs and cups for pouring. This is a great activity for developing volume conservation concepts too.

  • At the playdough table, add moving tools like rolling pins and pizza cutters.

  • Water wheels and sand wheels are must-have toys to add to your sensory play setups.

Tinkering and the Trajectory Schema

Children will naturally investigate the trajectory schema at a tinkering table. This investigation area easily supports the exploration of how things move.

Using the Trajectory Schema to Teach Maths

The trajectory schema encompasses so many math concepts it makes sense to include activities to support this schema in your math instruction.

Teaching students to use measuring tapes and rulers will give them the skills needed to measure the trajectory of items like cars, planes, and boats. Including measurement tools in your learning provocations will encourage your students to practice using these tools and add another level to their play.

Bee-bots are an excellent tool to use in your math instruction. These moving robots teach problem-solving skills, position and location concepts, basic coding and develop mathematical thinking skills. I haven’t met a child developing their trajectory schema that doesn’t love working with bee-bots.

Creatively adding movement to any math instruction or activity will motivate your students to get involved. For example, instead of a standard talk-and-teach lesson on number recognition, try incorporating some movement by writing numerals on the concrete in chalk. The children can then throw wet sponges at a given number. You can modify this for more capable students by asking them to hit the number that is 4 add 2, or to hit the numbers less than 8.

Adapt this activity to any target-type game. You can purchase target games or make your own by drawing circles and other shapes onto heavy cardboard. Place them on the ground or prop them up onto walls and fences. Your students can throw soft toys, balls, or small bean-bags to hit the targets. This is a great activity to incorporate the trajectory schema into your instruction, It is also a wonderful way for your students to work on their gross motor skills and get those throwing urges out of their system.

Using the Trajectory Schema to Teach Literacy

Incorporating movement into your literacy lessons and activities will be just as engaging for students developing their trajectory schema. If you are teaching phonics, write letters on the concrete and direct children to hit certain sounds. Write CVC words on the concrete and provide students with matching pictures or use this activity to practice sight words. You’ll be surprised at how many skills can be practiced with this type of movement game.

There are many ways to harness your student’s interest in movement. Consider activities involving small bean-bags and balls or driving little cars along letters to blend words. Write letters on small stones with a permanent marker and use little diggers to select the stones to make words. Set up a matching learning provocation so your students can practice making words during investigation time.

Use your student’s interest in the trajectory schema to get them up and moving their bodies. Add letters, pictures, or CVC words to hopscotch spaces, hoops on the floor, or obstacle courses. The ways to incorporate movement into your lessons are endless!

Wind and the Weather Science Unit

A major part of the Weather Science Unit in the ACARA foundation stage involves learning about the wind and how it influences movement. Children interested in the trajectory play schema will love experimenting with wind and movement.

As part of this unit, we set up a wind tunnel at an investigation area. We placed a desk fan on a table and suspended the tunnel from the ceiling. You can make the tunnel with a large piece of laminate. We got ours from the library. They have a big laminating machine to laminate posters. This activity prompted numerous valuable conversations and encouraged various problem-solving strategies as children found and made items to go up the tunnel.

If you are studying this unit, kites, flags, bunting, wind ornaments, pinwheels, streamers, balloons, mobiles, parachutes, feathers, tissue paper and ping pong balls are just some of the resources you might like to consider adding to your investigation areas if you are looking to harness your student’s interest in the trajectory play schema.

The Trajectory Schema and Outdoor Play

Any observations of your students out in the playground will confirm how popular the trajectory schema is. Outdoor play will provide numerous opportunities for you to support this play schema.

Here’s a list of resources to help you: trampolines, golf sets, soccer balls and nets, t-ball equipment, footballs, netballs, bowling or skittles, coits, stilts, skipping ropes, bouncing hoppers, slippery slides, swings, planks, tyres, hoops, platforms at a variety of levels to jump from, crates, ladders, monkey bars, playground equipment to climb, and any types of obstacle courses requiring various body movements.

RESOURCES TO SUPPORT THE TRAJECTORY SCHEMA

Effectively supporting the trajectory schema in your young learners has everything to do with the resources you offer them. This is an extensive list, but I’m sure you will find other ones to add. Once you observe your children and become more familiar with the trajectory schema, you will see the hidden potential in many of the resources you already have.

  • Lego and construction sets like knex, mobilo, gears sets, and marble runs

  • Toy cars, trucks, planes, helicopters, rockets, and boats

  • Frisbees

  • Sheets and panels with different-shaped holes for the children to throw balls and other items into.

  • Rebound nets

  • Pulleys

  • Target games

  • Platforms and crates to climb and drop things from

  • A slinky

  • Fidget toys

  • Pendulums

  • Toy parachutes

  • Ribbons on rulers and scarves for dancing and moving to music

  • Hoops and tyres

  • Tubing, gutters, and pipes. Drain pipes or a piece of plastic guttering can be fun for use with water and vehicles. Poster tubes are a good indoor option and have excellent indoor play potential.

  • Ramps. Pool noodles cut in half lengthwise make wonderful safe ramps for small balls and cars at indoor play spaces.

  • Hammocks

  • Elastic

  • Spinning toys

  • Pompoms, cotton balls, feathers, and sponges

  • Small bean bags

  • Yo-yos

  • Moving toys like wind-up ones, pull-back vehicles, and battery-operated vehicles

  • Paper aeroplanes

  • Garden windmills and chimes

  • Flags

  • Kites

  • Sand and water timers

  • Bubbles and bubble-blowing wands

  • Water and sand troughs, bowls, jugs, scales, and water wheels

  • Sprinklers

  • Bikes and buggies

  • Wheelbarrows

  • Mazes with magnets.

  • Dominoes to stand up in rows and then knock down

  • Lift the flap books and books with tabs to operate moving parts

  • Lava lamps

Trajectory schemas are one of the first schemas you will witness in a child. Think about a baby dropping a toy repeatedly from their high chair! This engaging play schema continues to develop throughout childhood and will definitely be evident in your early childhood classroom.

Are you ready to harness this play schema? Now you know how to identify and support the trajectory schema, you will be able to effectively plan and deliver lessons and activities that help your students express their interests in this play schema safely and educationally.

The Orientation Schema

The orientation schema is all about how objects look from different angles and perspectives. Children developing this schema will enjoy moving their bodies into different positions so they can observe objects from different viewpoints.

If you have children in the playground climbing equipment to get different viewpoints, hanging upside down, or turning objects over to see what they look like underneath, you might have children developing their orientating schema.

In this blog post, you will learn all about the orientation schema and why it needs to be supported in your classroom. You’ll also discover several hands-on playful activities that will help you to support this interesting play schema.

What Is a Play Schema?

You will regularly notice children demonstrating play schemas in your classroom and also out in the playground. They are the repeated patterns of behaviour children use to explore and learn about their world.

Young children are constantly using their play schemas to investigate and make sense of the world around them. If you want to support students in developing their orientation schema, offering hands-on play-based learning experiences is your best strategy.

Children’s play schemas will change over time and become more and more sophisticated.  Through repeated schematic play, children will use their existing knowledge to build new understandings and develop their schemas.

There are nine commonly observed types of schemas in play. The orientation schema is one of these nine along with connecting, transforming, trajectory, rotation, enveloping, enclosing, positioning, and transporting schemas.

In education, schemas are recognised as a vital part of children’s cognitive growth and learning. An understanding of play schemas is very important for any early childhood educator. If you would like to learn more about play schemas and schematic theory, you should check out this blog post: A Guide to Play Schemas in Early Childhood Education

The  Guide to Play Schemas in Early Childhood Education blog post is a general guide to the nine play schemas. It explains in detail exactly what play schemas are and how you can use play-based learning to effectively support the ones your students will be exploring.

Schematic play relates to how a child is playing and exploring the learning resources and environment. It isn’t a specific type of play like dramatic play or sensory play. You will observe early childhood schemas of play happening in all areas of your classroom.

For example, you might notice children demonstrating the orientation play schema at the blocks area. They will be the students driving cars forwards, backwards, through spaces, around corners and over ramps and bridges. You might also notice these children gravitate towards rocking and spinning playground equipment or climbing ladders and forts so they can view their environment from different perspectives.

While these may seem like different forms of play in very different scenarios, they are in fact examples of the same play schema. Once you’ve observed a child displaying a specific play schema, you will very often notice the child repeating that same action schematically using a range of different objects and very often, their own bodies.

Why Are Play Schemas Important in a Play Based Classroom?

Understanding play schemas and being able to pinpoint the ones your students are developing is critical to the success of your early childhood classroom. When you become aware of the play schemas your students are developing you will:

  • Understand your students and their developmental needs.

  • Better understand how children learn.

  • Be able to tap into your student’s interests.

  • Increase engagement.

  • Know how to encourage your students to be more curious.

  • Deepen the learning and the intensity of your student’s playful learning.

  • Make the right observations to inform your planning.

  • Be able to easily differentiate the learning experiences you offer.

When you understand play schemas, you can use this knowledge to better observe and document what the children in your class are doing during investigative play time. You will not only gain insights into your children’s passions and interests, but you’ll be armed with the information you need to be able to adapt the curriculum and plan for appropriate and engaging learning experiences.

Understanding play schemas can also help you understand what can sometimes be seen as undesirable classroom behaviours. For example, you might have a child constantly crawling around on the floor. This would be a bit annoying for you and the other children trying to work there. This behaviour could be seen as undesirable but when you understand this behaviour is coming from a child exploring their orientation schema, you can set up a learning invitation to accommodate this schema.

When you understand why certain behaviours are happening, you come to realise children do not simply misbehave. There’s always a reason for desirable and undesirable behaviours and sometimes play schemas can be that reason. 

Being able to recognise and use play schemas is crucial to the success of any play-based classroom.

What is The Orientation Schema?

Children building their orientation schema are interested in how objects look from different angles and perspectives. I have found this play schema is most obvious out in the playground. There’s one advantage to playground duty I guess!

If you notice your children hanging upside down in the playground or bending over to see things through their legs, they are developing their orientation schema. You might also observe them doing somersaults, cartwheels, and handstands. It’s all about how things look from different positions and angles.

Children exploring this schema will be interested in playing on rocking and spinning play equipment. See-saws are another favourite. They will be climbing the playground fort and scaling ladders, trees, and monkey bars to get a new vantage point.

Sometimes you might even notice them turning objects over to look at them from a new angle. Climbing under classroom furniture or lying on the floor are other behaviours children exhibit when they are interested in looking at things from different angles.

The orientation schema is linked to the positioning and rotating play schemas. It is quite common for children to be exploring two or three play schemas at any one time.

Because children developing the orientation schema specifically enjoy seeing things from different viewpoints, they will enjoy experimenting with magnifying glasses, binoculars, mirrors, and reflections. Sometimes these children will even show an interest in balancing objects or exploring height and weight.

Students developing this schema will be in their element when you study map making and how to view places using a bird’s eye view in Geography.

What Are Children Using the Orientating Schema Learning?

Children exploring their orientation schema will be examining different positions and viewpoints. As they do this they will be:

  • Developing gross motor and fine motor skills.

  • Stimulating the sensory and vestibular systems.

  • Developing spatial awareness.

  • Learning positional language vocabulary.

  • Using their senses to make scientific observations.

  • Developing creative and critical thinking skills.

  • Building science and math skills like predicting, estimating, problem solving, and measuring. 

What Vocabulary Supports the Orientation Schema?

turn, twist, spin, roll, rock

forwards, backwards, inside-out, direction

over, under, below, above, underneath, birds-eye-view

reflection, position, angle, view

How to Support an Orientation Schema in the Play-Based Classroom

Because children exploring their orientation schema will be fascinated with looking at objects from different angles and perspectives, there are many opportunities to offer hands-on learning invitations to support this schema in any play-based classroom.

Most kindergarten and first grade classrooms will already have a supply of hands-on playful resources children can use to explore this play schema. The children just need to be given the opportunity and permission to explore these resources from different angles and perspectives.

Educators do need to consider how and where these resources will be offered. When planning and implementing activities for the orientation schema, it is important to understand and follow your health and safety guidelines as well as thinking about how flexible the learning spaces you provide are.  

Mirrors

Mirrors are the ultimate learning resource for children exploring their orientation schema. Mirrors of all shapes and sizes can be placed at various angles and levels to help children explore objects from different perspectives.

I’m always on the lookout for different types of mirrors. Magnifying mirrors like those found in the cosmetics section of a store, small mirror tiles, large mirrors which can be used on tabletops, mirrored shapes, hinged mirrors, and framed mirrors are all wonderful to add to any learning area.

Children love it when you place mirrors in unusual places like on the floor or the ceiling. It creates a sense of wonder and will delight those students developing their orientating schema.

Mirrors enhance any learning invitation so if you find yourself with an empty corner or are looking for a resource to take your investigations to the next level, add a mirror.

Reflective Surfaces

Like mirrors, reflective surfaces give children another way to explore reflections and perspectives. There are many different types of materials and objects you can use to reflect light.

Think about adding metal sheets or aluminium foil to your blocks area and even the art area. Painting on pieces of aluminium foil or metal trays is an activity your students will be excited to explore.

There are even learning resources with reflective surfaces available from educational suppliers. They have been specially designed to capture the attention of children exploring the orientation play schema.

These resources can be a bit expensive, so we made our own cheaper version by covering some blocks, balls, and stones in aluminium foil. They were not as reflective as those available from specialty stores but they gave the students another opportunity to investigate reflections.


Water

The reflections in water are valuable explorations for children developing the orientating schema. Set up a shallow tray of water next to a light source like a window and your children will enjoy investigating the different reflections made in the water and on nearby surfaces.

Clear jars and small fish tanks of water will provide your students with opportunities to view objects from different perspectives and experiment with water and light refraction.

Here’s a Fun Experiment: Draw an arrow on a piece of card. Place the card behind a jar of water so you can see the arrow when looking through the glass. Your students will think it’s magic how the arrow appears to change direction. Encourage your students to write numbers and words on pieces of card to extend their experiments.

Light and Shadow

Using a projector or similar light source to shine onto a wall or the ceiling will no doubt encourage your students to investigate and experiment with light and shadows. Children learning about the orientation schema will be intrigued by these investigations.

You can change it up and extend their explorations by changing the colour of the light source. Just place some coloured cellophane over the light. Another engaging variation is to project a variety of pictures and patterns onto the wall or the ceiling.

Light tables are another light source that can help children to view things from a different perspective. Children can view both transparent and opaque resources in a new way when they are placed on a light table.

Supply your students with a small light source like a torch and provide them with a variety of glass or acrylic shapes to experiment further with the refraction of light. Check out the science resources in your school and you might be lucky enough to find a set of prisms that have been made specifically for these types of explorations.

Magnifying Glasses

Young children are fascinated with magnifying glasses. So much so, I add them to all sorts of investigation areas. Don’t just limit them to your science or nature table.

A magnifying glass can be added to any investigation area. At block play, in the dramatic play space, in the library and writing areas, at the tinkering table, and even the art area.

You will be surprised at all the different ways your children will use a magnifying glass and you can be sure those children obsessed with this resource will be the ones developing their orientation schema. 

Binoculars

You can purchase children’s binoculars or make your own play ones from cardboard tubes. Like magnifying glasses, binoculars can be added to any investigation area. They are also the perfect toy to add to your playground equipment.

Binoculars are particularly suited to small world setups and dramatic play spaces. We always use them whenever we go on field trips or when we are studying living things or the weather in Science.

However, you don’t need to be learning about the day sky or the weather to include some mindful cloud gazing in your school day. Watching the clouds float by is a wonderful activity for any child developing an orientation schema. Get your students to lie on their backs and gaze at the clouds. Talk about what shapes or pictures you can see. You can even use this activity as a stimulus for poetry and creative writing.

Once again, the good old cellophane comes in handy for extending schematic explorations with binoculars. Cover the lens of your purchased or homemade binoculars with some coloured cellophane to help your students see things in a new way. 

Peep-Holes

Peep-holes are so much fun for children developing their orientation schema because they create a new way for children to view their world. You can create peep-holes by cutting shapes from large sheets of cardboard or fabric and then using these as barriers to divide your investigation areas or learning spaces.

You can also create peep-holes by leaving gaps between the walls of your learning area spaces or by using open weave curtains or lattice as dividers.

When we study the day sky in science, I like to create peep-holes on the windows. I use empty picture frames to create a viewing focus. The children love using these little peep-holes to view and discuss the day sky.

Obstacle Courses

The orientation play schema is easily observed in the playground. You will notice some children love climbing so they can view the world from a higher perspective. You will also notice children crawling, rolling, or lying on the ground to gain a lower viewing perspective. These children are exploring their orientation schema.

There are many opportunities to support this play schema in the playground.

  • Provide playground equipment like forts, ladders, planks, crates and trees for children to climb.

  • Create obstacle courses at various heights. Don’t forget to include the fort and other permanent playground climbing structures in your obstacle courses.

  • Add tumbling mats for children to safely explore their world from different angles.

  • Swings, forts, monkey bars, and slippery slides are all important for children to develop their core strength and gross motor skills but are also important tools children use when they are developing their orientation play schema.

Out on playground duty, you have probably observed some children that like to go down the slippery slide the same way each and every time. Then there are always the ones that love to experiment with pretty much any possible position going up and down the slide. These children are no doubt exploring their orientation schema. Don’t be afraid to allow your children to navigate their way up the slippery side of the slippery slide. This maneuver is quite difficult and requires a good amount of core strength and balance

Allowing risky play is important for this play schema but you will always need to follow your school’s playground rules. If your school allows it, children should be given the opportunity to explore their world from different viewpoints. Climbing things, hanging upside down from trees and other playground equipment, and walking along rock walls are all activities that support this play schema.

Art Easels

Easels are great for giving children the opportunity to explore mark-making on an upright or slanted surface. This new perspective of viewing their work will delight children developing an orientating play schema.

Don’t just offer art easels to children in the art area. They make good additions to a literacy area or any area where you would like children to write or draw. Art easels are wonderful additions to any investigation area where children with an orientation schema may be working because they give children opportunities to paint, draw and write vertically and at different angles.

Michelangelo painting is another fun activity you might like to offer the children exploring their orientation play schema. Just tape paper to the underside of a couple of desks so the children can lie on their backs and draw, write or paint while laying down. They will love this novel approach to exploring their orientating schema.

Yoga and Gymnastics

Yoga poses and maneuvers in gymnastics give children experiences in viewing the world around them from different perspectives. Children developing the orientating play schema can often be observed lying on the floor or looking through their legs to get a different viewing perspective so yoga and gymnastics will appeal to these children.

You might like to create a safe space in your classroom where children can experiment with different body poses and develop their understandings related to their orientation schema. Supply yoga mats, yoga cards, and posters or books to create an interactive and peaceful investigation area.

Yoga positions really encourage children to get into unusual positions with their bodies and will help them to see things from different angles and perspectives. Young children will find the most success with these poses if they can copy an illustrated position or a familiar animal pose.

Some of the easier yoga positions can be related to familiar animal poses to help children understand and relate to them:

The Turtle - For this position, the children sit with their legs stretched straight out in front and then slide their feet closer up to their bodies. Their knees then fall open and they slide their hands under their ankles. The children then lean forward into their turtle shells.

The Giraffe - For a giraffe pose, the children begin on their hands and knees. Then they line-up their hands under their shoulders, and their knees under their hips. Keeping one hand on the mat, they reach the other hand up to the sky.

Downward Facing Dog - This is a classic yoga pose and appealing to children with an orientation schema. They begin on their hands and knees. Keeping their hands on the mat, they lift their hips up to the sky and straighten their knees. They need to try to keep their heads between their arms and create an inverted v body shape.

The Cobra - The children begin by laying on their tummies with their hands flat on the floor under their shoulders. They straighten their arms and lift their upper bodies off the mat. They then bend their knees so their toes touch the top of their heads.

Flexible Seating and Furniture

Flexible seating provides many health and learning benefits for the students in your class and will also encourage them to explore the orientation play schema.  

When considering flexible learning spaces, think about setting up learning invitations on different levels. Offer learning invitations on the floor, on platforms, at a coffee table, as well as at traditional desks and tables or standing desks.

Adding sheer curtains around and over learning invitations will give children a different viewing perspective too.

Very often, the orientation schema will be explored naturally when you allow children to work in flexible learning spaces. Allow your children to lie on the floor while they play and work. Have you noticed children lying on the floor with their heads on the ground as they play with cars or other learning resources? These children are seeking a new perspective. and a different visual angle.

They may be exploring the rotation schema if they are interested in things that rotate like the wheels on a car but very often children are developing many schemas at any one time so you can’t rule out the possibility that they are working on their orientation schema too.

Soft lighting is very often a design feature in flexible learning spaces. I love soft lights because they also help to create an inviting learning space. Lighting from lamps and fairy lights can provide children the opportunity to view resources in a different way.

You can easily support the orientation schema in your classroom by simply providing the right resources and changing the way you allow children to work. Try not to stop children from sitting in weird positions or lying down as they play. This is helping them learn!

THE TRANSFORMING SCHEMA

The transforming schema is all about change and how things transform in substance or appearance. Children interested in this schema will be fascinated with combining and changing materials. If you have children constantly mixing sand with water or drawing and painting on their bodies, you might have children developing their transformation schema.

In this blog post, you will discover exactly what the transformation schema is, why it needs to be supported in your classroom, and then explore a number of activities that will help you to do this through hands-on playful investigations.

WHAT IS A PLAY SCHEMA?

Play schemas are the repeated patterns of behaviour children use to explore and learn more about their world. Young children are constantly trying to make sense of their world and they do this by using their play schemas to explore and investigate the world around them. If you are looking to support students to develop their transforming schema, offering hands-on play based learning experiences is your best strategy.

Children’s play schemas will change over time. Their schemas become more and more sophisticated each time they face a new learning experience. Through repeated schematic play, children will use their existing knowledge to build new understandings and develop their schemas.

There are nine commonly observed types of schemas in play. The transforming schema is one of these nine along with connecting, orientation, trajectory, rotation, enveloping, enclosing, positioning and transporting schemas.

In education, schemas are recognised as a vital part of children’s cognitive growth and learning. Understanding play schemas is vital for any early childhood educator. If you would like to learn more about play schemas and schematic theory, you should check out this blog post: A Guide to Play Schemas in Early Childhood Education

The  Guide to Play Schemas in Early Childhood Education is a general guide to play schemas in early childhood education and explains in detail what play schemas are. It also explains how you can use play-based learning to effectively support the nine play schemas the children in your class will be exploring.

Schematic play relates to how a child is playing and exploring the learning resources and environment. It isn’t a specific type of play like dramatic play or sensory play. You will observe early childhood schemas of play happening in all areas of your classroom.

For example, you might notice children demonstrating the transforming play schema in your art area. They will be the ones mixing all the paint colours together. You might also notice these children gravitate toward messy play and have a keen interest in making potions or playing at a mud kitchen. These types of activities are all extremely engaging activities for children developing their transforming schema.

While these may seem like different forms of play in very different scenarios, they are in fact examples of the same schema. Once you’ve observed a child displaying a specific play schema, you will very often notice the child repeating that same action schematically using a range of different objects and sometimes even their own bodies.

WHY ARE PLAY SCHEMAS IMPORTANT IN A PLAY-BASED CLASSROOM?

Understanding play schemas and being able to pinpoint the ones your students are developing is critical to the success of your early childhood classroom. When you become aware of the play schemas your students are developing you will:

  • Understand your students and their developmental needs.

  • Better understand how children learn.

  • Be able to tap into your student’s interests.

  • Increase engagement.

  • Know how to encourage your students to be more curious.

  • Deepen the learning and the intensity of your student’s play.

  • Make the right observations to inform your planning.

  • Be able to easily differentiate the learning experiences you offer.

When you understand play schemas and use them to help you observe and document what the children in your class are doing during investigative play time, you will not only gain insights into your children’s passions and interests but you’ll be armed with the information you need to be able to adapt the curriculum and plan for appropriate engaging and purposeful learning experiences.

Understanding play schemas can also help you understand what can sometimes be seen as undesirable classroom behaviour. For example, you might have a child constantly painting their hands instead of the paper you have so thoughtfully provided in your art area. This would be a bit annoying for you and the other children trying to work there. This behaviour might be seen as undesirable but when you understand this behaviour is coming from a child exploring the transforming schema, you can set up a learning invitation to accommodate this schema.

When you understand why certain behaviours are happening, you come to realise children do not simply misbehave. There’s always a reason for desirable and undesirable behaviours and sometimes play schemas can be that reason. 

Being able to recognise and use play schemas is crucial to the success of any play-based classroom.

WHAT IS THE TRANSFORMING SCHEMA?

Children building their transformation schema are interested in change. They will be keen to explore any objects changing in appearance or substance. Children exploring this schema enjoy mixing different materials and substances together to see if they can change an object’s colour, shape, or consistency. Sometimes these children might be interested in lifecycles and how living things transform or change too.

These children are developing an understanding of cause and effect. Sensory play, play dough, and mixing paint or mud kitchen ingredients will be highly engaging activities for these students. Most of the science experiments you do, especially in Chemistry, are going to be perfect for children developing the transformation schema.

What Are Children Using the Transforming Schema Learning?

Children exploring their transforming schema will be examining the properties of materials and how materials change. As they do this they will be:

  • Developing fine motor skills

  • Learning about cause and effect

  • Using their senses to make scientific observations

  • Developing creative and critical thinking skills

  • Building science and math skills like predicting, estimating, problem-solving and measuring. 

What Vocabulary Supports the Transformation Schema?

Change, Transform, Material, Object, Appearance

Mix, Stir, Combine

Size, Position, Shape, Texture, Property

Absorbent, Waterproof, Liquid, Solid, Gas

26 Hands-on Activities to Support a Transforming Schema in the Play-Based Classroom

Because children exploring their transformation schema will be fascinated with mixing and combining materials, there are many opportunities to offer hands-on learning through play invitations to support this schema in a play-based classroom.

In kindergarten and first grade, children should have access to a variety of sensory play experiences and be offered a wide variety of materials that can be changed and transformed.

Educators need to consider how and where these resources are offered too. It is important to understand and follow your health and safety guidelines as well as think about how the learning spaces will be cleaned and re-set when planning and implementing activities for the transformation schema.

Cooking

Cooking is a valuable math activity. Lots of measuring and counting happen when children are given the opportunity to cook at school. Children exploring the transforming schema will love mixing the ingredients and noticing how they transform into something they can eat.

Material World Science Unit

The foundation stage science unit on materials and their properties is going to be of particular interest to children exploring their transformation schema. This science unit is all about observing materials and learning how they can be physically changed in a variety of ways.

In this unit, students will identify familiar objects and the materials they are made from, describe the properties of the materials, and share ideas about how water and wind affect materials in different ways. Any students interested in change and how materials can be transformed will love this unit.

I have designed 10 PowerPoint Science lessons and a corresponding Student Journal for this unit. If you are teaching this ACARA Science unit you might be interested in checking it out. It has everything you need to teach the Australian Curriculum Materials Unit for the Foundation Stage.

materials-unit-kindergarten-cover.jpg

ACARA Material World Science Unit

The lessons and the journal activities in this bundle have been carefully aligned to ACARA and all the content descriptors from the Foundation Chemical Sciences strand are covered. Each page in the student journal corresponds with each of the 10 PowerPoint lessons.

Your students will be able to use the journal to record and represent their knowledge and understandings and it could also be used as evidence of learning and to inform assessment grades too if you want.

Sensory Play

Most transforming activities happen in sensory play. Children learn everything about their world through their senses so it’s no wonder sensory play is so popular in early childhood education.

It can sometimes be a messy play experience, but any children interested in the transformation schema will benefit immensely from sensory play. In fact, sensory play is a common type of learning activity found in nearly all of the nine play schemas.

Here are some of the sensory play activities we have used in our classroom to support the transforming schema:

Green Goop

The children with a transformation schema just love playing with goop. It’s easy to make. Just add a little water to cornflour. Colour the water green with a few drops of food colouring if you want to make green goop.

We always make green goop when we are learning the /g/ sound.

Goop is fascinating to explore because it is continually transforming from runny to hard. It’s so much fun to manipulate and the children attracted to changing materials will especially enjoy this activity.

Cloud Dough

Cloud dough is another favourite with children exploring the transforming schema. To get the full transformation benefit, include the children in the making process.

To make this soft no-cook dough you only need two ingredients – cornflour and hair conditioner. The more conditioner you add, the more dough like your mixture will be. Adding half a cup of conditioner to each cup of cornflour will give you a dough similar in consistency to play dough.

Adding about a quarter of a cup of conditioner to each cup of cornflour will give you a super soft and light powdery mixture that clumps together when squeezed but will fall apart easily too.

To add another transforming aspect to the experience, you can colour the dough by adding a few drops of food colouring to the mixture.

Water Beads

Water Beads start out as small hard beads but slowly transform and expand into large soft balls when you add them to water. They come in a variety of colours and are quite magical to play with.

About 10 grams of beads will make around 1 litre of expanded beads. They are jelly-like and children with the transformation schema will love squashing them all up just as much as they like making them.

For an added sensory experience and to alter their appearance, try adding some glow sticks or battery-operated fairy lights under the beads. Your students will love it.

Playdough

Playdough is another sensory play activity but I think it’s so important, it deserves a dedicated section in this blog post. 😊 I’m a big fan of playdough. You can use any malleable substance like clay or plasticine and still get similar educational benefits. These malleable substances are the ultimate fine motor activities and are always very popular with young learners.

Playdough is such a versatile learning tool, we always have a dedicated playdough table in our classroom. Here are some of the ways we have used play dough to stimulate learning through the transformation schema:

Playdough Prints

To support children with a transforming schema, add loose parts like corks, buttons, stamps, or toy plastic animals to your playdough area. The children will enjoy using items to make marks in the dough transforming its appearance.

To link this activity to number concepts in maths, you might be interested in my Animal Tracks Ten Frames. You can display these with playdough to encourage children to count and record the number of footprints the different animals make. This is a great way to include some skip counting and number pattern learning opportunities.

Ten-frames-with-animal-legs.jpg

Ten Frames with Animal Legs

Properties of Playdough

The grade one Chemical Sciences unit on materials and their properties requires students to explore how everyday materials can be physically changed in a variety of ways according to their properties. This unit is all about physically changing materials so it is a highly engaging unit for children working on their transformation schema.

A playdough table is a great place for students to learn about actions to physically change materials so I created a set of illustrated vocabulary cards for my students to help them better understand all the ways we can physically change playdough. Just click this pic 👇 if you would like this set for your classroom too.

Play Dough or Clay Technique Cards

Play Dough or Clay Technique Cards

Making Playdough – Procedural Texts

Allowing children to make their own playdough is a fantastic opportunity for them to learn more about their transformation schema. If you add a recipe for them to follow, you will be helping them to learn about procedural texts and developing important measuring skills needed for maths learning too.

Loose Parts Play with Playdough

Adding loose parts to playdough will not only give your students numerous opportunities to transform the playdough but it will promote creative thinking, counting, sorting, and pattern making too.

To encourage this type of learning, some of the loose parts you might like to add are candles, popsticks, matchsticks, glass gems, buttons, Mr Potato Head pieces, feathers, or counters.

Loose Parts Play

Don’t limit your loose parts play to just the playdough area. Loose parts can and should be added to all your investigation areas

Children interested in the transformation schema will creatively transform loose parts into familiar everyday objects. Wood slices and counters can become food in the home corner. A block of wood can transform into a phone or a camera.

When you notice the children in your class transforming loose parts into familiar everyday objects, you can be sure these children are exploring the transformation schema.

If you are interested in discovering more about loose parts play, I have quite a few blog posts on this topic. Are you new to loose parts play? This blog post - Loose parts play is a good one you might like to check out.

 If you would like to discover how to set up Inspiring Loose Parts Provocations and learn about other ways you can use them in your play-based learning areas, you might like to check out this blog post - Loose Parts Invitation to Play - How to Set up an Inspiring Loose Parts Invitation to Play

In the free resources library, I also have a list of over 150 different loose parts you can collect and use in your investigation areas. You can grab this list for free HERE.

Mud Kitchens

Mud kitchens are a must if you have children developing a transformation schema. If you are interested in observing children with this schema, head to the mud kitchen!

Our permanent mud kitchen is a bench in the sand pit out in the playground. Mud kitchens promote messy play and so you certainly don’t want one set up in a hard-to-clean area like your carpet space. If you are lucky enough to have a verandah or courtyard as part of your classroom, these would be great places to set up a mud kitchen.

The usual materials offered at a mud kitchen include sand, soil, bark chips, plant cuttings, stones or gravel, and of course water! Add a variety of tools and utensils for the children to mix, stir and pretend to cook with. Old saucepans, cups, bowls, spoons, muffin and pizza trays, whisks, and scissors are some good utensils to start with. Think about your own kitchen. Any utensils you use whenever you are cooking are also going to be great additions to a mud kitchen.

By the way, a mortar and pestle is a great addition to a mud kitchen. The children will love grinding up leaves and bark to transform them into a fine powdery mix. This is a fantastic activity for developing fine motor skills too.

Potions and Kitchen Science

An extension to the mud kitchen concept and an area that you can set up inside your classroom is a potion-making or kitchen science table. These learning experiences can easily be linked to the Science unit on the Properties of Materials.

These two learning experiences are highly engaging and will help your students to really explore how transformation works.

Perfume Making

Perfume making was inspired by an episode of Peppa Pig I happened to watch with my grandkids. You can read all about this engaging learning provocation here: Perfume Provocation. Basically, I provided some scented flowers, herbs, oil, rubbing alcohol, and water for the students to mix and transform into their very own perfume.

I created a little procedural text chart or the students to follow and a recipe sheet so they could record their perfume creations. You can download all the Perfume provocation printables for free HERE in the FREE Resources Library.

Kitchen Science Chemistry Lab

Well, this investigation area is so popular we have to use a booking sheet to ensure every student gets a chance to work there.

It’s quite easy to set up and very, very messy. I quickly discovered it was essential to put some strict cleaning-up rules in place. To set up this investigation area, I provided ingredients from the pantry for students to measure, mix and observe. Each week I added new ingredients to sustain interest and provoke new investigations. When our sound focus was /d/, I added detergent and for /m/, I added milk.

You can see some other photos of the setup and read more about it here on this blog post: Kitchen Science Chemistry Lab

Bicarbonate of soda and vinegar are the star ingredients in this chemistry lab. You’ll hear screams of delight when these two ingredients are added together. Chalk is another good material to offer. It can be turned from a solid chunk into powder with the help of a mortar and pestle or sandpaper. Experiment with adding different amounts of water to transform the chalk dust into putty or chalk paint.

Making Sensory Bottles

Making sensory bottles is another great transformation activity and closely related to kitchen science. Provide water and clear glue, hair gel, or oil for the children to mix and add to a tall clear bottle. You can use food colouring to colour the water and an oil-based colouring like one used to colour chocolate to colour the oil. Adding tiny materials like glitter, small beads or pompoms will create another way to transform the materials.

 These calming bottles can adorn a classroom calm-down area when they have been finished. This way the transforming process continues. Whenever the bottle is shaken, the colours and contents will combine, but then separate again as they settle. Your students will love to shake up the sensory bottles and watch the materials mix and float around.

Mixing Colours

Mixing colours, whether it is done with paint, coloured water, or pieces of cellophane, is of great interest to children exploring their transformation play schema.

A light table will take this exploration to the next level. The light shining through the coloured materials highlights the transformation process. If you are opting for the coloured water mixing, supply pipettes for the students to transfer the water. This will cut down on the amount of water you need to supply and is also good for developing fine motor skills.

Mixing paint is very appealing to children interested in this play schema. Consider offering various types of paint – watercolours, acrylics, and powder paints can all be mixed and will give different results. I like to store our acrylic paints in small sauce bottles. These bottles give the children more control over the amount of paint they use and the squeezing strengthens hand muscles needed for pencil control.

Handprints

Children with a transforming play schema will very often like to paint and draw on themselves. This isn’t usually encouraged at school but at the start of the school year when we are learning All About Me – handprints are a traditional art activity in our classroom.

We start the school year reading a book called The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn. This story is about a raccoon that uses a kissing hand to remind and reassure him of his mother’s love while he settles into school. Children starting school love this relatable story. To extend the kissing hand message, we make handprints on a printable Kissing Hand Poem Worksheet. If you are interested in downloading this worksheet, you can get it HERE in the Free Resources Library.

You can check out all of the activities we do in the first week of school in both kindergarten or prep, and for grade one here at this blog post: Planning For the First Week of School

Hapa Zome Flower Printing

This is a traditional Japanese printing technique. Place some fresh flower petals onto a wooden board or a log slice. Then gently cover the petals with a piece of white cotton fabric. Then you will need a hammer to repeatedly hit the cloth so the dye from the petals transfers into the fabric. You can create some really beautiful prints.

Planting Seeds

Planting seeds is a science activity offered to children when we are learning about plants in the Living Things science unit. The children enjoy the transformation process as they observe the seed growing into a seedling and then into a plant. This is a much slower transformation than others in this blog post but still very engaging for children developing their transforming schema.

We will often plant seeds again later in the year for the Geography unit when we are learning about special places. There’s no place quite so special as a garden. Even the act of weeding, digging, and watering a garden has transformational aspects the children will enjoy observing.

Life Cycles

Another slower-paced transformation activity is the observation of life cycles. Again, this is part of our content in the Living Things science unit. It’s important to choose living things with relatively quick life cycles for young students to observe. Some of the life cycles we have enjoyed are frogs, silkworms, crickets, and mealworms.


Dress-up Clothes in Home Corner

Dressing up is a great way for children to learn about transforming themselves. We don’t have a lot of dress-up clothes out at any one time. We have had more success with offering a small box of items and changing them around regularly.

Don’t just think about clothing for your dress-up options. Include hats, masks, scarves, bags jewellery, and glasses. Providing a mirror for the children to observe their transformations is also beneficial for those interested in the transforming schema.

Literacy, Art, and Mark Making

The transforming play schema can be explored by any type of mark-making.  Mark making is the creation of different patterns, lines, textures, and shapes onto any material or medium. Don’t confine mark-making to just pencils and paper. Children can make marks using a variety of tools and on numerous surfaces.


Fingers, sticks, paintbrushes, and even loose parts are all tools children can use to make marks. They can make marks on traditional paper and card in all types of sizes, textures, and colours, but they can also make marks in clay and playdough, in sensory tray bases, on concrete, on blackboards and whiteboards, in fact, any surface can provide an opportunity to explore mark making.

Butterfly Squish Paintings

Butterfly paintings are a kindergarten favourite and that’s because it has its foundation in the transformation play schema. To make a butterfly with this squish painting technique, fold a piece of paper in half and then drop small blobs of paint over one side of the unfolded paper. To transform these paint blobs into a butterfly, fold the paper back in half and squish the wet paint around inside the folded paper. Then carefully unfold the paper to reveal a beautiful symmetrical pattern. When the paint has dried, you can draw and cut out your butterfly.

We like to do this activity when we are learning the /b/ sound, exploring symmetry in art and maths, or when we are studying butterflies as part of the science Living Things unit.

Rubbings

Rubbings are another magical transformation activity. This activity is great for integrating maths and art with the transforming schema. We make rubbings of coins in maths and rubbings of textured surfaces in art.

A rubbing is an impression of the surface texture of a material. To create a rubbing, you simply place a piece of paper over the surface and rub it with a soft pencil or crayon. The surface texture is magically transferred to the paper.

 

Well I thought The Connection Schema blog post was a long one but this blog post has turned out to be even longer! There are so many possible learning experiences involving the transforming schema. Now you know a little more about it, you will notice it popping up regularly in your classroom.

The transformation schema is a typical kindergarten and first grade play schema. That’s why many of our curriculum lessons and activities already support and use this highly engaging and educational play schema.

If you enjoyed this blog post on The Transforming Schema and found some useful ideas here, please consider sharing it.

The Rotation Schema

The rotation schema is one of the nine play schemas you will observe in young children. When young children explore and interact with the world around them, they naturally engage in play schemas that help them develop essential cognitive, social, and emotional skills.

If you notice your little ones spinning, twirling, and turning objects or themselves, they will no doubt be exploring the rotation play schema. This type of play can be observed in children as young as eight months old and will continue into the early childhood classroom.

This blog post explores the rotation play schema in detail and gives you 46 engaging activities you can use to support this play schema in your classroom.

What Are Play Schemas?

Play schemas are repeated patterns of behaviour that children do when they play. There are nine play schemas commonly observed in young children.

  1. The Connecting Play Schema

  2. Transforming Schema

  3. Orientation Schema

  4. Trajectory Play Schema

  5. Rotation Schema

  6. Enveloping Schema

  7. Enclosing Play Schema

  8. Positioning Schema

  9. Transporting Play Schema

When we talk about schema play, we are referring to observable repeated play patterns evident when a child plays and explores learning resources or their environment. It isn’t a specific type of play like dramatic play or sensory play. You will observe play schemas happening in all areas of your classroom.

For example, you might notice a child exploring the rotation play schema at block play when they experiment with ways the blocks can roll or spin. You might also see this same child mark-making in a circular motion at the writing table.

While these may seem like different forms of play in very different scenarios, overall, the play schema remains the same.

Once you’ve observed a child displaying a specific play schema, you will often notice them repeating that same action schematically using various objects or even their own bodies.

If you want to learn more about the nine play schemas, you might like to check out my Guide to Play Schemas in Early Childhood Education.

This comprehensive blog post is about the nine play schemas and how you can use them to effectively teach the children in your class.

Why Are Play Schemas Important in a Play-Based Classroom?

Jean Piaget introduced the theory of play schemas over 50 years ago. In recent years, other researchers like Chris Athey, Tina Bruce, and Cathy Nutbrown have explored play schemas and their importance in modern early childhood education.

The more recent research around brain development supports the idea that early childhood teachers need to understand play schemas and use their knowledge and observations of play schemas to deliver age-appropriate and purposeful learning experiences.

Play schemas are the building blocks to all future learning, so understanding them and being able to support them is critical to the success of your early childhood classroom. When you know the play schemas your students are developing, you will:

  • Understand your students and their developmental needs.

  • Deepen your understanding of how children learn.

  • Be able to tap into your student’s interests.

  • Increase engagement.

  • Know how to encourage your students to be more curious.

  • Extend the learning and the intensity of your student’s play.

  • Make the right observations to inform your planning.

  • Be able to quickly differentiate the learning experiences you offer.

Being able to recognise and use play schemas is crucial to the success of any play-based classroom.

When you understand play schemas, you can use this knowledge to help you make informed observations. You’ll be able to document what and why the children are demonstrating certain behaviours during investigative playtime.

Understanding play schemas will also help you gain insights into your children’s passions and interests.

You will be armed with the necessary information to adapt the curriculum and plan for appropriate, engaging, and purposeful learning experiences.

Understanding play schemas can also help you understand what can sometimes be seen as undesirable classroom behaviours. For example, you might have a child constantly spinning themselves or objects in the dramatic play area. This behaviour might be seen as undesirable as it would be pretty annoying for you and all the other children trying to play there. When you understand that this behaviour comes from a child exploring the rotation schema, you can set up a learning invitation to accommodate this schema and turn the undesirable behaviour into a desirable one.

When you understand why certain behaviours happen, you realise children do not simply misbehave. There’s always a reason for desirable and undesirable behaviours; sometimes, play schemas can be that reason.

What is The Rotation Schema?

The rotation play schema is closely related to the trajectory schema. Both of these play schemas are about how things move.

Children will often be interested in multiple play schemas at any one time. This combination is often referred to as a schema cluster or the co-ordination of a set of schemas. It is common for early childhood students to be interested in the trajectory and rotation schemas simultaneously.

While young children can sometimes be observed paying attention to a particular schema, older children’s learning involves co-ordination of schemas. Co-ordination and connection mark significant progression in learning at all stages where combinations and co-ordinations of schemas develop into higher-order concepts. Cathy Nutbrown

The trajectory schema concerns direction, force and motion, and cause and effect. Children exploring the trajectory schema are attracted to observing and creating movement and being moved and moving their own bodies. They are fascinated by how things move horizontally, vertically, or diagonally, and they like to investigate what happens when objects are thrown or pushed.

The rotation schema is focused on movement too, but it is more about children exploring how objects or their bodies turn, spin, or rotate. Children interested in the rotation schema will also love to explore circles and curved lines.

Often children exploring the rotation schema will be those rotating objects or themselves. You might see them

  • playing at the taps turning them on and off.

  • rolling themselves around on the floor.

  • interested in things that spin, twist, or turn.

  • spinning around in circles to make themselves dizzy.

  • winding and unwinding string.

  • chasing hoops around the playground.

  • twisting up the swings, so they spin around.

The rotational play schema is at the core of these popular childhood behaviours.

Young children developing this play schema often ask questions about the function of turning and twisting tools and machines. They will be interested in how geared objects work and will benefit from tinkering learning invitations where they can pull apart and re-assemble simple machines.

The rotation schema is a play schema commonly observed in the early years classroom. It can be supported through so many different play-based learning invitations.

Read on to discover some tried and tested rotation schema activities you can use to support children interested in rotation.

What are Children Learning?

When children explore the rotation play schema, they are learning about how objects and themselves move and developing an understanding of cause-and-effect relationships.

These inquisitive learners will notice how force and motion affects objects and even how objects look different and feel different in their hands when they are spinning or being rotated.

Children developing the rotation schema are also developing their fine and gross motor skills. They fine-tune their visual tracking skills and grow in their body awareness too. These children will also be working on scientific skills like observing and predicting.

As children mature and develop their rotation schema further, you might notice them beginning to explore their spatial awareness and extending their positional language.

They become interested in shapes like circles and ovals. They use their understandings of curved lines to explore open and closed shapes, position and location, and paths.

These children will also start to record their thinking through mark-making and drawing. You will notice them making rotational marks in the form of circles, ovals, and round scribbles.

As their understandings mature, children will begin to understand the infinity inherent in circles. They will start to build concepts needed to understand everything from rotational symmetry in mathematics to rotating magnetic fields in high school physics.

Their developing understandings of the rotation play schema will assist them in performing dance moves at the school disco and playing circle games like pass the parcel at a birthday party.

What Vocabulary Supports the Rotation Schema?

Fly, spin, twirl, twist

Round, circle, oval, curved, spiral

Faster, dizzy

46 Rotation Schema Activities for a Play-Based Classroom

3 Block Play Activities for the Rotation Schema

  1. Add toy vehicles with wheels to your block play area. Think about toy cars, trucks, and trains. You will be able to recognise the children interested in the rotation play schema because they are the ones…  

  • lying down at the level of the wheels so they can see them turning.

  • experimenting with rolling the vehicles over different surfaces.

  • making ramps for the vehicles to roll down.

  • spinning the wheels with their hands, just to watch them spin!

2. Add ramps to encourage children to investigate rolling objects. Ramps can be made from wooden planks, sturdy cardboard, plastic guttering, large cardboard tubes, or pool noodles cut in half lengthwise.

3. Add round and rolling loose parts. Things like small balls, 3D wooden shapes like cylinders & spheres, cotton reels, corks, marbles, and cardboard tubes.

3 Rotation Schema Ideas for Dramatic Play

  1. Add bandages to a doctor or vets dramatic play setup. Children with a rotating play schema love wrapping things around objects, so they will enjoy putting bandages on toy animals and dolls. You can see how to make some easy play bandages here: DIY Play Bandages.

2. Add bangles and bracelets to your dress-ups.

3. Add rolling props like prams and strollers to a home corner dramatic play area or small shopping carts to a little grocery store.

5 Ideas for Supporting the Rotation Schema at the Tinkering Table

  1. Construction toy sets like mobilo, constructa-straws, gear sets, or duplo contain rotating parts children exploring their rotation schema will enjoy investigating and building with.

  2. Keep the rotating schema in mind when choosing items for children to dismantle at your tinkering table. A lot of electrical items have rotating parts that children will enjoy investigating. We have found sewing machines, microwaves, record players, CD, and DVD players are good options.

  3. Add an old pushbike or scooter to your tinkering area. The children developing their rotation play schema can explore the big wheels, cogs, and chains.

4. One of our most popular tinkering activities is this locks and keys setup. The children love the challenge of finding which key unlocks each lock. It’s a great fine motor activity too.

5. Include tools that require twisting and turning. Children with the rotating schema will love to work with spanners, screwdrivers, and hand drills.

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Tinkering Investigation Area Display Pack

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If you want to set up an amazing Tinkering area in your classroom, you will want to check out my Tinkering Display Pack.

This Tinkering Display Pack includes:

  • a large Tinkering banner sign

  • information poster for parents and educators

  • 28 vocab cards illustrated with real life images

  • safety glasses signs

  • under construction signs

  • Tinkering word clouds

  • 2 illustrated Tinkering quotes

  • 12 Tinkering prompt cards

Tinkering is a valuable learning experience for children. It isn’t just for children exploring the rotation play schema. Tinkering has benefits for ALL the children in your class. Children learn through doing and tinkering develops fine motor skills, teaches problem solving skills and encourages peer relationships. 

Give your children the hands-on experience of tinkering so they can explore and invent as they manipulate authentic tools. Watch them develop a trial-and-error-based process where persistence and resourcefulness are rewarded and critical and creative thinking skills are nurtured.

These printables will help your children engage in open-ended experiences that allow them to question, design, collaborate, and construct knowledge as they go. Tinkering promotes deep engagement in scientific and engineering practices. It gives the learner an opportunity to take part in multiple cycles of design and discovery.

Can you tell how much I love Tinkering? It really is a valuable classroom learning area. Grab these printables HERE if you want to set up a Tinkering space where your students will be equipped with lifelong skills that can be used in all areas of learning.

13 Rotation Schema Activities for the Makerspace and Art Area

  1. The children with a rotation play schema will naturally make spiral or circle patterns in the art area. Just supply a variety of mark-making tools for them to experiment with. Some of our favourites are crayons, chalk, markers, or paint.

2. Adding a salad spinner to the art area will delight any child developing their rotating play schema. Place the salad spinner on a large sheet of paper and drop in some dobs of paint. Then start spinning. Your children will be fascinated with the spattering and spinning paint effects. Don’t limit this rotation tool to just the art area either. You can add salad spinners to a mud kitchen, the dramatic play space, and even to the blocks area. Children exploring the rotation schema will love investigating salad spinners!

3. Painting with rolling objects like marbles or cars is always a favourite for children developing their rotation play schema. Put some small rolling objects (marbles, ping pong balls, or toy cars) in a tray lined with paper. Add some paint so the children can explore making marks with the rolling objects.

4. Add paint rollers and paint if you want to encourage children to explore the rotation schema in your makerspace or art area. Paint rollers come in all different sizes and textures. They are the perfect rotating tool for this learning area.

5. You can easily make textured rolling pins to add to your painting area. Just wrap a rolling pin in bubble wrap or corrugated cardboard so your children can create paint patterns by rolling it through blobs of paint. Textured rolling pins are also a great addition to your playdough table.

6. Set up a learning invitation for children to make paper helicopters. Paperclip helicopters are always a favourite in our classroom.

7. Another popular learning invitation we often set up when learning about force and motion for the Movement Science Unit is a floating pop stick boat. This simple boat has a rotating paddle. Check out this YouTube clip for some inspiration.

 8. Make an engaging learning invitation by inviting children to make simple paper windmills or pinwheels. If you add a bead to hold the pinwheel off the straw, the pinwheel will spin freely. Put the bead on the pushpin between the wood skewer and the paper.

9. Providing cardboard circles, bottlecaps, old CDs, round lids, and split pins for the children to use in your makerspace will have them constructing all manner of rolling toys.

10. This is a fun activity for children exploring the rotation play schema. Tape markers to the backs of toy cars. Your students will have so much fun making marks as they drive them around on large sheets of paper.

11. Children developing the rotation play schema love wrapping objects in string. Invite your students to make some magic wands from sticks collected in the playground. Supply wool, yarn, ribbons, string, or pipe cleaners for the children to wrap around and around and around the sticks. They will love it, and it’s a great fine motor activity too. 

12. Here’s another wrapping activity for the rotation play schema. Make worry dolls by winding yarn around sticks or wooden pegs. Worry dolls are a Guatemalan tradition. Children tell their worries to their dolls and place them under their pillows when they go to bed that night. The tradition has the worry doll taking the child’s worries away while they sleep.

13. Invite children to explore the rotation schema to make their own pompoms. You will be surprised at how engaging this activity is. Your students will develop their fine motor skills and explore their rotation play schema as they wind the wool around a cardboard pompom template. The pompoms can be added to the collage trolley or adorn pencil cases and school bags.

Classroom Makerspace Display Pack

Classroom Makerspace Display Pack

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Whether you call it a Makerspace, Collage Area, Box Construction or even the Creation Station, this pack has EVERYTHING you need to set up a hands-on, play based learning center in your classroom where children can combine boxes and other collage materials together into creative projects.

There are many beneficial learning outcomes for children in the early years education setting if you give them the opportunity to use cardboard boxes and classroom collage supplies to build and create with. The Makerspace is not just for children with the rotation play schema. Every child needs this creative opportunity so they can…

  • Enhance their Creative Thinking Skills

  • Learn Social Skills

  • Build Problem-solving Skills and Resilience

  • Strengthen their Self-esteem

  • Develop Gross and Fine Motor Skills

  • Reinforce Sustainability Practices

  • Consolidate Literacy and Numeracy Skills

 THIS MAKERSPACE PACK CONTAINS:

  • Makerspace Banner Sign

  • Comprehensive list of materials for your Makerspace

  • EDITABLE Letter to send home asking for boxes and other useful recyclables

  • Large Box construction sign

  • Planning worksheet

  • 68 illustrated Makerspace vocabulary cards illustrated with photo images—tile print these cards to make a Word Wall and turn them into resource labels to keep your area tidy and organised.

  • 4 EDITABLE Makerspace vocabulary cards

  • Large Work in Progress Label

  • 2 Small Work in Progress signs

  • Information Poster for parents and educators

  • 8 inspirational Poster quotes

  • 16 Makerspace prompt cards

Check out ALL the Makerspace printables HERE

5 Sensory Play Ideas for the Rotation Schema

  1. To make frothy, bubbly water, use hand mixers and rotary whisks with detergent or bubble bath mixed with water. Add a few drops of food colouring and essential oils to enhance the sensory aspect. Children exploring the rotation schema love mixing and stirring. The old egg-beater style whisks are great for children with a rotating play schema so if you ever see one at the shops, make sure to grab one!

2. Mixing and stirring with spoons, whisks, and other kitchen utensils can also be an activity for water play, the sand pit, or the mud kitchen. Children with a rotation play schema will learn a lot by investigating different sized bowls and various stirring utensils.

3. Those spinning water and sand wheels will captivate the interest of children with a rotation play schema too. These spinning toys can be added to water or sand trays for young children to explore and learn about cause and effect.

4. Adding rolling pins and pizza cutters to your playdough table is another idea you might like if you want to support those students with a rotation play schema.

5. Add stamping or cutting circle shapes to kinetic sand, clay, or playdough. It’s surprising how many circular items you will find already in your classroom. Think about paper towel rolls, circular lids of all sizes, tree branch cookies, cups, corks, and straws.

4 Activities Using the Rotation Schema to Teach Science

  1. It is common for young children to be interested in how things move. The rotation play schema can be observed in most early years classrooms, and that’s why the physical science units on movement or force and motion are so incredibly engaging. Add wind-up toys, spinning tops, rotating and spinning tools and utensils, and things like music boxes and pulleys to a science inquiry table in your play-based classroom. These items will make excellent additions to a science table where the focus is on machines and toys that move. Items with rotating parts are fascinating to children exploring the rotation schema.

Movement BUNDLE .jpg

ACARA Foundation Stage Science MOVEMENT Lessons and Journal BUNDLE

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Grab this HOW THINGS MOVE UNIT BUNDLE and have everything you need to teach the ACARA Movement Unit for the Foundation Stage Physical Sciences Curriculum. 

There are 10 highly engaging lessons and a matching student journal with all the lessons and activities carefully aligned to the ACARA—Foundation Stage Physical Sciences strand. ALL the content descriptors are covered.

Rest easy knowing you can confidently teach the science unit and keep your students highly engaged as they learn all about HOW THINGS MOVE. Click HERE if you want a closer look.

2. The Science Weather Unit also has opportunities to harness the students’ interests in movement and rotating objects by investigating spinning and turning weather ornaments like windmills and wind socks. Encourage your children to make some for outside your classroom or to decorate your playground. Children exploring the rotation play schema will not only enjoy making them but will also learn a lot by observing and interacting with them.

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ACARA Foundation Stage Science WEATHER Lessons and Journal BUNDLE

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This WEATHER BUNDLE includes 10 PowerPoint lessons with quality real life photos and interactive aspects perfect for large screen display and interactive panels.

There’s also a corresponding student Journal so you will have everything you need to teach the ACARA Weather Unit for the Foundation Stage Earth and Space Sciences strand.

All the content descriptors from the Foundation strand are covered and listed at the bottom of each journal page. Take the worry out of teaching Science with these high quality lessons and activities. Click HERE if you want a closer look at this educational unit.

3. Adding circular and spiral objects from nature will interest children with the rotation play schema. Consider adding objects like spiral shells, snails, wood cookies, bamboo pieces, helicopter leaves (winged leaves like those on the Rosewood tree), pinecones, acorns, and round pebbles to your classroom nature table.

4. Children with the rotation schema are also fascinated with kaleidoscopes, so if you can get your hands on any, they are well worth grabbing. Add them to your Science interest table to visually delight any children with the rotating play schema.

2 Rotation Schema Ideas to Teach Literacy

  1. Circular mark-making is often observed in children ready to start formal writing. Pre-writers need many experiences exploring the rotation play schema to understand the directionality necessary to form the letters of the alphabet. Beginning writers will make squiggles and circular marks and lots and lots of dots as they explore. Make sure to provide various writing tools and different writing surfaces to encourage children to explore the rotation schema through mark-making.

  2. There are many circle literacy games children with the rotation play schema will enjoy. One of our favourites is Pass the Sound. This phonics game is a bit like Pass the Parcel, but you pass around a letter instead of the parcel. Play music as you pass a letter card or magnetic letter around the circle. When the music stops, whoever is holding the letter has to say a word starting with that sound.

4 Ideas for Using the Rotation Schema to Teach Maths

  1. Measurement tools like clocks and scales with hands and winders will be of interest to children with a rotating play schema. Including these math resources in a few investigation areas will encourage children to explore them further and can lead to some productive math discussions.

2. Add some loose parts to printed or drawn loose parts mats to encourage counting, sorting, and pattern making. Ensure the mats include spirals, circles, and ovals if you want to support children with the rotation play schema.

3. An abacus and bead strings are other math resources that interest children exploring the rotating schema. They will love spinning and rotating the beads as they count.

4. I like to add 3D wooden shapes like cylinders and spheres to the block play area. Children with the rotation schema enjoy experimenting with rolling and spinning them down ramps. Make sure to include all different types of 3D shapes (cubes and prisms too), so your students begin to understand the properties a shape needs to roll or slide. 3D shapes can be included in other investigation areas. You will be surprised at how your students explore them if you offer them in other learning areas.

  • Add a basket of 3D shapes to your library area with a book on shapes.

  • Encourage children to stamp with them at the playdough table.

  • Children will enjoy tracing around the faces of 3D shapes at the writing table.

  • Use them as storytelling props in a small-world setup.

The Rotation Schema and 7 Outdoor Play Activities

  1. Attach ribbons or streamers to sticks (we use rulers) to make twirling sticks. Children with the rotation play schema will enjoy making big circles in the air and watching them twirl around in the wind.

2. Add a game of quoits to your outdoor play space. Children with the rotating play schema will probably enjoy rolling the quoits along the ground more than playing the game the correct way though.

3. Ensure you offer large hoops, tyres, balls, and cable reels for children with the rotating schema to roll around the playground.

4. Hang spinning objects from the trees in your playground. Children exploring the rotating schema find it just as fascinating to watch spinning objects as it is to make them spin.

5. You can pinpoint the children with a rotational play schema in the playground. They are often the ones twisting the swing to spin around instead of swinging in the traditional back-and-forth motion. Adding different types of swings will delight these children. See if you can suspend an old tyre from a sturdy branch for swinging and spinning on.

6. Slippery slides can be used as large ramps to roll balls down for children exploring the rotation play schema.

7. Circle games involving running and moving around in a circle are great activities to support the rotational play schema. Some of our favourites are Duck-Duck-Goose, Ring-a-ring-a-roses, and Here We Go Round The Mulberry Bush.  

Resources to Support the Rotation Schema

Loose Parts: corks, beads, bamboo pieces, wood cookies, marbles, bangles, hoops, wheels, tubes, nuts & bolts, washers, spools, circular blocks, bobbins, baubles, hair rollers, circular containers with lids.

Natural Loose Parts: wood cookies, bamboo pieces, helicopter leaves (winged leaves like those on the Rosewood tree), pinecones, acorns, round pebbles,

Large Loose Parts: cable reels, wheels, tyres, tree stumps, hose reels, wooden planks & guttering to make ramps, barrels, tunnels, hoops, swings, and pendulums.

Toys: Balls in all different shapes, textures, weights, and sizes, spinning tops, toys with wheels, wind ornaments, wind-up toys, frisbees, yo-yos.

Other Resources: paint rollers, rolling pins, rolling cutters – like pizza cutters, round paper plates, whisks, spoons & bowls, lazy susans, pottery wheels, spirographs.

Tinkering Resources: clocks, fans, record players, CD and DVD players, bikes, Turning tools like screwdrivers, spanners, drills, locks, and keys.

Children exploring the rotation schema don’t just need hands-on activities. Try adding spinning objects like disco balls or mobiles to a learning space. Children interested in the rotation play schema will be visually attracted to the space and will be fascinated by how the object moves and the changing light reflections.

Purposeful teacher observations are the key to supporting the rotation play schema in your classroom. When you observe all the different types of rotational play experiences in your classroom, you will be able to support and extend the students and their learning. For example, if you notice children consistently mixing loose parts in a bowl at dramatic play, they will also enjoy mixing paint in the art area or sand and water in a mud kitchen. Add different types of utensils like whisks and beaters to these areas too.

The rotation play schema begins in babies when they first notice a dropped object rolling away and continues to fascinate them and develop throughout childhood. This engaging play schema will definitely be evident in your early childhood classroom.

So now you know how to identify and support the rotation play schema, you can effectively plan and deliver lessons and activities that developmentally support your students in an age-appropriate way.