Schemas Learning through play Information for parents Schemas

Schemas: Learning through play Information for parents

Schemas: learning through play • Have you ever watched your child at play and wondered why they are continually repeating certain actions? What is a schema? Schemas are described as patterns of repeated behavior which allow children to explore and express developing ideas and thoughts through their play and exploration. The repetitive actions of schematic play allow children to construct meaning in what they are doing. This behavior helps children to develop and deepen their understanding of concepts. Why are they so important? Schemas link directly into the development of the brain. With repeated behaviour, children make important connections in their brain. This helps them to modify or make changes to their actions. Schemas help us to organize and process our thoughts and feelings. As we get older our schemas do not go away, they just get more sophisticated.

Types of Schema • There are many types of schemas that children often display. Some will have a predominant schema such as showing an interest in things that move up and down and round-about. • Others will show more than one at a time. For example, they may hide objects or themselves, wrap things up, and enjoy connecting and disconnecting toys.

Trajectory Schema Does your child like to: • Climb and jump in puddles and enjoy exploring running water? • Jump up and down on furniture? • Run and whiz down the slide? • Throwing and emptying things out on the floor? Ideas for playing and learning alongside your child. What are they learning? They are learning about speed, distance, hight and how things move. On a windy day play with scarves and ribbons. Chase and catch bubbles. Run, jump, climb and ride bikes in large outdoor spaces. Play on swings and trees.

Transporting Schema Does your child like to: • Move resources around, from one place to another? • Carry many items at a time using their hands, pockets, containers, baskets? What are they learning? They are learning about progressive changes in quantity, adding, taking away and sharing. Ideas for playing and learning alongside your child. While in the garden or out and about in your community, gather twigs, fir cones, sticks and leaves. Children will enjoy exploring, sorting and transporting using buckets, boxes, bags, baskets and wheeled toys such as prams or trolleys. Find out how different things are transported, by air, road, rail and sea.

Enclosing Schema Does your child like to: • Construct fences and barricades to enclose toy animals or themselves. • Fill and empty containers? • Build barricades with blocks using cushions or blocks? What are they learning? They are finding out about size, measurement, shape and volume of spaces. Ideas for playing and learning alongside your child. Make dens with blankets. Outside you can use fallen branches, leaves, logs and sticks. Play hide and seek. Play with tents, tunnels and cardboard boxes.

Rotational Schema Does your child like to: • Turn taps on and off, winding and unwinding string? • Spin around on the spot, or rolling themselves down a hill? • Ride bikes in circle? • Take wheels off their cars and replace them? What are they learning? Through their exploration children develop an understanding of how they and objects turn. Ideas for playing and learning alongside your child. Explore toys with wheels. Cooking activities involving stirring and whisking. Use different sized balls for throwing, catching and kicking. Construct objects using round parts.

Enveloping Schema Does your child like to: • Post things in envelopes, shoes and pockets? Ideas for playing and learning alongside your child. • Cover things with cushions and blankets? • Put buckets over their heads? What are they learning? They are exploring the idea of covering spaces, objects and themselves. Use everyday objects such as pegs, curtain rings, keys and fir cones to wrap, hide and fill containers and bags with. Dress up with scarves, hats and bits of material Wrap presents. Wrap soft toys with blankets.

Connecting and Disconnecting Schema Does your child like to: • Play with string and wrap it around furniture? • Make necklaces and watches, threading? • Join things together and then take them apart? What are they learning? They are learning how to fasten things together using different materials. Ideas for playing and learning alongside your child. Make jewellery by threading pasta onto string. Create models using junk materials. Peg up cards, photographs or washing. Cutting, gluing and sticking activities.

Orientation Schema Does your child like to: Ideas for playing and learning alongside your child. • Turn objects and themselves around and upside down, to get a view from under the table or from the branch of a tree? • Look at the world backwards through their legs? • Rock on the chair? What are they learning? They are learning about balance, height, width and how things look from different angles. Visits to local parks to use climbing frames and explore trees. I spy games and mini beast hunts in the garden or park using binoculars bought or homemade out of cardboard tubes.

Core and Radial Schema Does your child like to: • Draw animals with horns, tails or trunks? • Put sticks into clay, playdough or sand? • Play with umbrellas? What are they learning? They are learning how to combine enclosed shapes and lines in their drawings. Ideas for playing and learning alongside your child. Explore things that have lines radiating out from a core. Draw, paint, make props and animal masks.

Positioning Schema Does your child like to: • Line up their toys? • Sort and group objects into colour, size and type? What are they learning? They are learning about sequencing, classification, shape, symmetry and one-to-one correspondence. Ideas for playing and learning alongside your child. Organise objects by shape, colour, size and type. Match objects to numbers. Create sets of different items.

References The content of this resource was adapted from the work of Dr Stella Louis who is a freelance early years consultant, trainer and author. We hope you have enjoyed finding out a bit more about Schemas.