A touch of validation to get you started:
Parenting is by far the hardest job you will ever have, and yes, I know your parents, and likely your grandparents, used to say that too, but once you become one, you realise how many complexities there actually are. (It is a lot!)
Amongst the endless nappy changes, playroom clean-ups, making bottles, offering countless meals to be faced with rejection, mopping up spills, and adapting to forever changing sleep routines, one crucial aspect of child development that often slips through the cracks are Play Schemas. Play Schemas are often mistaken for difficult or obsessive behaviours, and in my opinion, they are not spoken about nearly as often as they should be.
What exactly are Play Schemas?
Play Schemas, if you haven't heard of them, are best explained as recurring patterns of play behaviour observed in children, reflecting their innate drive for exploration and learning.
The concept of play schemas was developed by educational psychologists, primarily influenced by the works of Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky, to understand and interpret children's recurring play patterns.
Play Schemas, such as transporting, connecting, and enveloping, provide insights into a child's developmental stage and interests, guiding parents and educators in tailoring activities to support holistic growth and engagement.
The good news is that you DO NOT have to study these and try to get a quick degree in Early Childhood Education. The power lies in simply knowing they exist so that when your child displays a pattern, you can check in with old Google and see what kinds of activities will support the schema, or even better, save this blog and use it as needed.
Play Schemas unpacked and FREE activities to support them.
What is the Transporting Schema?
Children are entertained by the action of moving objects from one place to another and often engage in activities such as carrying, dragging, or pushing toys or other items around, exploring the concept of spatial movement and displacement. This can feel like our children are making "a mess" of our organised spaces or rearranging things without a clear purpose.
Some activities to support this play schema:
1. Water Play- Fill containers with water and provide scoops, cups, and funnels.
2. Car Painting- Combine art and transport by painting with toy cars, letting your child create masterpieces as they move the cars around on paper.
3. Nature Treasure Hunt- Collect leaves, rocks, or sticks in a basket, encouraging your child to transport their treasures from the yard to a designated spot.
4. Transporting play with tubes and pipes- Offer children pipes and tubes so that they can explore the way in which items can be moved from one spot to another.
5. Egg and Spoon races- Develop balance skills by setting up a balance beam or stepping stones and challenging your child to transport items while maintaining balance.
What is the Connection Schema?
Children exploring the connection schema seek to link objects or create relationships. This play pattern reflects their interest in establishing relationships and understanding how things are interconnected. It can feel challenging when children connect mismatched items or disconnect items that are not toys.
Some activities to support this play schema:
1. Pipe Cleaner Creations- Provide colourful pipe cleaners for bending and connecting, allowing your child to create imaginative shapes and structures.
2. Building Lego towers- Offer a range of blocks and pattern cards for children to practice connection and disconnection.
3. Stringing Beads- Offer beads and strings for a creative session of stringing and connecting, enhancing fine motor skills.
4. Making a huge train track- Train tracks support the connection schema as children explore the different directions of the track they are making.
5. Stickers- Support your child in removing and sticking their choice of stickers.
What is the Transforming Schema?
Children exploring the transforming schema enjoy changing the form or appearance of objects, which may challenge adults as children persistently alter the form or appearance of objects.
Some activities to support this play schema:
1. Playdough - Provide various shapes and tools for moulding and transforming playdough into different forms.
2. Mud Kitchen- A mud kitchen offers children the opportunity to create, mix and change natural elements to make unique concoctions.
3. Mask Making- Engage in craft time by creating masks with paper, feathers, and markers, allowing your child to transform into different characters.
4. Shadow Play- Experiment with light and shadows, using hands and objects to create transformative shapes on a wall.
5. Dress-Ups- Encourage imaginative play with a dress-up session, where your child can transform into various characters using different clothing items.
What is the Trajectory Schema?
Children exhibiting the trajectory schema can usually be seen repeatedly engaging in activities such as throwing, tossing, or directing objects along different courses; this may challenge adults when children throw food or delicate objects.
Some activities to support this play schema:
1. Paper Planes- Fold paper planes and explore different launching techniques, observing the varying trajectories.
2. Balls- Create games involving tossing balls into baskets or through hoops, allowing your child to explore different throwing trajectories.
3. Balloon play- Blow up a balloon and encourage children to keep it up off the ground.
4. Bubble Play- Blow bubbles and observe their movement through the air, captivating your child's interest in the trajectory of these floating wonders.
5. Planks and cars- Set up a ramp or use a slide to move cars from one place to another.
What is the Rotation Schema?
For children fascinated with the joy of rotation, frequently spinning objects and themselves. Children exhibiting the rotation schema often engage in activities where they enjoy the motion of objects rotating around a central axis.
Some activities to support this play schema:
1. Dance Party-Put on some music and encourage your child to twirl and dance, exploring the sensation of rotation.
2. Spinning tops or fidgets- Provide spinning tops for your child to experiment with, observing the mesmerising rotation.
3. Hula hoops- Move outside into an open space and make movements that reflect rotation with our bodies.
4. Golf ball painting- Gather a cardboard box or tray, line it with paper, add a couple of golf balls and encourage children to roll them around in some paint and make patterns
5. Simon Says- Engage in a game of Simon Says and practise twisting whilst fostering a playful exploration of rotational movements.
What is the Enveloping Schema?
Children fascinated by the enveloping schema are drawn to wrapping and covering objects. They may like things to "disappear" and hide objects in places you would least expect.
Some activities to support this play schema:
1. Blanket Cubbies- Build forts using blankets and cushions, providing a perfect space for your children to envelop themselves in imaginative play.
2. Posting games- This can be as simple as a cardboard box with a hole cut out that children can post.
3. Wrapping boxes- Practise the art of wrapping (especially at Christmas time) using old boxes and homemade wrapping paper/
4. Doll Swaddling- Engage in pretend play by swaddling and caring for toys and dolls.
5. Ice eggs- Hide objects of interest in containers and freeze them; encourage children to explore and work out how to get the subject out of the ice.
What is the Enclosure Schema?
Children engrossed in the enclosure schema find joy in creating enclosed spaces. Similar to the enveloping schema, however, children can see the items that have been enclosed.
Some activities to support this play schema:
1. Build a zoo- Use building blocks to create walls or enclosures for small toys, prompting imaginative play within confined spaces.
2. Cave Building- Arrange cushions and blankets to form a cave, inviting your child to explore the enclosed space.
3. Nature Hideout- Utilize natural elements like tree branches to create a small outdoor hideout, allowing your child to experience the delight of an enclosed space in nature.
4. Box Creations-Transform large cardboard boxes into playhouses or spaceships, encouraging your child to enjoy the enclosed environment.
5. String Maze- Attach strings to furniture, creating a simple maze for your child to navigate and experience the concept of enclosure.
What is the Positioning Schema?
For children intrigued by the positioning schema, arranging objects in specific ways, such as lining up cars or animals on window sills, is a source of entertainment.
Some activities to support this play schema:
1. Yoga- Explore yoga poses together, introducing different body positions and fostering a sense of body awareness.
2. Cloud watching- Encourage children to lie on the grass and look at the sky. Ask provoking questions as they notice clouds, how they move, size, patterns and shapes.
3. Puzzles- Engage in puzzle play, encouraging your child to position puzzle pieces to create a complete picture.
4. Building Provocations- Offer photos of structures such as the Eiffel Tower or Sydney Harbour Bridge and encourage your child to stack them in various ways, exploring different positions and structures.
5. Nature Mandala- Collect natural items like leaves, rocks, and flowers to create a mandala, promoting artistic expression by positioning elements.
A final Disclaimer
Children circle back to familiar schemas as they explore the world, reshaping our understanding of their developmental progression.
Unfortunately, as my toddler has shown me in the last week is that these patterns are not always predictable, and young children will not gracefully move in and out of these schemas. (AKA- throwing things across the dinner table resurfaces even when they haven't done this for months) This adds just another element to the unpredictability of the parenting journey. This ebb and flow is entirely normal and reflects the dynamic nature of their wonderful developmental journey.
Recognising these play schemas becomes a key to fostering a supportive environment, allowing us to adapt our responses and engage in enriching activities that align with their evolving interests.
Embracing this fluidity allows you to adapt your approach, offering varied activities that cater to their evolving interests and needs. Remember, the beauty of play schemas lies in their versatility and the insight they provide into your child's ever-changing world.
So what can you do?
Try to work with play schemas and remind yourself of them when you feel triggered by certain repetitive behaviour. Embracing these natural patterns of play behaviour not only provides a deeper understanding of your child but also opens the door to endless opportunities for enriching activities that foster development and strengthen your parent-child connection. So, take a breath, try not to fight it, dive in, research and move through the schema with the child, and you may just survive. (You will survive) :)
I wonder what Play Schema your child is moving through? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.
Jem XX
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