SCHEMAS

A schema is pattern of repeated behaviour that can be observed in young children’s play.

I use schemas as part of my planning.  By identifying and focusing on children’s learning patterns I am able to plan activities
and provide resources that build on their interests and take their learning forward.   

Again! Again! by Sally Featherstone is one of my favourite books and has been used to create this guide of the most
frequently observed schemas, together with ways parents and myself can support children’s schemas.  

Further information can be found online
Orientation
A child with an orientation schema is
interested in seeing things from
different angles.  
This child may:
Hang themselves upside down and
may turn their toys and objects
upside down as they look at them.
Play ideas:
Kaleidoscopes;
mirror play;
magnifying lenses;
binoculars; plenty
of opportunities to
roll, tumble, climb,
twist and spin.
Positioning
A child who is interested in placing
objects in lines, patterns or rows.
This child may:
Line up toys, books or other objects and
position them either on top, under,
around the edge of, behind or next to
each other.  
Play ideas:
Providing objects to sort; making mosaics or pictures with
shapes; using peg boards to create patterns; stacking
blocks; using positional words e.g. inside, between, next
to..
Connecting and disconnecting
A child with a connection schema is
interested in joining things together
and taking them apart.
This child may: enjoy tying
things up or joining things
together; gluing; sewing;
beading
Trajectory
A child that has a trajectory schema
is exploring movement and concepts
of height and distance and is
interested in how objects and people
move.
This child may:
throw or drop objects, climb up and
down repeatedly
Rotation and circularity
A child who has a rotation
schema is interested in things
that rotate and turn.
Transporting
A child with a transporting
schema is interested in
moving themselves around
and transporting objects
from one place to
another, using bags,
bikes, trucks etc.
Play ideas:
Pipes and funnels to explore
how water moves; pulleys and
pendulums; spray bottles;
skittles and ball games;
feathers, scarves and fabric to
drop; water hose
This child may: Draw
circle patterns and spin
them around.  Like to
spin the propellers of
toy aeroplanes, or the
wheels of toy cars and
pushchairs.
Play ideas:
Spinning tops; toys with
wheels/cogs; making spirals in
paint; hoops; streamers to
swirl; mixing and stirring; salad
spinner painting; turning keys in
locks
This child may:
Put objects in containers and move them from one place
to another
Move items with wheelbarrows, diggers or pulleys
Repeatedly go back and forth collecting items
Enveloping
A child with an
envelopment schema is
interested in enveloping
oneself, objects or space.
This child may:
Enjoy making dens; making fences, walls and enclosures for
miniature animals and play people; making burrows in sand;
making caves from play dough
Play ideas:
Play shops with shopping baskets and trolley; wheel
barrows; buckets and jugs for transporting water;
dumper trucks; watering  plants
Enclosing
A child who is interested in
creating enclosed spaces in
which they may or may not
put objects and themselves
into
Play ideas:
Pop up tents and tunnels; large cardboard boxes; den making
sheets; pots and pans to fill with sand or water
This child may:
Like to cover their
hands with paint;
wrap themselves or
objects up; put things
in bags or purses;
cover over paintings
with a single colour
Play ideas:
Large rollers to create layers of
paint; make papier mache;
treasure bottles; nesting boxes
& Russian dolls; stuff old socks
to make snakes; make a feely
box
Weaving through netting;
making a washing line;
water play with funnels,
tubes and guttering; junk
modelling; building train
sets; paper chains; Duplo;
domino rally; connecting
paper clips; magnets