What exactly is a schema, you might be asking yourself? Sometimes also called schemata, a schema is a pattern of behavior that a child repeats that helps solidify their understanding of the world. The concept of schema was developed as part of Swiss Psychologist, Jean Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development nearly 100 years ago. Piaget defined schema as “a cohesive, repeatable action sequence possessing component actions that are tightly interconnected and governed by a core meaning.” In other words, repeated behavioral patterns help the child explore and learn about their world.
Schema is a pattern of behavior that a child repeats that helps solidify their understanding of the world.
They are 9 different standard schemas that describe how young children engage in the world around them. It is important to remember that these are not linear. A child may engage with one particular schema at a time or a few together. And they come back to them frequently.
Connecting
Connecting and joining blocks, train tracks, legos, tape, yarn, and velcro demonstrate the connecting schema. Gluing and adhering objects to each other is another way of connecting. These can include fine motor skills with Lego and smaller manipulatives or large muscle and heavy lifting skills, with large pieces of wood or blocks. The connecting schema, which is facilitated by open-ended toys also leads to deconstruction, knocking down, toppling, and destroying.
Enclosure
The enclosure schema pertains to enclosing things and themselves in spaces. This looks like building forts, getting into cardboard boxes, and under beds. Children might display this schema as hiding objects inside other objects, putting bears and stuffies into nests, forts, and dens.
Enveloping
Enveloping includes wrapping themselves and objects, stuffies, and babies in blankets, wraps, and sleeping bags. The enveloping schema may appear as children hiding in curtains or bed sheets. Children love boxes wrapped in paper and unwrapping everything that has been wrapped. This is why 1-year-olds love the paper and boxes on their birthdays more than their toys.
Orientation
Children turn objects, toys, and themselves upside down, experimenting with how things are orientated. Children may experiment with how things look from different angles and orientations in space. The world looks different when upside down!
Positioning
Do you ever wonder why your 2-year-old is fascinated by lining up his or her toy cars? Your child is exploring the positioning schema. You might see your child carefully play with objects in a line, row, sequence, or pattern.
Rotating
A child exploring this schema will be fascinated with rotating themselves and objects. You might see them rolling down a hill, asking to be twirled in circles, or spinning themselves until dizzy. You might also see they are interested in objects that rotate such as pinwheels, tops, or toys with wheels. Your frontload washing machine might be very interesting to observe.
Trajectory
Experimenting with things that move through the air is exploring the trajectory schema. You will likely see this come up if you google “why is my baby throwing food off her highchair all the time?” Children exploring this schema may be fascinated by water play, swinging on swings, throwing, kicking, and knocking things off the counter.
Transporting
Moving objects or self from one point to another and maybe back again is exploring the transporting schema. Rocks and dirt are moved other there and then moved back in dump truck play. Pulling or pushing a wagon, wheelbarrow or stroller are all exploring the transporting schema.
Transforming
Changing the shape of something through combination, mixing, or changing materials is experimenting with the transforming schema. This might look like turning water and dirt into mud, pulling or plucking apart, combining playdough colors, and mixing all the beads that are in separate containers.
What can parents take away?
The important part of understanding schema play is simply to recognize when your child is exploring one or a combination of these and try to support and facilitate their learning and exploration. Where can you recognize schema play in your child’s world? Look for:
- Mixing playdough colors or adding objects to playdough
- Wrapping other things and being wrapped
- The desire to be spun and swung and fascination with objects that spin
- Moving objects from here to there and everywhere
- Throwing objects (especially off of high chairs)
Resources
There are many resources online for parents about recognizing and supporting schema play. You can check out a couple of these PDFs or have a look for your own!