What is a Schema?

Have you heard your Visiting Teacher or another Early Childhood Educator talk about looking for schema’s in children’s play?

Sometimes we can use words that are part of our vocabulary since we have studied them and forget that they may not be a familiar word to others.  Kind of like a plumber talking about a spigot or builders about scotia! Why could it be helpful for you to understand what schema in children’s play is all about?

I recently read an English article which although it was written in 2012, is still well worth you taking a look at.  In the article schemas are described as “a fancy word for the urges that children have to do things like climb, throw things and hide in small places.”  As you read that, I’m pretty sure that you recognise some behaviour that you have seen in a child you know!  Sometimes appropriate… other times challenging 🙂

So, as an educator or a parent, being able to understand why your child has an urge to climb or throw things could be really helpful!

The listed schemas in the article – Rotation, Trajectory, Enveloping, Orientation, Positioning, Connection, Enclosure/Container, Transporting and Transformation are urges that show in all children starting as early as their first birthday, some times before.

I know that you will find it useful to have a read of the full article from Nature’s Play  – Schemas in children’s play

If you would like more posts written on a specific schema, feel free to email me – raewyn@paua.ac.nz