Let's Play! - Schemas in Play (Part 1)

Now, now! I’m sure I have at least of couple of readers who just raised their eyebrows and sported a puzzled look, on reading the tile on this post.

‘Schemas in Play’ is definitely not a familiar phenomenon by name, but let me explain what it is, and it will have you going, “Ah! So is that what ‘it’ is called? ‘Schema’!!”

So, what are these ‘Schemas’?

We have learnt to do many things from our very early years, e.g. bouncing a ball, turning a key, etc. These actions, and many more have taught us a lot of concepts.

Let’s take the bouncing ball activity. If you have observed a little child throwing/dropping down a ball, you would have also noticed that he found it amusing and kept doing it again and again. If it was a rubber ball, it would have bounced back. If it was a plastic ball, well, may not that much. If it was an inflated ball, it wouldn't have bounced back at all. Now, if it was an egg, it would have broken!

From this action, what can the child learn? ….that a ball can be thrown, a ball of a particular texture and type will bounce back up when thrown, a ball without air in it, or a ball with a tear/ a hole will not bounce back, and a ‘ball’ made of a particular type of material will break when dropped.

This type of play behaviour is most commonly observed in toddlers and young children. They bang, push, pull, throw, spin and bash their toys or any other object of interest in their environment. They are constantly trying out new ‘methods’ of exploration, and making sense of the world around them through these actions, which may sometimes also be destructive in nature.

Schemas are, therefore, patterns of behaviour, repeated through trial and error, which allow children to develop an understanding of the world around them through play and exploration. These schemas are set in our brains as ‘mental models’ or ‘instructions’ for how to do things. By going through these ‘instructions’ over and over children develop both physically and cognitively.

Why is Schema development important?

Schemas teach us cause-and-effect relationships. We are able to predict what will happen next if we have a previous experience of the same action or situation. This is why it can be hard for young children to grasp cause-and-effect relationships…because they lack past experience! How would we know how things work if we haven’t experienced them ourselves!

Another interesting thing about schemas is that once a child has understood the physical manifestation of a particular schema, he/she will then be able to consider more abstract applications of what he/she has learnt. For example, a child may form enclosures either around themselves by building a boundary around their play area, or by enclosing items in boxes or other containers. This can be seen as the first step in thinking and learning how to make physical boundaries (in other words, defining personal space), both on a small and large scale.

 

Common Schemas for Play

The number of play schemas we can identify are probably endless, but here let us at look at the most commonly recognized schemas in little children. They’re mostly based around movement, though in principle, a schema can be based around anything.

Schema 1: Trajectory

In the trajectory schema, children have an interest in lines and movement. Small babies begin to work on this schema when they track movement with their eyes and reach in front of them to grasp objects. 

Toddlers exploring this path of development will favour activities that involve throwing or dropping objects, but it is also possible that they may have an interest in lining up their toys. 

Children who enjoy running from one side of the room to another are also exploring this schema.

 

Schema 2: Positioning

In the positioning schema, children find interest in putting toys side by side. They are often seen aligning toy cars, soft toys, spoons, or anything else they can find. 

Arranging things in line next to one another, or placing objects in proper order are all behaviours seen in the positioning schema.

Children who enjoy exploring positioning schema may be interested in helping you tidy up after play time, or tucking their doll into bed at night time. This schema is what helps us as adults who may organize objects neatly on our desks, arrange similar items on a shelf, etc.

 

Schema 3: Connecting

When children are interested in connecting items and building things by putting 2 objects/items together, they are in the Connecting schema. While in this schema, they also sometimes later on dismantle and destroy things. This is because connecting includes, or in other words, is followed by disconnecting.  I’m sure you would have noticed children building a tower of blocks and then soon after, knocking it down.

This schema teaches children how things can come together, what holds them together and what may lead to them falling apart. It paves the way for children to learn about force, balance, strength, magnetism, stickiness, slipperiness and many more concepts.

On an emotional front, the connecting schema teaches children the concept of physical connection, and when to disconnect from people and situations.

Schema 4: Rotating

Toddlers enjoy being swung around and they are most often seen running around in circles, twirling and getting dizzy or spinning items round and round. This is the rotational schema. Rolling down a hill, playing ring-a-ring-a-roses or Passing the Parcel, and other similar activities are noticed in slightly older children. I have seen adolescents and adults too winding their hair around a pencil. All of these actions are manifestations of the rotational schema. 

Rotation gives way to countless benefits for learning and development. Although every schema promotes in children the ability to test hypothesis and problem-solve, rotational schemas in particular allow children opportunities to develop their mathematical knowledge.

The intriguing world of play development and schemas don't end here. There are more to this list, and we can look at them in the next part of this topic.

Acknowledgement: Lots of love to my models Abigail, Sarah, Jonathan, Arshad and Samara, and their wonderful parents Anju & Bill and Asish & Rev.Suneeth