Balloons offer a real fascination for toddlers! They are slow-moving and floaty, and so really suited to help them develop their coordination. Also, they are soft and springy, and so are probably the safest items that you can throw and whack around! There has been research that suggests that balloons have the following benefits: They …
Mirrors help young children develop an awareness of many things. They begin to understand reflection and symmetry. They also make children more aware of their own physical presence, and their movement. Mirrors can be used alongside loose parts to add visual intrigue to provocations. You can create portraits or pictures on mirrors. Mirrors can be …
Ever wondered why some young children seemed fascinated in wrapping up objects? Or you might have kids that love burying things or hiding objects out of sight? It’s called an enveloping schema, and it’s one of the most common schemas that you will witness in young children. An enveloping schema is a child’s interest in …
Many children line up toys and objects as part of their play, and sometimes parents or educators are concerned that this is a sign of autism spectrum disorder. Is lining up toys and other things a sign of autism? Taken in isolation, lining up toys in play is not an indicator of autism. It is …
Parachute games aren’t just for young kids! In this post, I’ll show you that they are highly effective for older students too. In my many years of teaching, I have used parachute games with older students in three particular areas, namely: Teamwork and team building games Math games Literacy games Although teamwork is just one …
Do you have a child that loves endlessly connecting Lego blocks and one giant tower? Or you might have a child that has a fascination with sticking objects to velcro, and will do this for a huge amount of time. It’s highly likely that these children are demonstrating a connecting schema. Put simply, a connection …
Do you have children that enjoy tipping everything out of baskets? Or a kid that likes spreading objects all over the place with their hands, arms, or feet? It is highly likely that these children are demonstrating a scattering schema. A scattering schema is not one of the more commonly talked about schemas, but nevertheless …
Mandalas are beautiful geometric patterns. In my many years of teaching, I have found them to be a fantastic tool to inspire artistic exploration and children. They are also a fantastic mindful tool, and many people use them as an aid to meditation. For kids, they are a great way to experiment with form, color, …
Do you have a child that spends hours putting things in pots? Or do you have one that loves climbing into any available box and hiding in there? More than likely these children are demonstrating a containment schema. Simply put, a containment schema is when a child is interested in putting objects into containers. They …
Schemas are repeated patterns of behavior that children exhibit in their play. There are nine schemas that are understood to be the most common in children’s play. These are: Trajectory Transformation Transporting Rotation Positioning Orientation Enveloping Enclosure Connection In this post, I’ll give you a brief overview of each of these 9 schemas. I’ll talk …