What is Schema Theory?
Are you struggling to plan play areas for young children or understand what they are learning as they move, manipulate materials, and repeat actions? Schema play theory may be just the thing to clarify and add value to your educational environment.
Schema theory developed through the work of Piaget and later researchers, explains how young children learn about their world through repeated patterns of action and behaviour. These patterns, or schemas, are the building blocks of cognitive development—how children organise and make sense of their experiences.
When we observe a child lining up blocks along a table's edge, they might be exploring several schemas simultaneously:
The trajectory schema through arranging in a line
The connecting schema as they join the spaces between objects
The transporting schema as they move items from one location to another
The positioning schema as they place objects deliberately in space
Standard Schemas in Early Years
Before we look at practical applications, let's understand the key schemas we typically see in early years settings:
Trajectory Schema: Exploring movement through vertical, horizontal, or diagonal lines.
Transporting Schema: Moving objects or themselves from one place to another.
Enveloping/Enclosing Schema: Covering, surrounding, or containing objects or themselves.
Rotation Schema: Exploring circular movement, turning, and spinning.
Connecting Schema: Joining items together or exploring connections.
Positioning Schema: Ordering objects in space.
Orientation Schema: Exploring different perspectives and positions.
Transforming Schema: Mixing, changing states, or altering appearances.
Understanding These Patterns in Action
Picture a child in the water area, filling and emptying containers, watching how the water flows, and moving cups from one level to another. This rich play sequence demonstrates the following:
Transforming: Exploring how water moves and changes.
Trajectory: Following the flow of water.
Transporting: Moving water between containers.
Orientation: Testing how water behaves at different heights.
Let's Explore Each Schema in Detail!
1. Trajectory Schema: The Joy of Making Lines
What it looks like Lines in motion! Trajectory play explores movement through space, whether vertical (up/down), horizontal (side to side), or diagonal.
Bring it to life with:
Create winding paths with chalk or rope for physical play.
Set up a water wall with guttering at different angles.
Transform painting time with pendulum painting—watch those incredible arcs appear!
2. Transporting Schema: The Moving and Grooving
What it looks like You might notice children carefully moving collections of objects between locations, often using containers or vehicles.
Make it meaningful with:
Create a busy post office where packages need delivery.
Set up a garden centre with wheelbarrows and plant pots.
Organise a picnic station where food needs to be packed and moved.
3. Enveloping and Enclosing Schema: The Art of Spaces
What it looks like These are our expert space creators and boundary makers!
Spark excitement with:
Create a cosy den-making station with fabrics and pegs.
Offer wrapping materials for a pretend birthday party.
Set up a "discovery station" where materials can be wrapped and unwrapped.
4. Rotation Schema: Round and Round We Go
It looks like circular movements and spinning objects are prominently featured in this schema.
Get things spinning with:
Set up a "Wheel World" with different-sized wheels and ramps.
Create spin art paintings using salad spinners.
Make music with spinning ribbon sticks and twirling scarves.
5. Connecting Schema: Joining the Fun
What it looks like This schema involves joining things together—and sometimes taking them apart!
Connect learning with:
Create a "Building Station" with child-safe tools and materials.
Offer natural materials for weaving and threading.
Set up a train track building station.
6. Orientation Schema: Exploring Perspectives
What it looks like: Children explore different ways of looking at things, often hanging upside down, lying on their side, or turning objects around.
Support orientation exploration with:
Create spaces where children can safely view things from different angles.
Offer mirrors at different heights and angles.
Set up climbing equipment that allows for different perspectives.
Provide cameras or viewfinders for exploring different views.
7. Positioning Schema: Creating Order
What it looks like Children carefully place objects in particular spots, create patterns, or arrange items in specific ways.
Encourage positioning play with:
Offer collections of similar objects for arranging.
Create spaces for displaying and arranging treasured items.
Provide materials for pattern-making.
Set up sorting and organising activities.
8. Transforming Schema: Making Changes
What it looks like Children are fascinated by how things change, whether they disguise themselves by dressing up or changing other things like mixing colours, adding water to sand, or watching ice melt.
Support transformation exploration with:
Set up colour mixing stations with paint or light.
Provide opportunities for mixing materials like sand and water.
Include cooking activities where materials change state.
Offer ice play experiences.
Create opportunities for exploring shadows and light.
The Research Behind Schema Theory
Research at the Pen Green Centre has significantly advanced the groundbreaking work on schemas in early childhood alongside the seminal work of Atherton and Nutbrown. Their book Understanding Schemas and Young Children: From Birth to Three" (2013) provides crucial insights into how even our youngest children demonstrate sophisticated learning patterns through play.
This research shows how schemas develop from early motor actions to symbolic representation, offering a framework for understanding young children's behaviour and learning. The Pen Green Centre's work has been particularly influential in demonstrating how schema theory can be applied in practice to support children's natural learning strategies.
Making It Work in Your Setting
Create Schema-Rich Environments
Consider including:
Plenty of open-ended materials.
Multiple levels and surfaces.
Cosy spaces and open areas.
Materials that can be moved, combined, and transformed.
Observation as a Key Tool
Look for:
Repeated actions in play.
Favourite materials and spaces.
Creative uses of equipment.
Patterns across different activities.
Time to Get Started!
Understanding schemas helps us recognise the sophisticated learning in seemingly simple play. By identifying these patterns, we can:
Plan environments that support natural exploration.
Provide materials that extend learning opportunities.
Document children's schema investigations.
Share children's learning journeys with families.
Simple additions to your environment—like cardboard tubes for trajectory exploration or baskets of fabric for enveloping play—can create rich opportunities for schema investigation.
Conclusion
Schema theory provides a powerful lens to view young children's learning. As Atherton and Nutbrown (2013) emphasise, even our youngest learners demonstrate remarkable competence and determination in exploring their schemas. By understanding and supporting these natural learning patterns, we create environments where children can thrive in their explorations.
References
Atherton, F., & Nutbrown, C. (2013). Understanding Schemas and Young Children: From Birth to Three. London: SAGE Publications Ltd.
The Pen Green Centre Research. Available at www.pengreen.org
Lili-Ann Kriegler (B. A Hons, H. Dip. Ed, M.Ed.) is a Melbourne-based education consultant and award-winning 'Power of Play' and 'Roots and Wings'Â author. Lili-Ann owns Kriegler Education and writes to share the wisdom she has acquired through her training and 30 years of experience in education. She is a child, parent and family advocate who believes education is a transformative force for humanity.
Website: https://www.kriegler-education.com/
Transform your approach to early childhood education by unlocking the true potential of play-based learning. In The Power of Play, educator Lili-Ann Kriegler provides a practical roadmap for embedding deep conceptual understanding into daily activities. This book, explicitly designed for early educators, emphasises that language is at the heart of learning. It describes 7 dynamic learning zones to help you implement a highly effective play-based curriculum.
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