Play with Purpose: Understanding and Supporting Schemas in Early Years

Discover the hidden learning in children’s play! Children often engage in repetitive actions—lining up toys, carrying objects, spinning wheels, or hiding under fabrics. These patterns, known as schemas, are powerful ways children explore the world and develop key skills.

This interactive online workshop will help educators and caregivers recognize common schemas in early years and understand their significance for cognitive, physical, and social-emotional development. Through real-life examples and hands-on activities using simple materials, participants will learn how to observe, support, and extend children’s play to encourage deeper learning.

By the end of the session, you will be able to see children’s play as purposeful, meaningful, and pedagogically rich.

Key Takeaways:

• Understand what schemas are and why they are critical for early learning.

• Identify common schemas observed in young children’s play.

• Learn practical strategies to observe, support, and extend schemas in classrooms or at home.

• Gain confidence in interpreting repetitive play as meaningful learning.

• Explore hands-on, low-cost ways to provide resources that enhance schema-based play.

• Foster children’s cognitive, physical, and social-emotional development through purposeful play.