Fascination with Chairs

[Carpet Monkeys]

I have a 16mth lo who when at toddlers will not play with toys, but will play with chairs. He would wait very patiently for someone to get off a child sized chair then push it around, brush it down, get another chair and attempt to stack it on top of the other.

How can I progress this is some area of learning? Is it a Schemas??

[rosebud]

Is it just chairs or does he like stacking other things too?

[Carpet Monkeys]

just chairs!

[rosebud]

Aren't kids great - they're so easily pleased. I'm not sure it would be a schema unless the pattern is repeated with other objects but I would just go with it as much as you can. How about little chairs like in a dolls house or small world set. Or maybe its the weight he likes and he's testing his strength, my Childrens Centre has some lovely really big wooden blocks that they seem to like carrying around - so something like that maybe? Sorry I'm not much help am I, but I find things like this fascinating.

[The Juggler]

lol, that's a new one on me. sounds like a combination of schemas from what he is doing, stacking and moving would involve 2 different ones so he's getting loads of learning out of them.

Try putting them in a big tray of water outside (if they are plastic) and give him sponges and bubbles and different containers to wash them with - loads more learning opportunities.

Then slowly introduce other stacking toys, cleaning items so he can investigate different ways of cleaning it other than brushing, tell him the cleaning items are in the role play area when he's more adventurous then perhaps he might investigate some of the other items - maybe a toolset to 'fix' his chair. My children this age love tapping away at the kitchen with a hammer so he might.

[uf353432]

maybe put different shaped objects on the chair seat so when he pushes it along there is cause and effect - balls rolling off, stacking squares - how tall can the tower get before it topples when the chair is moved etc, re


put chairs in two by two and role play a car, put dolls in the seats, use belts as seatbelts, luggae in the boot, pretend steering wheel.

Put chairs in a line and pretend it a bus, make pretend bus tickets etc.

musical chairs

re -enact goldilocks - start off with 3 different size chairs, and progress onto bowls of porridge oats and beds etc.

cover the chair in different things - material, sand, sequins, cooked spaghetti, water, pans and bowls and make into a outside cooker, lights, let him draw on it with chalk, crayon rubbings on the texture.

run out of ideas....

[tulip0803]

I also work part-time in a family centre and we have had a few children over the years that do this. We have two at the moment. Strangely they have all been boys:rolleyes:

[Libby08]

I also work part-time in a family centre and we have had a few children over the years that do this. We have two at the moment. Strangely they have all been boys:rolleyes:

My son did this too, anything big he could push around, chairs, coffee tables etc I think he also liked the attention as people would rush over to stop him in case he hurt himself. What about the walkers, trolleys, buggies or a giant jenga to stack (we have a wood giant jenga but you might find a lighter version for lo's)? When we go to the library my 21 month mindee climbs and sits on the little chairs and then the next one and the next and so on. I ended up following him around as he's still a bit wobbly on them, I got the bean bags out and he now jumps on each of them when we go!