Is this a schema?

[beckyteddy]

My 21 month old mindee has been playing with the toys in my play-room in a really particular way, which reminds me of the way schemas are described but I can't find a schema that fits!

I wondered if I described what he has been playing with and how, if maybe somebody might be able to suggest what he's doing!!

opening and closing the tiny doors on matchbox cars

taking the lids on and off of playdo pots (not playing with the playdo inside!)

loading up my "connect 4" game with all the little discs over and over again

inserting a little wooden sign post from my brio train set into it's stand over and over again and carrying it round with him

unplugging the microphone from my ELC cassette player and plugging it back into the tiny hole again and again

taking the lids off all the felt tip pens, but not really interested in drawing withthem

It all seems to be to do with little objects that move or fit together in an exact way, and he likes to find the objects himself too. I tried to plan for his tastes and made him a toy box full of pots with lids and little things that would fit into them and he took one look and then toddled off to play with the sign-post from the brio set! Even if I can pin-point a schema in all this, how can I plan for him if it's the spontenaity of finding something himself that floats his boat!

Any ideas or suggestions will be gratefully received:idea: x

[sarah707]

There is something called a dab schema... children like the things you have described.

They will enjoy playing with those pens that you press onto paper, hole punches, staplers (if old enough), making repeating patterns with potato printing... it's the act of doing things over and over again and getting a reaction.

There might be a rotation schema going on there as well... the child seems to be enjoying circular things. Perhaps you could try him with a water wheel, making tyre tracks in the sand or mud, those things you blow in the wind...

Enjoy and well spotted! :D

[beckyteddy]

I was willing to bet that you would have the answer Sarah! I was a bit stuck but that answer gives me a new angle....

Thank you:clapping:

[huggableshelly]

I sort of was thinking about responding by getting my OU course book out but knew Sarah would be in with a response yay.

boo to me for not knowing what I've studied though ugh lol

[watgem]

How about a connecting schema as he is in effect "joining" things together, so you could include things like masking tape, velco, brio traintrack etc?:)

[beckyteddy]

Just an up-date on my little mindees progress.....

I took him to Early Learning Centre to see if I could find any new toys that fitted with the Dab or Connection schemas and it was a really lovely way of letting him explore and just standing back and observing.

I found that he loved the 'Button Threading' set. All the little buttons stack together aswell as thread and he loved posting them into my toy post box when we got home. I found a magnet play set which I didn't open as he seemed so engrossed with the buttons (and the connect 4 which I can't seem to prize him away from!) but I think he'll find that really satsifying too, ie. getting a reaction from the toys as they cluck together. I got some of those painting pens with a dabby end that make a nice round blob each time you press them on the paper, and they wen't down well with all the kids, especially the little one with the schema. He dabbed up and down as I counted with him as he did each dab and it held his atention for much longer that regular painting at an easel with brushes.

Just got to write all this down in his observations folder to show Mrs Ofsed when she comes to do my inspection on Monday!

[sarah707]

thank you for the update beckyteddy!

it is great to see theory actually working in practice :D