Understand play schemas to see inside children’s minds

Actions of Play builds on recent research and revelations about play schemas to transform understandings of play-based learning and project work in early childhood programs. Play schemas are the patterns of actions that play takes—transporting, enclosing, rotating, and more—the verbs of play rather than the nouns. The repetitive behaviors, play patterns, and play intentions of schemas facilitate children’s brain development and also help them make sense of their world. Schemas take the place of noun-based topics in project work, increasing children’s creativity and complex thought. Schemas give educators insight into children as they work out problems and increase their understandings through play. The authors ask:

• How might we build a curriculum using play schemas?
• How might we interweave our children’s play with play schemas and create projects?

Featuring gorgeous and abundant photos, Actions of Play shares the stories of their programs and their documentation and action research as play schemas became the bedrock of their curricula.

Age Focus: 2-8. Softbound. 186 pages, Full colour

P/B

9781605548272

Reviews

“Lisa and Heather use their own experiences, together with their knowledge of schema theory and inquiry-based practices, to help us transform our practice from the simplicity of simple themes to the wonderful complexity of inquiries that all children thrive upon.” —from the foreward, by Susan Stacey, author of Inquiry-Based Early Learning Environments, Emergent Curriculum in Early Childhood Settings, and Pedagogical Documentation in Early Childhood