Play Schemas for Inquiry-Based Learning by Heather Jackson and Lisa Agogliati

Children are naturally wired to discover their world through repeated actions during play—such as transporting, transforming, connecting, or exploring trajectory. At the heart of each child’s experience with these play schemas is movement.

As a teacher, you can observe these patterns of play in how young children move their bodies and engage with materials—such as open-ended manipulatives, toys, or Loose Parts. By becoming aware of the various types of play schemas and their defining characteristics, you can deepen your understanding of each child. Your observations can then serve as a springboard for inquiry-based learning and project work that honors and supports children's play intentions.

In this insight-building webinar, Heather Jackson and Lisa Agogliati, authors of Actions of Play, explore the power of play schemas as a tool for engaging in conversations with children and enhancing your observation of their play. Heather and Lisa will share real-life examples of play schemas in action from their respective schools and highlight the defining characteristics of each. They’ll bring these concepts to life with stories from their own teaching experiences—showing how play schemas informed and enriched their curriculum. The session will feature abundant, beautiful photos from their documentation and action research, illustrating how play schemas became the foundation of their project work and inquiry-based investigations.

This inspiring webinar will encourage you to view early childhood curriculum through a new lens.

You will learn to:

• Name common play schemas: transporting, enclosing/enveloping, transforming, trajectory, order/positioning, rotation/circularity, connecting, orientation/perspective.

• Identify examples of movement characteristics within play schemas.

• Apply play schemas to launch and re-launch project work or investigations.

• Incorporate Loose Parts and children's books into play schema invitations.