What 7 Behaviours Indicate that Your Child is Developing Spatial Awareness?

Have you noticed your child endlessly spinning around, turning objects in their hands, or watching wheels roll by? These repetitive actions may seem like simple play, but they are actually signs that your child is exploring the rotating schema! This schema involves discovering how things turn, spin, and rotate, which is an essential part of understanding movement, mechanics, and spatial awareness.

Here are 7 behaviours that indicate your child is engaging in the rotating schema and what each one means:

1. Spinning Themselves in Circles

Children often enjoy spinning themselves around until they get dizzy. This behaviour helps them explore the sensation of rotation, understand balance, and develop body awareness as they learn how to control their movements. These spins are not only fun but also help them develop rhythm, balance, and spatial awareness, as they learn to control their movements while rotating.

2. Turning Objects Around

You may find your child twisting toys, turning blocks, or rotating everyday objects like cups or spoons. This behaviour is their way of experimenting with how objects move in different directions, helping them understand concepts like rotation, angles, and orientation.

3. Watching Wheels Turn

Kids are often fascinated by wheels on toy cars, strollers, or bikes. Watching wheels spin captivates their attention because it teaches them about circular motion, mechanics, and how objects move in cycles.

4. Drawing Circles

When a child begins to draw, you may notice that they frequently create circles, spirals, or loops. This is a creative expression of their interest in rotation, as they explore how to make round shapes and continuous movements on paper.

5. Playing with Swivel Chairs or Spinning Toys

Children love to spin on chairs that turn or play with toys like tops, spinning rings, or gyroscopes. These activities allow them to actively engage with rotation, observing how speed, force, and direction affect movement.

6. Rolling Down Hills or Ramps

Whether it’s themselves rolling down a grassy hill or watching a ball roll down a slide, kids are naturally drawn to observing and experiencing rolling motions. This activity helps them understand how gravity, incline, and force affect rotational movement.

7. Twisting Their Bodies or Limbs

You may notice your child twisting their hands, feet, or even their entire body in different directions. This is their way of exploring the flexibility and range of motion of their own body, helping them develop proprioception and coordination.

Why the Rotating Schema is Important

The rotating schema is essential for a child’s development because it enhances their understanding of movement, force, balance, and direction. As they engage with spinning, turning, and twisting, they are also developing fine and gross motor skills, spatial reasoning, and body control.

To support your child's interest in rotation, provide them with opportunities to spin, turn, and twist in safe environments. Encourage play with toys that have moving parts, engage them in drawing circular shapes, or simply let them spin on a swing or swivel chair.

By recognizing these behaviours, you are nurturing your child's natural curiosity and supporting their physical and cognitive development!

For more fun activities that align with your child's schemas, check out our Play Schema Cards!