Picture this: your baby is lining up their toys in a row, stacking blocks, or arranging objects in a specific order. While it might seem like meticulous play, what they’re really doing is exploring how objects can be positioned in space. This is all part of their natural development, and it’s called the positioning schema!
What are Schemas? Learn more about schemas in detail here.
What is the Positioning Schema?
The Positioning Schema is all about how things are arranged and organized in space. This exploration is essential for helping your child understand spatial relationships, develop fine motor skills, and learn about order and organization. The fascinating part is that the way toddlers and older kids engage with this schema can look quite different!
The positioning schema refers to the way infants and young children explore the arrangement of objects. It encompasses behaviours such as lining up toys, stacking blocks, and organizing items in specific sequence or patterns. During this period, children are not just playing; they are experimenting with spatial properties and learning about symmetry, balance, and order.
When Does the Positioning Schema Occur?
The positioning schema typically begins to emerge in infants around the age of 12 to 24 months. During this time, children are naturally curious and eager to explore their surroundings. They engage in repetitive actions, such as lining up cars or stacking cups, which helps them understand how objects can be organized in space.
Behavioural Indicators of the Positioning Schema
You can recognize the positioning schema in your child through various behaviours, including:
- Lining Up Objects: Children will often arrange toys in a straight line or specific pattern. This action helps them learn about order and spatial relationships.
- Stacking and Nesting: Kids may enjoy stacking blocks or nesting cups to see how they fit together. This encourages them to experiment with balance and symmetry.
- Sorting and Categorizing: Engaging with toys by sorting them into groups or categories helps children understand how objects can be organized based on different attributes.
Skills Developed Through the Positioning Schema
Engaging with the positioning schema supports the development of several essential skills, including:
- Fine Motor Skills: Repeated actions like stacking and lining up objects help strengthen the muscles in your child’s hands and fingers, improving their coordination and control.
- Spatial Awareness: As children learn to arrange objects, they develop a better understanding of space, symmetry, and balance.
- Cognitive Development: The positioning schema encourages problem-solving skills as children experiment with how different objects can be organized and arranged.
- Pattern Recognition: Positioning schema helps children develop pattern recognition by allowing them to explore the arrangement and organization of objects, fostering their ability to identify, categorize, and make sense of patterns in their environment.
Montessori Activities to Support the Positioning Schema
Incorporating activities that align with the positioning schema can enhance your child’s learning experience. Here are some engaging Montessori-inspired activities to try:
- Block Stacking: Provide a set of blocks for your child to stack. This simple activity encourages them to explore balance and symmetry.
- Sorting Games: Use different objects like buttons or beads and encourage your child to sort them by colour, size, or shape. This reinforces their understanding of categorization.
- Pattern Making: Provide materials like coloured sticks or tiles for your child to create patterns. This helps them understand order and repetition.
- Puzzle Play: Simple puzzles can help your child learn about how different pieces fit together, enhancing their spatial awareness.
- Simple 2D or 3D geometric shapes: allow children to experiment with placing, aligning, stacking, or arranging objects in different ways, enhancing their spatial awareness and understanding of patterns.
List of Words to Support the Positioning Schema
Arrange, Stack, Line up, Sort, Organize, Place, Fit, Order, Balance, Symmetry
Communicating the Understanding of the Positioning Schema Through Language
When engaging with your child during these activities, use encouraging phrases that reinforce their exploration of positioning. Here are some examples:
- “Look how neatly you lined up the cars!”
- “What happens when you stack the blocks higher?”
- “Can you sort these buttons by colour?”
- “Let’s see if we can fit all the pieces into the puzzle!”
Here are a few examples of incorporating the different words and using descriptive language to help them connect their actions with the outcomes, enhancing their understanding of the positioning schema:
- Arrange: “Can you arrange the toys in a circle?”
- Stack: “Let’s stack the cups on top of each other.”
- Line up: “Line up the blocks in a row.”
- Sort: “Sort the beads by size.”
- Organize: “Organize the books on the shelf.”
- Place: “Place the puzzle pieces in the right spots.”
- Fit: “See if this piece fits here.”
- Order: “Put the crayons in order by colour.”
- Balance: “Balance the blocks to make a tall tower.”
- Symmetry: “Create a symmetrical pattern with the tiles.”
For Activity ideas to support your child’s schemas check out our Play Schema Cards.
