About Back And Forth Schema
Back and forth schema play involves exploring the reciprocal or back-and-forth movement of objects. Children may express their interest in this schema by rolling a ball or toy car back and forth, studying the motion of pendulums and swings, making side-to-side marks with crayons, or delighting in the movement of a hinge or pair of scissors.
Suggested Loose Parts
Here’s an incomplete list of loose parts that support back and forth schema play:
- Balance Boards
- Balloons
- Balls
- Barrels
- Baskets
- Bicycles
- Blocks
- Boomerangs
- Boots
- Bowling Balls
- Bricks
- Brooms
- Buckets
- Cable Spools
- Cardboard Boxes
- Cardboard Tubes
- Carpet Squares
- Cars And Trucks
- Chalk
- Coconuts
- Composite Decking
- Corks
- Cow Bones
- Crayons
- Dancing Ribbons
- Dirt
- Dish Cloths
- Doll Strollers
- Dolls
- Doorknobs
- Drums
- Elastic
- Erasers
- Feathers
- Fishing Rods & Reels
- Flagging Tape
- Flowers
- Fly Swatters
- Frisbees
- Funnels
- Garden Hose
- Hammers
- Hand Pumps
- Hand Screw Clamps
- Hinges
- Hockey Pucks
- Hoes
- Hubcaps
- J Rollers
- Jump Ropes
- Marbles
- Markers
- Measuring Cups
- Mesh Poufs
- Metal Springs
- Milk Crates
- Mud
- Office Chairs
- Paint
- Paint Brushes
- Paint Rollers
- Pencils
- Pendulums
- Pens
- Play Dough
- Pompoms
- Potato Mashers
- Pull Toys
- Pulleys
- Rain Gutter
- Ramps
- Rocking Chairs
- Roller Skates
- Rope
- Rubber Bands
- Scissors
- Scooter Boards
- Scooters
- Sewing Bobbins
- Shaving Foam
- Shovels
- Skateboards
- Sleds
- Slinkys
- Sticks
- Stones
- Swings
- Tape Roll Cores
- Thread Spools
- Tires
- Trampolines
- Tubing
- Tumbling Mats
- Two Wheel Carts
- Wagons
- Water
- Wheelbarrows
- Whisks
- Yoga Balls
- Zipper Pouches
Have an idea I should add to the list? Share it in the comments or contact me.
Examples
Some examples of this play schema in action:
Some children exploring back and forth schema play put themselves in motion with rollerskates, skateboards, scooters, trikes, and bikes.
Others enjoy exploring object-based back and forth schemawith things like balls and frisbees.
Rolling toy cars and trucks back and forth is another means for exploring this schema.
Observing the back and forth movement of pendulums is another method of exploration…
…as is back and forth or up and down mark making with pens, paintbrushes, chalk, markers, and crayons.
Back and forth schema mark-making can also happen with sticks or other implements in sand, dirt, mud, snow, and other sensory play concoctions.
Moving up and down on a trampoline or teeter-totter, or back and forth on a swing, is another means of exploring this schema. Note that children may explore the schema from the sidelines by watching others. The observer will exhibit interest in watching other children swing a hammer, paint, work a handpump in the water play area, or bob up and down on a teeter-totter.
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I’d love to hear your thoughts on improving this entry and suggestions for additional glossary additions in the comments below. You can also contact me with comments or concerns.
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Post Author
Jeff Johnson is an early learning trainer, podcaster, and author who founded Explorations Early Learning, Playvolution HQ, and Play Haven.
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