What Is Rotation Schema?

Rotation schema involves repeated patterns in children’s play that include twisting, twirling, rotating, turning, spinning, and rolling objects or their bodies. Equipping your play environment with a wide range of circular and round objects, objects that spin and roll, and objects that can be used to create circles or rotation, support children in exploring rotation schema (England, Laura. Schemas: A Practical Handbook. Bloomsbury Publishing. Kindle Edition).

The authors of Understanding Schemas In Young Children explain, “The rotation schema can be very dynamic and energetic, as children run or spin in circles, ride round and round on bikes, twist and spin objects and toys, ribbons, scarves and ropes, and love being spun round and round by adults.”(Louis, Stella; Beswick, Clare; Featherstone, Sally. Understanding Schemas in Young Children (Featherstone Professional Development) (pp. 28-29). Bloomsbury Publishing. Kindle Edition). Learn more about schema play theory here.

Suggested Loose Parts

Here’s an incomplete list of loose parts that support this play schema:

Have an idea I should add to the list? Share it in the comments or contact me.

Examples Of Rotation Schema

Here are some examples of this play schema in action:

Stirring while helping in the kitchen, mixing up a batch of mud pies, or exploring during sensory with water or other concoctions, is a chance to rotate. So is forming balls and snakes with play dough or clay, cutting construction paper circles, or painting circles with fingers or brushes.

Quite the rotation setup here. The rotation of the bike pedal crank rotates the chain, which rotates the tire, which rotates the platform on which the paper is mounted.

Anything with wheels, or the wheels and tires themselves, supports rotation schema play and exploration. Kids will use these items to explore in various ways–maybe riding them, perhaps just sitting and spinning their wheels.

Orienting objects, like these stones, into circular or spiral configurations, is another way kids may explore rotation schema. Or, they may create those circles and spirals in sand and other sensory materials. Providing lots of manipulatives supports this activity.

At other times, children will use their bodies to explore rotation schema. They’ll roll down hills, somersault or cartwheel, and spin or run in circles. Occasionally, that spinning and running is a solitary pursuit. Often it’s done with peers until we all fall down. These activities greatly support the development of the proprioceptive and vestibular systems.

Kids will also explore rotation schema with pinwheels, tops, fidget spinners, hula-hoops, and yo-yos.

As you can see, exploration and play revolving around rotation schema exposes children to a wide range of potential learning. It allows them to engage in activities that build their bodies and increase their understanding of how the world works.

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