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.¹

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.”² 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, support rotation schema play and exploration. Kids will use these items to explore in a variety of ways–maybe riding them, maybe 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 manipulates supports this activity.

At other times, children will use their bodies in exploring 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 do a lot to support the development of the proprioceptive and vestibular systems.

Kids will also use items like pinwheels, tops, fidget spinners, hula-hoops, and yo-yos to explore rotation schema.

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 increases their understanding of how the world works.

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Browse Trainings

1. England, Laura. Schemas: A Practical Handbook. Bloomsbury Publishing. Kindle Edition.
2. Louis, Stella; Beswick, Clare; Featherstone, Sally. Understanding Schemas in Young Children (Featherstone Professional Development) (pp. 28-29). Bloomsbury Publishing. Kindle Edition.