Schemas of Play in Nature - Winter Edition
Updated: Apr 16, 2021
"A child’s urge to engage repeatedly in a particular kind of play can be seen as natural and essential.” - Free Forest School

Play schemas are the repeated behaviors that children show through play which facilitate their development. These stages of play are both normal and necessary actions that allow children to develop an understanding of the world around them and how it works. While I’ve given you a list of play activities to match the play schema your child is in, don’t be afraid to suggest your child try an activity in another schema altogether. But most importantly, have fun and let them lead the way!
Winter Schemas
Position Schema
If your child likes to sort items into specific groups or order have them;
group rocks or sticks by size, shape, color, texture, largest to smallest & smallest to largest
build snowballs and sort by size
Transportation Schema
If your child likes to move & transport items have them;
pick-up sticks & haul them in a bucket, bag, or wagon to form a pile
shovel snow from a walkway to a pile
scoop, shovel, and move snow
Transformation Schema
If your child likes to combine items to form or create new ones have them;
make snow soup
make snow/ ice pie
paint the snow
melt ice or snow
build a snowman using items from nature to decorate
use sand toys to turn snow into snow castles, shapes, words, etc. & use found nature items to decorate
Trajectory Schema
If your child likes to throw things have them;
skip rocks across the ice or frozen ground
target practice throwing with rocks or snowballs
toss rocks, sticks, pine cones, or snowballs into a puddle or snowbank
toss nature items onto frozen puddles or water - watch for signs of breaking & how
Rotation Schema
If your child likes to spin or draw circles have them;
create circles out of nature (example, mandalas)
spin rocks or sticks like a top
draw circles in the snow of different sizes using sticks
make snow track circles with their footprints
ice skate or “skate” in their shoes in large circles
Connect/Disconnect Schema
If your child likes putting items together & taking them apart have them;
build a tower using rocks, nature items, or snowballs
build a bridge using sticks, snow, or other nature items
tie rope or string to trees or sticks to connect them
break ice & build new again like a puzzle
Orientation Schema
If your child likes to get a different view of things or hang upside down have them;
look up at the trees
look up at the sky
count clouds, stars, or tree branches
look up at snowflakes falling
count airplanes going by
stargaze
climb a tree
Enveloping Schema
If your child likes to hide & reappear or wrap things up have them;
cover their feet in snow
bury a toy or nature item in the snow
wrap a toy or nature item in a large leaf, blanket, or piece of fabric
wrap themselves up in a blanket
Enclosure Schema
If your child likes to place things inside of larger things have them;
build a snow fort or igloo
build a snow cave for hibernating animals (toy animals or create w/ painted rocks)
fill a bucket with snow or rocks
fill a bucket with found treasures
collect nature items in different containers
One of my favorite winter activities is building fire pits! Fire pits cover multiple schemas and is a fun activity kiddos love! Start with a rock hunt, transport rocks, build the rocks into a circle, look for and transport sticks to your new fire pit, have a fire (real or pretend), roast marshmallows & enjoy!