OUR MISSION
Natural Playbox aims to cultivate the child’s natural desire to learn through play. Our small shop offers early learning tools and focused activities for children ages 3-6 based on schemas of play.
WHAT ARE
SCHEMAS
OF PLAY
Schemas are essentially patterns of repetitive behavior that children display as a means of understanding the world around them. You may have seen a child line things up in a row, carry too many objects with their hands, or persistently throw things in the air. While it may appear like an obsession or misbehavior, schemas are healthy, natural urges that children exhibit to help them comprehend how things work. These patterns of behavior can be organized into schemas such as connecting, orientation, positioning, trajectory, transporting, enveloping, and enclosing. By recognizing these schemas, parents can better support their child’s interests based on what schemas they’re presenting. For example, when a child likes to hit and throw (trajectory schema) or line things up in a row (positioning schema), Natural Playbox has a child-size bowling set for that.
ENVELOPING / ENCLOSING SCHEMA
Learning about space and capacity
Interested in putting objects in containers, climbs into boxes, wrap themselves in fabric
TRAJECTORY SCHEMA
Learning about motion and movement
Enjoys throwing things, likes running water, wants to jump or climb
POSITIONING SCHEMA
Learning about sequence and patterns
Likes to place objects in a line or in a specific way, sorts objects by color or shape
CONNECTING SCHEMA
Learning about relationships
Wants to take the lid on and off, join things together, tye things up
SHOP OUR
PRODUCTS
“The goal of early childhood education should be to activate the child's own natural desire to learn.”
— Maria Montessori
