Understanding Schemas in Young Children: An introduction to understanding and supporting schema play in young children

What are schemas and why do they matter? Again! Again! provides an introduction to understanding and supporting schemas and schema play in young children. Practitioners will find an overview of schemas with guidance on where they fit within the EYFS. There are examples of schemas, with illustrations and descriptions of common behaviour patterns, and these are set within the general context of child development. The intention is to help early years practitioners identify schemas and to understand both how important they are and the vital role they play in the growing child's learning. The aim is to help the reader understand how they can develop, plan and resource activities which support children's learning through experiment and play.

Stella Louis is an early years consultant and trainer for the London Borough of Southwark. While working as a nursery nurse in 1991, she attended a lecture on block play by Professor Tina Bruce. It was during this lecture that Stella was introduced to the concept of schemas as a tool to inform planning, provision and observations of babies and young children. Schemas fascinated Stella as she watched her own child, Hannah-Louise, grow explore and develop. In 2002 Stella completed an MA in Early Childhood Education. The introductory sections of this book have been based on Stella's work, whose idea the book was.

Trained as an early years teacher, Clare specialised in working with babies and very young children with special needs and their families. She was lead officer for early years and childcare in Nottinghamshire before taking a career break to care for her own young children. Clare has trained for Parentline Plus and acts as a consultant for Daycare Trust and early years organisations. She writes for many early years publications, including Early Years Educator and is co-author of the Little Baby Books series. She has also written several of the Baby & Beyond books as well as popular titles for the Little Book Club. Clare is currently a trustee of the Wirral Autistic Society.

Sally Featherstone has a wealth of experience as a teacher, head teacher and a local authority adviser and inspector. In recent years, alongside her activities in publishing, Sally built a national reputation as a trainer and consultant in the Primary and Early Years field - she is currently concentrating on expanding her writing about learning in the early years.