Containment!!!!!!!

A child who is fascinated with putting one thing inside another could be following a containment schema.

This girl uses the marked enclosures to place the  animals thereby containing them.

These children fill a large bag with soil.

Lots of children like to contain soil in pots

Children fascinated with containing may:

• Like to put buttons into boxes and pennies in buckets
• Like putting things in bags and pots
• Enjoy shape sorting toys
• Like to climb into and sit in boxes
• Love filling up buckets with sand

• Draw or paint pictures then draw circles or boxes around them.    

If a child has a containment schema they will appreciate it if you provide:

• Pots and things they can fill them with
• Containers to fill in the bath or sink
• Dry play such as pasta and pots to fill
• Boxes and tents to go in.

Please be aware that this schema can be linked to the transporting schema (containers to be filled) and similar to enclosing (filling bottles with water) (and lining them up (trajectory). It is therefore important to note:
WHAT IS THE CHILD'S INTEREST? Then you will know the difference.

 For example is your child interested in the filling of the barrow (containment) or transporting it?(transporting)
Is your child pouring water into the cup and stopping when it is full (containment) OR are they actually watching while the water pours out of the jug (trajectory) therefore the cup automatically overfills.

REMEMBER:
It is so important to TUNE into the child and see WHAT they are looking at as opposed to what they are doing.