Signature workshop · Schemas & Play
A play schema is a repeated pattern of behaviour — transporting, throwing, enclosing, spinning — that reveals how a young child is thinking. Armstrong's DECAL-approved Schemas & Play training, led by Anna Camille Hampton, teaches educators to read play as research and provision the classroom to extend a child's current line of inquiry. Available in person across metro Atlanta, live-online, or self-paced from $19; live sessions run 1–8 hours from $35 per teacher and count toward Georgia's annual 10 DECAL clock hours.
A play schema is a repeated pattern of behaviour — like transporting objects, throwing, or enclosing spaces — that reveals how a young child is thinking and what they are trying to understand. First described in Piagetian and Reggio-influenced research, schemas let educators read play as research, then provision the classroom to extend a child's current line of inquiry.
When a teacher can name the schema a child keeps returning to, a "behaviour problem" becomes a window on the child's mind — and a planning opportunity. That shift is the heart of this workshop: play is research.
The most commonly observed early childhood schemas are trajectory (throwing, dropping, running), transporting (moving objects from place to place), enclosing and enveloping (wrapping, boxing in), rotation (spinning, wheels), connecting and disconnecting, positioning, orientation, and transforming.
Recognising them helps teachers plan provocations that match how children ages 2–6 are already exploring. The training covers each schema with real classroom video so teachers can recognise them instantly.
Schemas turn observation into planning. A child who throws is exploring trajectory; offering balls, ramps, and scarves turns a redirected behaviour into rich learning. Through the Reggio Emilia lens, schemas help educators see the competent child and follow their thinking.
Schemas also map naturally onto Georgia's GELDS and developmentally appropriate practice — they give teachers a concrete, observation-led way to plan for children ages 2–6 rather than imposing a fixed theme.
The session is hands-on: watch real footage, name the schema, plan a provocation, then reflect together. Teachers leave able to spot a schema in the moment and respond the next day.
Toddler and preschool teams, family-care providers, and directors booking staff PD on play-based observation. Anyone who keeps seeing children repeat the same actions and wants to read them.
In this workshop
Every session is hands-on and grounded in real classrooms — teachers leave with practice they can use the next day, not just vocabulary.
Quick answers
Short, direct answers to the questions educators and directors ask most.
A play schema is a repeated pattern of behaviour — like transporting objects, throwing, or enclosing spaces — that reveals how a young child is thinking and what they're trying to understand. First described in Piagetian and Reggio-influenced research, schemas let educators read play as research, then provision the classroom to extend a child's current line of inquiry.
The most commonly observed early childhood schemas are trajectory (throwing, dropping, running), transporting (moving objects from place to place), enclosing and enveloping (wrapping, boxing in), rotation (spinning, wheels), connecting and disconnecting, positioning, orientation, and transforming. Recognising them helps teachers plan provocations that match how children ages 2–6 are already exploring.
Teachers use schemas by observing closely, naming the pattern a child repeats, and then provisioning materials that extend it rather than redirecting the behaviour. A child who throws is exploring trajectory; offering balls, ramps, and scarves turns a "behaviour problem" into rich learning — the core skill taught in Armstrong's DECAL-approved Schemas & Play training.
Yes. Armstrong Educational Services offers a DECAL-approved Schemas & Play training led by Anna Camille Hampton, available in person across metro Atlanta, live-online, or as a self-paced CEU course from $19. Live sessions run 1–8 hours, start at $35 per teacher, and issue DECAL CEU clock hours toward Georgia's annual 10-hour requirement.
Formats & pricing
Live in-person is anchored at $35 per teacher per hour, live-online at $25, on a 1–8 hour decay curve (a 3-hour session is about $80 per head), with a $280 session minimum.
$35/ teacher / hour
On-site across metro Atlanta and the Carolinas, 1–8 hours. Per-teacher pricing drops as the group grows; $280 session minimum.
$25/ teacher / hour
The same live session over Zoom — about 30% below in person — 1–8 hours on the same group + multi-hour discounts.
$19/ 1 CEU hour
Take it anytime, no live session — includes a downloadable workbook and a DECAL certificate on completion. See the self-paced catalog.
Add extra time for questions
Extend a live session with a group Q&A block: +$8 per head for 30 minutes or +$15 per head for 60 minutes. Framed as group reflection for the whole team — not 1:1 coaching.
DECAL CEU certificate
Add a DECAL CEU certificate to a live session for +$5 per head (included free in the self-paced course), counting toward each educator's annual 10 Georgia clock hours.
See your exact price in about a minute
The live calculator builds a per-teacher quote from your format, length, and group size — multi-hour and group discounts applied automatically. Build your quote.
Frequently asked questions
Ready when you are
Build a per-teacher quote in about a minute, or tell Camille about your team and she'll recommend the right format and length.
