Why does my child empty all their toys on the floor?

The scatterer schema explained

Do you find yourself constantly following your child around asking them to pick up box after box of toys they have emptied onto the floor? Then you’re probably raising a scatterer!

Scatterers love nothing more than scattering EVERYTHING around them. 

For an adult, scattering schemas can be one of the hardest to deal with and understand. The constant ‘mess’ created can drive you mad, but for the little one creating this ‘mess’ they just see learning opportunities. 
Let’s look at it from their point of view.

When they’ve emptied boxes onto the floor, they are finding out how far will the objects travel when they are dispersed, which toys travel shorter or long distances and whether or not lighter objects make more or less noise.

The learning linked to scattering schemas is primarily around space, shape and measure, and weight.

Having an understanding of weight and load distribution is an important skill required to become a structural engineer, so it might be worth encouraging them, rather than telling them off – think of it as early career foundations!

Activities for the scatterer: 

• Shredding paper

• Lolly pop sticks, tubs and containers

• Watering cans and flowers

• Dustpans and brushes

• Feeding the birds

• Spray bottles

• Sieves and colanders in sand and water

• Ball ponds

These can all be great fun and help them figure out what they want to know.

There’s no need to panic. Having a scattering child doesn’t mean a life of mess and chaos, the great thing about scatterers is that as much as they love to scatter, they also love to pile and heap things up – useful for the tidy-up operation once it’s time to stop!