048 Dinovember, Dinosaurs & Play Schemas: Turning Toddler Chaos into Connection

Discover the Magic of Dino-vember, and the Hidden Learning in Your Child’s Play!

What if your child’s love of dinosaurs could actually help you understand why they play the way they do?

In this fun and insightful episode of Demystifying Child’s Play, Ruth Vercoe dives into Dino-vember, that magical month where toy dinosaurs mysteriously come alive overnight, and reveals how it’s so much more than a playful tradition. It’s a unique opportunity to connect with your child, understand their behaviour, and nurture their development through play schemas.

If you’ve ever found yourself stepping over toy dinosaurs, cleaning up endless messes, or wondering why your toddler seems obsessed with throwing, lining up, or transporting everything they can get their hands on, this episode is for you.

Ruth explains what play schemas are, the natural, repeated patterns of behaviour children use to explore and make sense of the world — and how noticing them can completely transform how you see your child’s play.

During this episode, you’ll discover:

•  What play schemas are and how they show up in your child’s everyday play.
• How to use Dinovember to observe and support your child’s unique play urges, while having loads of fun!
• Simple, creative ideas for setting up schema-aligned dinosaur play, no fancy setups required.
• Practical parenting tips to reframe challenging behaviour and build stronger connections through play.

Ruth walks you through the 10 common play schemas, like trajectory, transportation, rotation, positioning, enclosure, transformation, connection, disconnection, and more, and gives real-life examples of how you might see them during Dino-vember. From dinosaurs zip-lining across the lounge to delivering little treasures between rooms, each setup becomes a playful window into your child’s mind.

She also shares stories from her teaching and parenting experiences, including how understanding play schemas helped one mum go from feeling overwhelmed by her child’s constant throwing to feeling confident and connected. Once she realised it was the trajectory schema in action, she set up safe, intentional ways for her child to explore movement, turning chaos into calm.

Through the laughter, imagination, and joy of Dino-vember, Ruth reminds us that play is not “just play”, it’s powerful learning in action. Every time your child builds, hides, lines up, or transforms something, their brain is growing. And every time you notice and join in, your relationship grows too.

Whether you’re a parent,

If you’ve ever wished you had a group of parents who just get it — welcome to The Play Schemas Collective. It’s where you can ask questions without judgement, share those little wins only another parent would understand, and dive deeper into your child’s play with people who speak your language. Join us at playschemas.com/collective — we can’t wait to meet you.