Signs and Labels Resources
Schema Label Pack | Symbolic and Pretending
Symbolic & Pretending Schema Label Pack | Birth-5
A calm, practical labelling system for schema-informed provision. Each card pairs a clear resource name with a short line showing how it can support symbolic and pretending play.
24 purpose-led labels | 4 provision sections | 8 printable pages
Contents
- Open-Ended Props & Symbol-Making
Loose parts, recycled props, fabrics, blocks, modelling materials and mark-making | 6 labels
- Home, Family & Community Play
Dolls, home play, dressing up, communication, shopping and community roles | 6 labels
- Small-World Characters & Stories
People, animals, journeys, homes, story worlds and puppets | 6 labels
- Performance, Storytelling & Imagined Worlds
Character props, sound, songs, story prompts, journey writing and dens | 6 labels
Pedagogy in brief
Children exploring a symbolic or pretending schema may repeatedly give objects new meanings, take on roles, animate figures, recreate familiar experiences or build imagined worlds. A block may become a phone, a scarf may become a river, marks may become a menu, and a small-world figure may be given thoughts, feelings and a story. This representational play can overlap with transporting, connecting, enclosing and other schemas, but the particular interest here is often in what an object, action or person can stand for within an imagined situation. These labels help practitioners make versatile resources visible and accessible without turning observed behaviour into a fixed category. Children may explore several schemas at once, move between real and imagined meanings, or prefer to observe before joining shared play. Notice and model language such as pretend, imagine, role, character, prop, story, setting, plan, message, think, feel and say. Offer inclusive figures and culturally familiar experiences alongside open-ended materials that children can reinterpret. Select only developmentally appropriate resources; check small parts, cords, bags, dressing-up items and damaged props carefully, and supervise den-making and large fabrics with suitable risk assessment.
Using this file
Pages 2-9 are the printable label sheets. Print at 100% scale. Text and illustrations can be edited in Word. Choose only the labels that suit the children, space and resources available. Place labels where children can see and use them. The labels support choice, language and responsive provision; they are not a checklist or a way to assign a fixed schema to a child.
Additional/Alternate Use
The labels may be kept as cards for professional knowledge and CPD. Settings may find it useful to keep cards available as a reference tool for practitioner use within a responsive planning environment.
Both editable docx file and pdf files available. To change wording or font on a label to suit your particular setting, select the ‘DOCX’ option below.
DOWNLOAD (DOCX) 📝
DOWNLOAD (PDF) 📄
DOWNLOAD (Zipped JPEGs) 📂