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I'm a big fan of using every teachable moment as an opportunity. Recess is no exception. Recess provides students with many important things. I don't want to innundate you with all of my thoughts and so I will break up the Recess posts into a series.
Recess
Surprise! Recess is not a time for you to take a
break. While the kids are getting a
much-needed break from the day, you have to be more on your toes than ever.
- Why do we have Recess?
- There are a few great reasons why we have recess.
- Recess gives the kids a mental break from the day.
- Social and character development are improved.
- Children have the opportunity to interact with others without supervision, which is important. They need be able to find their own voice and way to communicate with their peers.
- Develops motor skills both fine and gross.
- Exercise.
Recess can be spread far and wide,
depending on the size of your playground, and it can involve lots of different
groups of kids doing risk-taking activities.
There are a few ways that you can keep recess fun and safe for your
students.
- Keep moving
- Walk around to each activity in progress and talk to the kids. Engage with kids who are just walking around talking, or spend a few minutes with someone who is wandering around alone. Stand by the sidelines of a game happening and cheer them on or make a few positive comments before you move on. Try to make it around to everyone or every group at least once.
- If you aren’t staying in one place and they know you will come around to them, they also know that this isn’t a time when they can get away with things.
- Recess is often the time when bullying happens, if you regularly make the rounds you can decrease some of that behavior.
More on this topic next week.....
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