Making the Best of Recess #4 in a Series

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Making the Best of Recess Series

Involvement

• Some kids don’t play at recess, and that is okay, if it is truly their choice.  The best way to get kids to hate exercise is to force them to do it.  For many kids, they don’t think of recess as exercise, but as fun.  If they are having fun, they can play and get the break and exercise that they need.  Once it becomes a forced activity, all the fun goes out of it.
• If they aren’t playing, but don’t seem happy about it, it is your responsibility to try to find out why and help solve the problem if you can.
• Is the child being bullied or otherwise excluded by the other children?
• Is the child having vision or mobility problems that are preventing them for entering a game?
• Try to encourage adaptations to a game to include students who have disabilities.
• Is a child feeling that the games or certain players aren’t fair?
• Review the rules of the game, or make sure that everyone knows the rules of a game that the kids have made up on their own.
• You may have to help with team choices to make sure that the teams are somewhat equal. 
• If the kids have organized their own game, it’s best to not intervene.  Let them set the rules and make the teams.  However, there are times when you will have to jump in and make a few changes or help facilitate teams, rules and fairness if arguments begin
• Sometimes kids just don’t know what to do at recess.  Give some ideas to the group about playing games they know well and can organize and play on their own.  If they have a problem playing on their own, be a coach and slowly work away after a few recesses, or assign a different sideline coach each day.  This would be a great way for some kids to build leadership skills.

Making the Best of Recess #3 in a Series

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Making the Best of Recess Series

Join in the Fun

• Joining in a game can up your cool factor with the kids.  However it can have some major pitfalls.   
• Don’t get so involved that you can’t see and pay attention to the other students.  Never assume that your colleagues can see everything and are paying attention.
• Make sure there is someone on the sidelines to take care of minor injuries, bathroom and drink requests and any other issues. 
• Don’t get competitive!!!!
• Remember that these are children and they don’t have the skills you have.  It’s okay to play and even win, but if you start feeling like you want to win, it’s time to step out. 
• You are their example for sportsmanship.  This can be a great learning tool, because as we know, you will teach more by your actions than your words.  Get out there and be a great teammate, encourage your team and even the other team.  “Good Teamwork”, “Nice Shot”, and “I can’t believe I missed it!  I’ll get it next time.”  Are all good examples of things to shout out during the game.
• NEVER CHEAT! This should go without saying, but I have seen it many times.
• If you cheat you are sending some pretty strong messages that you may not intend to be sending.
• “Don’t Trust Me!”  If you teach the kids that cheating is wrong, and then you cheat, you lose their trust.  This can be a very BIG deal to kids.  You could damage their trust in all adults by cheating.
• “You don’t have to follow the rules either.”  If the teacher doesn’t have to follow the rules, the students won’t either.  They will remember and throw it back at you at every opportunity.
• “I’m a Liar.” Similar to don’t trust me, but you are no longer to be believed and some students will begin to argue with you because they no longer believe in you or your honesty, fairness, or sincerity.
• “This game isn’t fun anymore.”  You could be ruining their favorite game for them.  A big blow like losing trust in a teacher can surely put a bad taste in their mouth for that game or activity.
• “Don’t Trust Adults” The simple act of a little cheating in a game can ruin a child’s faith in you and other adults.  Authority figures are to be trusted and some will break a child’s trust over their lives, just don’t let it be you.

Making the Best of Recess Series #2

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Making the Best of Recess Series

Safety

Everybody knows the rules 

• Your group should never go out on the playground without first having a good grasp on the playground rules.  They could be different during school and you should not assume that they know the rules that you want them to follow.
• Make sure everyone knows if there is a rule change. 
• It’s okay to change the rules if you need to, but you cannot give consequences for a new rule without making sure that everyone knows it and understands the reason behind it.
• Give rules refreshers
• It is ridiculous to think that you can tell a child something once, and they will know it forever!  You have to repeat yourself, possibly quite often.  How many times have you said, “How many times have I told you …” If you have to say that, then the answer is, not enough times.
• If there is a particular issue that has been re-occurring, stop recess, bring everyone into a circle and talk about it.  Yes, use their recess time to refresh on a rule that gets broken often.  They don’t need a big lecture, just a simple, “We are having trouble remembering this rule…..”,  “The reason for this rule is………”, “The consequences will be……….” And let them return to their playtime.

Following the Rules

• We all have different ways of dealing with discipline.  But certain changes may need to be made to that during recess. 
• Students should be taken out of an activity if they are being overly aggressive or competitive.
• Because we have different ages of kids after school, we need to be ultra sensitive to the fact that older children can be a bad example, or even hurt younger children.  Giving a student too much leeway could result in a serious injury to a younger child.
• Cheating should not be tolerated.
• When a student cheats it ruins the fun for everyone.  Students who knowingly cheat should be removed from the game for the rest of the game.  Students should realize that there are serious consequences for cheating and therefore will not want to cheat.  Not giving serious consequences sends a "It's okay to cheat." message. 
• Of course concessions can be made for little guys and students with special needs who may not understand following rules.

Making the Best of Recess Series #1

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Making the Best of Recess Series

 

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.....