Recess Troubles |
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Recess can be a time of fights and hurt feelings. Helping students structure their play time and work co-operatively when problems arise will prevent many playground issues.
| 1. | Teach your students to plan ahead for recess time. What game will they play? Who will they play with? Roll play with your students - have them address questions such as: What do you do if another student wants to join the game? What do you do if someone isn’t playing fairly? Do you have rules for your game? What do you do if people start to argue? Teaching children recess problem-solving skills in the classroom will help them get along better outside. |
| 2. | Encourage the school to create Playground Patrollers - senior students who help problem solve with students, ensure students are playing safely and report unsafe playground activities. These students can serve role models for all students at recess. |
| 3. | Give children a place to discuss playground problems. Perhaps it is a corner of the room or a place just outside the classroom door. Encourage children to work through their difficulties (with help from you if necessary). Monitor the problem solving - ensure that the effort is sincere. Students who frequently bring problems back to the class might owe the problem-solving time back to ensure they are not using it to avoid school work. |