New Program on the Playground

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New Program on the Playground

Partnership between Hillel Day School and Playworks redefines recess

A Playworks indoor recess due to the cold.

ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

At Hillel Day School, a partnership with Playworks is redefining recess.

Playworks, a national nonprofit with a Michigan chapter, works with schools like Hillel to design play opportunities during recess, lunch and/or after school. The goal: to teach kids skills for life, such as leadership and conflict resolution, while making physical and mental health a priority.

After a successful partnership at Farber Hebrew Day School, Playworks extended its program to Hillel, which launched the beginning of the 2021-2022 school year.

“The program that we have there is called ‘TeamUp,’” Playworks Michigan director Whitney Bunn explains. “That’s where a Playworks coach acts as a consultant and goes into the school one week every month for the entire school year, and they’re facilitating recess.”

While at Hillel, Playworks’ coach Allison Schulte, the school’s liaison with the nonprofit, works in partnership with both Hillel and Playworks staff to help ensure the school has a playful and positive environment where play and having fun become an important part of the agenda.

Even on weeks when Schulte is off site, the work continues. “She works with a recess team or group of teachers to train them so that when she’s not present, they’re able to continue the program and keep learning,” Bunn says. “The goal is that our program will be totally sustainable without a Playworks staff member.”

WHAT A PLAYWORKS RECESS LOOKS LIKE

So, what exactly is a Playworks program? It depends on each particular school or classroom. In Hillel’s case, COVID-19 protocols keep kids within their own classrooms so that they’re playing, learning and interacting with the same group throughout the school day. “The way that a recess typically Students engage in fun activities works at a Playworks school is that indoors when the weather [kids] will head outside and line up prevents outside play. and we’ll go through a quick 30-second intro of what’s going on the playground today,” Bunn says. Each recess includes different stations and games set up for kids where they’re encouraged to play freely without any structure. “We believe there should be a lot of options and opportunities on the

playground so that every kid can find a game that they love,” Bunn explains. “They can be physically active and practice those social, emotional skills that we know are so valuable and happening in real time on the playground.”

On any given day, kids participating in Playworks programs like the one at Hillel can play four square, jump rope or open tag, among other activities. Group agreements are another important facet of the program, where kids agree to be respectful and have fun before running off to the races.

“When there’s two-three minutes left, we’ll call everyone back so that we can do some cooldowns and take everyone from that really high-energy active state and bring the energy down so that kids are ready to go back into the academic space and be ready to learn,” Bunn says.

Cool downs can include breathing exercises and mindfulness, helping kids practice positive mental health activities while bringing their state of mind back to the classroom.

“Hopefully they’ll be ready to continue their learning for the day in a really positive way,” Bunn says.

BRINGING LIFE LESSONS INTO THE CLASSROOM

Gan through fourth graders at Hillel participate in Playworks, while fifth and sixth graders have a unique opportunity to learn lifelong leadership skills by volunteering as junior coaches who help lead games at recess for the younger students.

“The process is usually very intentional,” Bunn says. “We try not to always pick the kids that are already involved in a lot of extracurriculars, on student council or are straight-A students. We look for the kids that are a little shy or can benefit from some confidence, or kids who are leaders, but not necessarily in a positive way.”

While encouraging physical and mental wellness, Playworks’ programming aims to promote inclusivity, reduce bullying, increase attendance and help kids resolve conflict in positive ways. Often, the lessons kids learn during recess are continued throughout the entire school day.

“They’re the first to volunteer,” Bunn says of Hillel’s Playworks participants, “or if there’s an extra task that needs to get done, they’ll be the ones that will happily do that. They’re leading games and brain breaks in their classrooms.”

Recess is designed for students to get active and release energy.

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