Reports

Results from this study provide evidence that school recess can be used to teach social–emotional competencies that can impact student behavior during recess and in the classroom. There were an…

Children need opportunities to establish positive social connections at school, yet many school playgrounds are challenged by social conflict that can undermine these connections. Because recess is typically the only…

In Jan 2017, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and SHAPE America released new guidance documents for recess. Playworks contributed to the development of these guidance documents and…

Children's desire for fun and active play were influenced by physical playground characteristics and safety, rules and supervision, peer-interactions, and variations in equipment/games. Structural involvement of children in designing, developing…

In a study measuring the physical activity of 453 schoolchildren in Massachusetts, only 15 percent of students achieved the CDC-recommended 60 minutes of daily MVPA throughout the day, and only…

The impact of Playworks was larger among minority students than among non-Hispanic white students. One possible explanation is that minority students in non-Playworks schools typically engaged in less physical activity,…

The Playworks TeamUp program can help schools make recess more organized and safe, and ensure healthy play is taking place. Participating schools reported improvements in recess organization, students’ familiarity with…

Girls in Playworks schools had significantly higher accelerometer intensity counts and spent more time in vigorous physical activity than girls in control schools. Girls in the treatment group were also…

In schools that achieved a high functioning recess, teachers and principals agreed that by the end of the year, recess offered more opportunities for student engagement, conflict resolution, pro-social skill…