Loneliness. Depression. Anger. These are feelings that even very young children are capable of experiencing regardless of whether they attend a public inner-city school, a well-to-do suburban school, an exclusive private school, a small rural school, or an award-winning charter school. Not feeling connected, included, or seen—not having a single friend—these experiences can happen anywhere. If we are honest, these are the experiences we fear for our children and even ourselves.
Chances are you know at least one young person, if not several, who are struggling at school. The root of their anxiety may have less to do with academics and more to do with their place in the social structure. For many children, being bullied causes lasting physical and emotional pain that spills over to affect academic performance. Increasingly, we also understand that students who do not receive early help to manage strong emotions may try to cope through behaviors like bullying and violence.
The fact that this month has been designated “National Bullying Prevention Month” indicates the majority of school administrators, teachers, and parents are still looking for solutions. Our kids are still waiting.
So where do we start? If you have ever sat through a lesson or a school assembly about the virtues of behaving positively, chances are you don’t need to dig deep to figure out that today’s kids don’t like being lectured any more than we did. The best place to tackle bullying may not be the traditional classroom.
Imagine if instead the solution were already in school’s daily schedule so 15 minutes didn’t have to be cut from reading or math. Imagine if it were fun for adults and children alike.
Recess is “the other classroom” that is already programmed into many school schedules. At Playworks, we believe this classroom can be a place where students and adults alike can learn important lessons: that conflicts don’t have to escalate, that there are ways to ensure every kid feels welcome to join, that when kids and adults are immersed in a game group dynamics can shift towards the positive, and that learning how to play games builds confidence that spills over into academics.
Creating a culture where bullying stops before it begins is not out of reach. Working with Playworks is one way to take immediate steps to combat the loneliness and disconnection you may be seeing at your school or among your kids. A study from Mathematica Policy Research and Stanford University found that teachers in Playworks schools reported significantly less bullying and exclusionary behavior during recess than non-Playworks teachers, a 43 percent difference in average rating scores.
Effective bullying prevention not only reduces the problems that plague us—like fights and social conflicts—but also grows positive outcomes. When schools invest in the skills and capacities of their staff, all of our children benefit, not just students who have bullied or been bullied in the past. The entire school community benefits through more friendships, more children who feel like they belong, more adults who enjoy their work with kids, and more positive support for learning.
Our partner schools and youth organizations report that they are able to take advantage of recess, the other classroom, with the tools we teach: games for different developmental ages, transitions, group management, and conflict resolution. These skills for teachers and paraprofessionals are broadly applicable not just out on the playground, but also in the hallways, in the lunchroom, and even in classrooms, too. Perhaps most importantly, our participants report that they are able to immediately apply skills like facilitating games in ways that make all students feel included and welcome.
It’s not just the students who discover the power of play to connect people. Our training participants report that one or two days of professional development can rapidly build rapport across school staff, as administrators, teachers, and paraprofessionals have fun together and learn a common framework that they can work towards as a team.
Even a day or two of professional development can make a big impact. Investing in the classroom of play reinforces the impact of academic investments by creating a culture where students feel included, confident, and ready to learn. If you would like to learn more or try out our programs, consider asking for a recess assessment to connect with an account manager in your region for a cost-effective way to bring more joy and connection into a child’s experience at school.
