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News
Taking the Stress Out of Recess
Note: A special thanks to the Colonel John Robinson and John A. Crisafulli elementary schools in Westford, MA for their contribution to this article.
Each day, children look forward to relaxing and rejuvenating during recess. It’s a chance to chat with friends, run around, relax, and prepare them for the second part of the day. Some kids who don’t have a friend group to join or who aren’t comfortable with the usual group play that occurs at recess have a hard time figuring how to enjoy this free time. For them, there is a lot of stress with recess. They wander around, visit the nurse, and hang out in the bathroom and so on. They are lost souls without a plan as to how to make the most of recess.
Many of those who have difficulty enjoying recess have special needs and are challenged by the nuances of socialization. They have difficulty interpreting body language, don’t cue in to subtle social hints and generally struggle with the gray areas of socialization. Children without special needs also struggle with socialization at various times and could benefit from explicit social skills lessons. Some schools recognize the need to teach children social skills which results in less bullying, fewer visits to the guidance department, and overall more socially adept children. One innovative approach to teaching children social skills is the Recess Club. Schools offer various forms of Recess Clubs to help kids who struggle socially during unstructured time.
At the Colonel John Robinson K-2 elementary school in Westford, MA, guidance counselor, Mary Terrio, and special educators, Dorothy Royal and Jennifer Bonenfant currently run Recess Clubs to teach children social skills in the classroom for the kids to apply at recess. In previous years the speech and language therapist, Laurie Joslin was also involved. “We wanted a program that was meaningful, age-appropriate, fostered positive social development, as well as interfaced with our existing” says Terrio. The Robinson school takes the approach of teaching all children in first grade to prepare for recess by asking the children to each select one goal to achieve during a 4-6 week series of lessons. The program addresses the unique social needs of each child. The guidance and special education staff teach the children social skills in the classroom, usually during snack time, so academics are not interrupted. During these weekly lessons the educators teach a particular social skill and then take the children outside to practice what they’ve learned. For example, students have a list of social goals to choose from including such areas as:
- Friendship (ex. How to make a friend, appreciating differences)
- How to Be a Friend (ex. Personal space, eye contact, hurtful behavior)
- Conversation (ex. Listening, staying on topic, not interrupting)
- Playing an Activity (ex. Choosing who goes first, joining a game or activity, what if kids say “no”)
- Playing Fair (ex. Being a good sport, losing, perseverance)
Children are also taught a Game of the Month in physical education classes that they can play as a group on the playground. Newsletters are sent home that detail the Recess Club lessons for parents. With school/home continuity, the children benefit from the common language that this program provides and gives a tool for parents to reinforce social skills in the home. This allows children to learn how to generalize those skills in various settings, the classroom, the playground and the home-based play date.
Another approach to the Recess Club was developed by guidance counselor, Sara Policow at the grade 3-5 John A. Crisafulli school, also located in Westford, MA. Rather than the pre-teaching of social skills approach used at Robinson, Policow offers a Recess Club during recess time. With this format, Recess Clubs provide a structured activity during an otherwise unstructured time. Clubs have included gimping, making a mix CD, High School Musical DVD game or whatever the interests are of the child in need of social assistance. Policow states, “the recess clubs have varied tremendously because of the students and his/her needs. One year I was working with a student who loved making bracelets (friendship bracelets) so she was able to invite 2 different friends once a week to come in and hang out for 20 minutes. I have also had dance parties and pizza parties!” As students become more familiar with the guidance department staff, they feel more comfortable to come to them when they have problems. Policow says “the idea of recess is going out and having fun, however to some students, recess is loud, chaotic and scary, so I want to be able to change their perception and make it as enjoyable as possible.” This also provides those lost souls a place to go and feel comfortable while fine-tuning their friendship skills.
Both schools report positive feedback from students, teachers, and parents regarding the Recess Clubs they implement. Educators have noted that when children get along in social situations then they will cooperate more when discussing academics.
Recess Clubs provide many benefits to children who have social difficulty. The clubs foster the relationship between the child and the guidance department, provide the social skills instruction needed, provide social opportunities for several students at one time, and give the children who often don’t feel like they belong, a place for them to enjoy the fun of recess and, ultimately, take the stress out of recess. For help with your child's social situation, contact Social Smart Kids at 9780764-2758 or e-mail us at info@socialsmartkids.com.
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