Structured recess at East Evergreen School stimulates creativity, activity

One of the most important parts of a young student’s day at school is recess, where students have the opportunity to move, play and socialize.

As the health enhancement and physical education teacher at East Evergreen Elementary School, one of my roles is to facilitate structured recesses during student recess time each day. Each day I plan, setup and monitor a game or activity that would not otherwise be possible during recess. We use this time as an opportunity to teach and guide sportsmanship and fair play and to ensure every student has the opportunity to be included.

Structured recess is part of our school’s plan to create the most healthy and active playground possible. We have been facilitating structured recess for four years now, and it is a successful part of what makes our playground and school great. Many students participate and feel more willing to try new things if an adult is facilitating the activity or game. While students are not required to participate in structured recess, the number of students participating in these games and activities fluctuates between 15-30% of students on our playground. While on the playground setting up and monitoring my activities, I am constantly watching the remainder of the playground with the thought in mind of what can be done to increase the number of students making healthy and active choices during recess.

Through watching our students on the playground and also reading about childhood development, we know that creativity and free play needs to be fostered on the playground alongside being healthy and active. Two things we have found extremely effective in increasing creativity and activity on our playground are having music playing everyday and having large, movable, interchangeable building pieces that allow kids to construct their own playground structures. These aspects of our playground have greatly increased students’ health, activeness, and, most of all, creativity. And, it helps us ensure all students are included.

Early on, we made it a priority to have a portable music system, which has made the playground a happier and more enjoyable place for students, but we soon realized that the fun music was just half of the benefit. From the very first time we took the music out, we have had continuous creative dancing. The speaker location is the site of student free dancing, students making up and performing dance routines, and students having dance-offs. The music lifts spirits and decreases tension for the whole playground while at the same time giving many students a positive avenue for a creative outlet. If the music ever stops, within moments there is a group of students sprinting toward me to anxiously ask me to remedy the situation ASAP! This aspect, as well as seeing students actively enjoying the music, shows how much the students value music and the positive difference it makes on our playground.

Our playground also includes many giant multi-color, multi-shape building blocks that originated from our preschool program. They are interchangeable and can be interlocked in numerous ways in order to create playground structures. When the preschool program first brought them outside, only preschool students were allowed to use them, so our K-4th grade students were not able to use the building pieces. As time passed, the preschool found that the giant pieces were so sturdy that they left them out for others to use; the pieces were not damaged, and they remain safe on the playground throughout the year. After much discussion by the recess staff, all students are now allowed to play safely on the structures. Since that time, our students have been using the pieces non-stop in order to create the play structures they desire at that moment. Through this equipment, students have been developing lifelong skills such as creativity, sharing, taking turns, including others, and building core strength.

At East Evergreen Elementary, we value our students making healthy choices, being active, and being creative. And recess is a great place for this to happen. We also know that when students are active and are given the freedom to play, they are better prepared for the classroom. They are happier and more focused. They are more prepared to learn. We have found that incorporating free play and creative outlets, alongside a teacher-led structured recess time, has been an amazing opportunity to actively develop the whole student who is ready for the classroom and life.

Ethan Bailey is the health enhancement and physical education teacher at East Evergreen Elementary School.