Safe Return to Play & Recess Guidelines

  1. Updates

Playworks is helping schools continue to reimagine recess.

For the past 24 years, Playworks has partnered with elementary schools to help kids stay active and build valuable social-emotional skills through play. As schools prepare re-opening plans, we want to help provide resources for implementing both in-school and virtual play or recess experiences. We developed Recess Guidelines to include options for what recess could look like based on CDC and state guidelines as of July 2020. We know states, districts, and individual schools are developing many plans for reopening, and no matter what variation of online or in-person experiences they offer next school year, Playworks is here to help.

View the Recess Guidelines


COVID-19 is changing the way we move, interact, and play on or off the playground.

As we move toward a new school year that will be impacted by COVID-19, we need to approach play differently. This game guide will help with transitioning to safe and healthy play and is appropriate for adaptations of the school experience for kids. It uses the Playworks SEL Game Guide and The Aspen Institute’s Return to Play Guidelines to break down the return to play into three phases by using a stoplight system to define risk categories. The recommendations below will help you understand how games can safely be integrated as kids, teachers, and school staff go back to school.

Risk categories are assigned relative to other ways of participating in that game or activity, based on the public health and scientific understandings of COVID-19 and how it can be transmitted as of July 2020. Activities are segmented into three types of risk posed both to participants and others.

 

Download the Safe Return to Play Guide

 

For more information about Playworks or any of our programs please contact info@playworks.org.

More Updates


February 7, 2023

Building Skill Through Play: Encouraging Students to Initiate and Sustain Games ›

The second semester of school is under way and it’s off to a great start! School staff have been working the entire first semester of school to create a welcoming environment at recess, teach conflict resolution skills, and play so many fun games. In January, school staff were focusing on encouraging students to initiate and…

February 3, 2023

Partnership Spotlight: Troy Community Consolidated School District ›

Playworks Illinois has so many wonderful partnerships with schools and districts throughout Illinois. One partnership we’re highlighting is with Troy Community Consolidated School District located in Will County. There are plenty of different pathways for partnerships with Playworks, so when Jill Tsoukalas, Executive Director of Instruction and Professional Development for the Troy school district reached…

January 17, 2023

Program Spotlight: TeamUp ›

Playworks offers a variety of service options to best meet the needs of our partner schools and youth serving organizations. TeamUp is a service that combines direct service and consultative support to schools to help build school staff capacity. A Playworks Site Coordinator serves in a consultant role for their schools throughout the year, utilizing…