Updates


April 28, 2022
Building Skill Through Play: Cooperation between Adults and Students ›
Our Playworks staff are leading the change when it comes to creating a safe, healthy, and inclusive playground, and none of it could be done without the support of our partner school staff. While our impact focus is generally on our students, adults are a huge, necessary component of a healthy and positive school climate…


March 30, 2022
Building Skill Through Play: Using Positive Communication ›
“Good job, nice try!” That’s one of our favorite encouragements at Playworks and you’ll hear it a lot out on a Playworks playground during recess. We utilize this phrase during game play and other activities at school as a replacement for “you’re out,” shifting to a positive affirmation vs. a negative comment that can result…


March 10, 2022
Building Skills Through Play: How Play Teaches Students How to Lose ›
At Playworks, we love to have a good time at recess. From foursquare to kickball, our school staff are always encouraging students to have fun! But recess is also so much more than that! Every month this school year, our school-based staff have been working on different life skills through play at recess, during the…


March 2, 2022
A response to HB 1134 from a Playworks Leader ›
Playworks Indiana Program Director Traneisha English volunteered to speak during the hearing for House Bill 1134, but never got called to say these powerful words against the bill. The bill, which has been widely reported on as “CRT-inspired legislation,” would have had a detrimental outcome on education in Indiana. Playworks is happy that the bill…


March 2, 2022
Using Our Voices to Support Trans Kids in Sports ›
Playworks teammates used their voices to speak out for the kids in our community. They spoke at the Indiana State Senate in February 2022 against a bill that would prevent trans kids from equitable access to sports; Playworks runs developmental sports leagues and believes that every kid can benefit from experiencing safe and healthy play…


February 17, 2022
Random Acts of Kindness Day! ›
Happy Random Acts of Kindness Day! The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation is dedicated to making kindness the norm. They believe kindness can be taught and that by using their framework and kindness curriculum, they are giving students the social and emotional skills to be successful in life. This is definitely something Playworks can get…


February 4, 2022
Playworks Indiana TeamUp Service ›
Playworks offers a variety of service options to best meet the needs of our partner schools and youth serving organizations. And while we’ve been telling you all about our Coach program recently, we want to shift gears and talk about our other school based service, TeamUp. TeamUp provides a Playworks Site Coordinator to up to…


February 4, 2022
Playworks Indiana 2021-2022 Mid Year Report ›
As we continue to navigate the challenges presented by COVID-19, Playworks has leaned into the healing power of play to strengthen and support our communities. Our partnerships have allowed us to ensure that kids across Indiana feel safe within their school, are supported by adult role models, and have access to positive outlets for physical…


January 20, 2022
Power of Play and Group Management ›
Join our two-day virtual interactive workshop teaches proven strategies to prevent and redirect challenging behavior, foster a stronger sense of engagement, develop social/emotional skills and enhance opportunities for physical activity. Taught by professional Playworks trainers, each workshop in the series draws on various learning styles and builds on core principles of child development. The program’s…