Nine elementary schools in Fall River, MA have transformed their recess through Playworks Recess 360 training this spring. Recess teams of school administrators (Vice Principals and Student Adjustment Counselors), PE Teachers, and Paraprofessionals learned effective recess strategies and worked together to plan and design recess at their respective schools. The teams participated in a series of 10 workshops covering recess design, group management, and youth leadership. The trainer, Deb Sugerman, also visited each school five times to observe recess and give the recess teams feedback on what was going well and what could be changed to make recess more effective. When asked how she liked recess with Playworks, one student replied “I like it better – organized recess is more fun because we have more game choices.”
Feedback from Recess Team members has also been positive: "[Playworks] has made such a huge difference at the school where I work. I am a proud member of the 360 Team within my school (lead Para). I love learning and teaching the games and my favorite thing about Playworks is the fact that the children are resolving their own disagreements using rock, paper, scissors – it is a wonderful thing to see. I am the biggest child out there at recess and I especially love the cheers!"
For more information about the Playworks Recess 360 project in Fall River or to learn how to bring Playworks training to your school, please contact Laryssa Calhoun at lcalhoun@playworks.org
