“They don’t want to play with me!” Jasmine says with frustration. “Every time I ask a group of kids to play a game with me, they run off. When I do get a chance to play, all I hear is, ‘that’s not how you play!’ I’m not even sure if they like me.” Jasmine isn’t a student, she’s a parent volunteer who helps each week on the playground. It’s common for adults on the playground to run into challenges when introducing new games – at first! We did some investigation on the playground, and here’s what kids want from Jasmine, and you!
- Fourth grader Jerome says, “Adults are always trying to take me away from my soccer game. I like soccer. Why don’t the adults play the game I like?” Building rapport with students is a key component to your success on the playground. Start by joining their games! Make sure to give out plenty of high fives along the way. The kids will learn as you miss a goal, shake it off, and get back in the game.
- Sixth grader Luis often says, “Uhg!!! That game is for babies!” Once you’ve built some rapport, start off with an age appropriate game you’re excited about. How about Switch with first graders? Or Band Aid Tag with energetic third graders? You can teach sixth graders to act as leaders in the game by helping younger kids learn how to play.
- Monica from third grade got really excited when she found out adults were going to be playing with her at recess. When she heard Jasmine had already been on the playground for a month, Monica responded, “How come nobody told me?” Have your school make an announcement letting everyone know that the adults will be setting up games and playing. Let students know where on the playground the games will happen. You can even make a poster that shows a map of the playground. On the playground, mark off the boundaries of the game with cones or chalk so kids see where a fun game will be played. Before starting, have the kids recruit more students to play. Monica guarantees that if adults did that, she would join in.
- First grader Jacob loves playing Sharks and Minnows. At the end of recess he often says to the adult leading the game “Will you be here tomorrow?” End the game on a high note with a cheer (such as "I got eaten by a shark!" for Sharks and Minnows). Then, let the group know when and where to find you the next time.
Before you can believe it, you'll have kids seeking you out as you create a more inclusive recess!
Need help transforming your recess? Read more about our professional development workshops and schedule a Playworks trainer to come to your school.
Myla Marks loves playing wall ball at recess. Recently, a fifth grader taught her how to rebound a challenging waterfall, where the ball goes high up and close to the wall. When she’s not playing, she’s supporting Playworks trainers as they lead workshops that promote healthy communities on playgrounds across the country.
