Monday 12 September 2016

Improving Playground Behaviour 

We think schools do a phenomenal job in difficult times under difficult circumstances. Pressure from many sources to achieve academic results means the focus for behaviour management tends to fall on the classroom. But we know many schools are trying their best to give their children constructive and fun playtimes so we'd like to offer just a few ideas which we hope you might find of interest.

1. START WITH COOPERATIVE WORKING + INFORMED DECISION MAKING
Update your playground rules in consultation with children and all staff, teaching and non-teaching alike. The rules should be linked to your whole school behaviour and anti-bullying policy. Keep them positive and keep them to a minimum! Ask the children to design a poster for the rules, the best ones get displayed in the playground.

2. ENCOURAGE KINDNESS, VALUE HELPFULNESS AND EMPATHY FOR OTHERS
Get your Midday Supervisors on side and invest in a bit of training to give them confidence in guiding the children in their play; they might even find themselves enjoying playtimes! Ensure your Midday Supervisors are given as much respect as teaching staff are and encourage consistency in behaviour management by getting them to use the rewards and sanctions structure used in the classroom. Consider asking lunchtime staff to hand out weekly certificates for acts of kindness or helpfulness in the playground, or stickers on a daily basis. Set up a Playground Buddies system - team Y6s with new intakes, building cohesion.

3. BUSY PLAYGROUNDS KEEP BOREDOM + BULLYING AT BAY
Set playtime challenges and competitions for daily/weekly use which can perhaps link in with a house or year group competition. Self-referencing competitions which can be adapted for multiple participants work well to keep a playground busy and sociable. Use older children to guide younger ones with the question, ‘How can I improve?’ Always encourage the children to come up with their own games, challenges and goals.

4. RESPONSIBILITY IS LEARNED…..
In the playground, instigate a regular ‘No Ball Games’ day to encourage children to play differently. Or consider zoning areas so that football does not dominate the playground. Zoning can help with playground safety too. Create a quiet ‘thinking time’ zone while you’re at it. Give the responsibility for different games to different year groups (see Point 3!) and/or responsibility for different pieces of equipment.

5. ….AND TRUST IS EARNED!
Finally…leave the children alone! Playtime is just that - time to play. Children all play differently and the bonus of playtime is that children are constantly learning new social and active skills all the time. You should be looking to sort the playground environment out to mould the dynamics in the playground - make sure you manage the space, not the children!
 

Our creative and constructive resources - sent free of charge after a coaching day - and our Playground Skipping Set can certainly help to keep playgrounds buzzing and bouncing for weeks and months after one of our skipping days!

Get in touch on 01743 361863 or drop us a line to find out more about how we can help keep your playground active.