Latest / Teacher Approved: Elementary Teacher Tips & Strategies / 192. Say Goodbye to Recess Problems with These 4 Teacher Approved Fixes

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192. Say Goodbye to Recess Problems with These 4 Teacher Approved Fixes · Teacher Approved: Elementary Teacher Tips & Strategies

0:00
Heidi: This is episode 192 of Teacher Approved.
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You're listening to Teacher Approved, the podcast helping
0:09
educators elevate what matters and simplify the rest. I'm
0:12
Heidi.
0:13
Emily: And I'm Emily. We're the creators behind Second Story
0:16
Window, where we give research based and teacher approved
0:19
strategies that make teaching less stressful and more
0:22
effective. You can check out the show notes and resources from
0:25
each episode at secondstorywindow.net.
0:28
Heidi: We're so glad you're tuning in today. Let's get to
0:31
the show.
0:36
Emily: Hey there. Thanks for joining us today. In today's
0:39
episode, we're tackling some of the most common recess problems
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with advice for solving them from our teacher approved
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community.
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Heidi: Let's start with a try it tomorrow, where we share a quick
0:50
win that you can use in your classroom right away. Emily,
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what is our prompt this week?
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Emily: Try ending your day with a one good thing share. So
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before dismissal, ask students to think of one good thing that
1:01
happened during the day, like something they learned something
1:05
kind a classmate did, even something that made them laugh.
1:08
Give students 30 to 60 seconds to think of something, and then
1:11
let a few students share out loud, or let everyone share with
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a partner. Or they can write their good thing on a sticky
1:17
note for a quick class display.
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Heidi: That is such a sweet way to end the day on a positive
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note, and it helps students and you notice the good even when
1:26
the day maybe felt a little wild. Plus, it gives your
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classroom community a little boost of connection before
1:31
everyone heads out the door.
1:33
Emily: And if you like this idea or anything else we share on the
1:36
podcast, would you please take a second and give us a five star
1:39
rating and review on Apple podcasts.
1:42
All right, let's talk about recess. So in theory, recess is
1:48
this wonderful time where everyone gets a break. Kids get
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to run around, and teachers get to take a deep breath. But let's
1:56
be honest, recess often comes with its own set of challenges.
2:00
And judging by what we heard when we asked all of you in our
2:04
community how recess was going, you are all feeling the same
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way.
2:08
Heidi: Oh, my goodness, the stories we heard, everything
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from students arguing over tag rules. Oh, the eternal struggle.
2:16
You know, soccer games are ending in tears, and, of course,
2:19
the classic, the full on meltdown about who was out in
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Gaga ball. I swear whoever invented Gaga ball had no idea
2:27
of the emotional turmoil that they were unleashing on
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elementary schools everywhere.
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Emily: I remember when my son's school got Gaga ball and they
2:33
were all so excited about it, and how frequently he would come
2:36
home and mention, Oh, we didn't get to do the Gaga pit today
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because everybody was fighting. Yeah, it is like the hunger
2:43
games out there sometimes. And don't even get me started on
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coming back inside afterwards. Nothing says ready to learn like
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25 red faced, sweaty kids who are either crying or tattling or
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both.
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Heidi: Oh, the memories. Yeah. Randa told us that even though
3:02
she doesn't have recess duty, she still deals with all of the
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drama. Because, of course, it carries back into her classroom
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and she's left sorting through the mess. Stacy mentioned that
3:11
her students return from recess telling her all of the problems
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instead of telling the duty teacher. You know, it's like
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they just save up all their complaints just for us. We're so
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lucky, aren't we?
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Emily: So lucky. Special delivery! Yeah, we have been
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there. So today we're going to focus on four of the biggest
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recess challenges that you are dealing with, and we'll walk
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through some simple strategies that can help make recess less
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stressful.
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Heidi: Because, of course, we could all use fewer playground
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dramas in our lives. So let's start with what might be the
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most common challenge, recess drama that does not stay at
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recess. This is the worst. You are all ready to roll into your
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math block after recess, and then in comes the line of kids,
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where someone's crying and someone is angry and three more
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are demanding to tell you their side of the story before you can
4:00
even pass out the base stand blocks.
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Emily: Yeah, and Miranda put it perfectly when she said the
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drama that happens at recess rarely gets handled at recess.
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It carries back to my classroom, and I'm left to sort through the
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mess.
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Heidi: And she's not alone. Laura mentioned that conflicts
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continue into the classroom, and Jill shared about having two
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very sensitive girls who were constantly saying that the other
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hurt her feelings.
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Emily: Oh yes, I guarantee that you have had this sensitive duo
4:27
in your class. Bless their hearts, they could be best
4:30
friends on Monday, and they're sworn enemies by Tuesday lunch,
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and somehow, as the teacher, you're expected to play
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Relationship Coach while you're getting the rest of your class
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to work, it is too much to ask of a teacher.
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Heidi: It really is. But one thing that can really help is
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having a calm down space in your classroom just for these
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moments, nothing fancy, you know, a stool in the corner with
4:50
a journal or some scrap paper. It gives kids a second to
4:53
collect themselves before jumping back into learning.
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Sometimes just writing or drawing what happens helps get
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the emotion out in a productive way.
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Emily: You can also teach your students a go to script for
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solving small conflicts on their own, something like, I felt
5:07
blank when blank and I need blank. And Carmen mentioned that
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she teaches her students how to use I messages, saying things
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like, I don't like it when you blank, please blank. Now this is
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not magically going to stop every disagreement, but it does
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give them a tool, a way to name what's wrong and ask for a
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solution without needing an adult to intervene every single
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time. In fact, we would really like to teach them to solve
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these sort of disagreements without needing an adult.
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Heidi: And if your students are constantly getting into he said
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she said squabbles over who was out, who tagged who, who wasn't
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playing fair, Sara has this great solution for you. She
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mentioned that when they have students arguing about whether
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they're out or not during handball, they have them do rock
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paper scissors to decide. She said this simple solution really
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helps reduce conflicts or recess.
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Emily: Yeah, I have to say rock paper scissors is the unsung
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hero of classroom conflict management, especially if you
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teach the kids that it's a one and done, you don't get to do
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best two out of three, or whatever, it is rock paper
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scissors, move on.
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Heidi: Yeah. They will drag this out. Whoever got out will be
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like, Oh, best three out of five. They'll be in there the
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whole day.
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Emily: So you got to make it one and done, and then it works for
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like choosing line leaders in a pinch, settling disputes, even
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deciding who goes first in the game. It's much faster than
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flipping a coin and way less dramatic than a full on
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courtroom trial about whether Jackson was actually tagged or
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if Emma just almost tagged him.
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Heidi: Oh my gosh, the precision with which kids will debate the
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physics of tagging. My finger was one millimeter away from a
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shirt, but I felt the fabric move, so technically, I tagged
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him. With my second graders. I actually ended up just setting
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the rule, and I taught this from the first of the school year. If
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someone says they tagged you, they tagged you, even if you
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didn't feel it, pointing out to kids that the rule can help them
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when they are it as much as it might cost them when they're the
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ones being chased, can do wonders for just helping
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everyone get along.
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Emily: Oh, yes, that is brilliant, and I hope I never
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have to moderate another tag dispute in my life.
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Heidi: Yeah, no joke, I think tag ruins a lot of days at
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school.
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Problem number two is really at the heart of so many recess
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issues. Students simply don't know how to play together
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without fighting. Elizabeth told us her fourth graders argue
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about the made up rules to games they play at recess, sometimes
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to the point of physical altercations. She's had to ban
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several games already this year, and Jackie mentioned that the
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Gaga pit is particularly problematic at her school.
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Students struggle to get along and follow rules.
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Emily: Ah, that Gaga pit strikes again. Yeah, those should come
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with a warning label like may cause extreme emotional
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reactions and friendship breakdowns.
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Heidi: They'll probably sell fewer of them.
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Emily: But seriously, this is probably the most common issue
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that teachers mentioned, not just about Gaga, but about
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everything. Cece shared that student led organized games get
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too rough. They're often resorting to physical fights.
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The students involved get restricted from playing, but
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then when the restriction is over, they're back to their old
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ways before long, it's like playground amnesia or something.
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Heidi: Soccer and basketball seem to have the most problems,
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based on what we heard from you. And Carrie specifically
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mentioned boys getting too physical and competitive. And I
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have definitely witnessed soccer games that start with a friendly
8:33
passing and end with someone declaring that they're never
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playing with these kids ever again as they stomp off the
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field.
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Emily: Yeah, it can be like World Cup level dramatics on an
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elementary school soccer field, like the falling to the ground,
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the clutching of possibly not even touched limbs. Yeah,
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they've got Oscar worthy performances out there.
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Heidi: So what's the solution, right? One approach that we have
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seen work remarkably well is to actually teach recess games at
9:02
the beginning of the year and throughout the year when needed.
9:06
I know your stomach dropped when I said that, one more thing to
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teach, who has time. But Carmen shared that this has been the
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best year in terms of recess behavior in a long time, because
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at the beginning of the year, her team rotated through each
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class, teaching them recess games and rules.
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Emily: Yes, and we have shared this idea before, teaching the
9:24
games explicitly makes such a difference. When everyone
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understands the rules, there is just so much less to argue
9:30
about. And it might sound like a lot of extra work up front, but
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it really pays off throughout the year when you consider how
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much less time you have to spend breaking up these recess fights.
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It's It's like spending 20 minutes teaching kids how to
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properly clean up the art center versus spending the entire year
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finding dried glue and marker caps everywhere. You know that
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investment of time is really worth in the long run.
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Heidi: For those schools with Gaga pits or other specialized
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play areas that tend to cause problems, Jacqueline mentioned
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that they do a serious tutorial for kids at the beginning of the
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year and refreshers throughout the year when things get out of
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hand. They also have a recess supervisor stationed near the
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Gaga pit to referee and address issues before they escalate.
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Students know that if they argue too much with the referee, they
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lose Gaga pit privileges for the day or even the week. That would
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be crushing.
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Emily: Oh man, the Gaga pit police. I love it. You know,
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it's serious when you need a dedicated supervisor for like,
10:27
one little, small octagon of the playground. But what I love
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about that approach is that it's proactive rather than reactive.
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You're not waiting for problems to happen and then deal with
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them. You're setting up expectations right from the
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start.
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Heidi: Angela shared a great tip for handling competitive sports
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play. She watches over kickball and touch football and makes her
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presence known in a positive way by cheering and making calls.
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When she sees students getting hyped up, she pulls them over
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for what she calls an adrenaline talk and helps them breathe to
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learn to control it.
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Emily: I love that. And sometimes for students who
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really struggle with social skills, a little extra support
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can make a big difference. Jacqueline mentioned that they
11:09
had friendship clubs for some students to work through issues
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and learn management skills at recess a few times a week.
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Heidi: Yeah, I definitely had classes where that was a
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necessary part of our daily life, and friendship club sounds
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way better than you need to keep playing nicely group. Marketing
11:27
is everything with kids.
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Emily: So problem number three is something that will surprise
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no one who works at an elementary school, the students
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are claiming they're bored. Valerie mentioned they have a
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huge yard, but according to the students, there's nothing to do,
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which leads to poor choices and behavior problems. Vicki shared
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that when she has gone out with her students, they don't seem to
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know how to run and play and they just want to stand around
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or stand next to her.
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Heidi: Ah, the classic, there's nothing to do while standing in
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the middle of a giant playground with balls and slides ans
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basketball hoops everywhere. And then when they do find something
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to do, it's something wildly inappropriate, like trying to
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see if rocks can fly over school building.
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Emily: Yeah, exactly. Or they're using the classroom scissors
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that they snuck out to dig a massive hole at the edge of the
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field for reasons, I guess. These days, it's true that kids
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are really used to being entertained, and so sometimes
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they genuinely don't know what to do with unstructured time.
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Heidi: And as Angela pointed out, many kids may not have
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experience creating their own fun. She suggested teaching a
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few games and making sure that there are basic supplies
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available, like kickballs, sidewalk chalk and jump ropes.
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Emily: Melanie recommended teaching basic group games like
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duck, duck, goose or red light, green light. She also had a
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great idea about sending a notice to parents asking for
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help gathering some simple equipment that you can add to
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the playground.
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Heidi: That's such a smart idea. Spring is the perfect time to
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ask for donations of sidewalk chalk, jump ropes and balls. As
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Melanie pointed out, lots of families have leftovers from
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Easter baskets this time of year.
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Emily: And another approach to handling equipment, because some
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of you mentioned that's a pain point in your classroom, is to
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create a recess equipment checkout system so that things
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actually make it back inside. Your students can be responsible
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for checking out and returning items, which adds another layer
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of structure to recess time, and usually kids are more likely to
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take care of their equipment when they know it will be
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obvious if they come back in with a knotted jump rope.
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Heidi: Now, problem four is a big one, inconsistent rule
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enforcement between the adults that are on duty. Kim mentioned
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this specifically. She teaches sixth grade, and said their
13:38
afternoon recess runs smoothly because all three teachers are
13:41
on duty every day so that the rules stay consistent. But lunch
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recess is problematic because the adults on duty don't stay
13:47
consistent with the rules they've established.
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Emily: Oh, and that causes so much confusion. Plus, kids are
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surprisingly good at figuring out which adults allow what
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Heidi: Oh, they're on to you from the jump, they know.
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behaviors.
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Emily: I swear, they have like a secret spreadsheet that they all
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are like contributors on, so that they know exactly how to
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work the system.
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Heidi: They are strategic little masterminds when they want to
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be, but you know, not when it comes to math.
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Emily: So true.
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Heidi: This is, unfortunately, one recess issue that is very
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common, especially when you have different staff members,
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teachers, aides, administrators, all taking turns on recess duty.
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It's confusing for students when the rules seem to change
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depending on who happens to be watching them, and it can be
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frustrating for teachers who establish clear expectations in
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their classroom, only to have them undermined by other adults
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during recess.
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Emily: And I'm going to be honest, this problem
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specifically is a tricky one to solve. Now the ideal solution
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here would be to create a simple, visible set of
14:50
playground expectations that all staff agree to enforce. You
14:54
could post these rules on the playground and review them
14:56
regularly with both students and staff. You would also want to
15:01
establish the consequences for breaking rules and how to handle
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common scenarios like equipment disputes or injuries.
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Heidi: But what makes this so tricky is that it involves
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getting all of the other teachers and staff on board,
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which, as you know, is no small feat. I would recommend talking
15:15
to your team first and seeing how they feel about things.
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Maybe you could just start with getting everyone who has recess
15:19
at the same time as your class on board, or you can always go
15:22
to your admin and express your concerns and suggestions.
15:26
Emily: If the admin does decide to adopt school wide recess
15:29
rules, regular check ins as a staff about recess expectations
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is super helpful. Maybe once a month at staff meeting, take
15:36
five minutes to discuss what's working and what needs
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adjustment. I know another thing for the staff meeting agenda,
15:42
but it's better than having the same playground problems all
15:45
year long.
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Heidi: Another approach is to assign specific zones for duty
15:49
teachers to monitor so everyone knows the responsibility area.
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This helps ensure the whole playground is covered and rules
15:56
are consistently enforced. It's like creating a perimeter
15:59
defense against playground chaos.
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Emily: And Towanda shared a great point, if you have several
16:05
reports about your students in your absence, consider showing
16:09
up to help correct the issue sometimes. It shows both your
16:12
students and the duty teachers that you're invested in making
16:15
recess successful. Plus it gives you a chance to see firsthand
16:18
what's going on, instead of trying to piece it together from
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25 different kid perspectives.
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Heidi: Well, we don't know any magic solutions to solve recess
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problems once and for all, unfortunately, but you can help
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improve these four common recess behavior issues by applying the
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ideas that we shared today. So make a plan for students to work
16:37
through recess drama when they return to class. Give your
16:41
students opportunities to practice working together and
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handling conflict. Teach Kids how to stay busy at recess and
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make a plan for rule enforcement. You know, to the
16:50
best of your ability, at least.
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Emily: Now for our teacher approved tip, where we share an
16:56
actionable tip to help you elevate what matters and
16:59
simplify the rest. This week's teacher approved tip is try a
17:03
three day recess reset. That's fun to say. Choose one game
17:08
that's causing the most issues and reteach expectations for
17:11
three days in a row. Freeze Tag seems to be a huge source of
17:14
drama on many playgrounds, so let's use that as our example.
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Heidi: Here's how to make this work. On day one, gather your
17:20
students before recess and spend just five minutes reviewing the
17:23
rules of freeze tag, or another game that's causing headaches.
17:26
Be super specific, not just play fair, but exactly what that
17:30
means in this seemingly simple game.
17:32
Emily: Right. And the key is to make it visual. So for freeze
17:35
tag, we're actually going to go outside and mark clear
17:38
boundaries for the game, and we're going to demonstrate
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exactly what counts as being tagged. Is it any touch or does
17:45
it have to be a two finger tag? What position do you freeze in,
17:48
like a statue or crouch down? How long do you have to stay
17:52
frozen before someone can unfreeze you? You got to get
17:55
into the nitty gritty.
17:57
Heidi: The biggest freeze tag arguments that we've seen come
18:00
from kids claiming they weren't really tagged, or arguments
18:03
about boundaries. So day one is all about getting everyone
18:06
crystal clear on the details.
18:08
Emily: Then on day two, have a couple of students demonstrate
18:11
the right way to play. But here's the important part, they
18:14
also get to demonstrate the wrong way and how to handle it.
18:17
So show what happens when someone claims they weren't
18:20
tagged and model how to respectfully accept being frozen
18:24
without a 15 minute debate.
18:27
Heidi: Why do the children make this so hard? Role playing is
18:32
gold in these situations. You could have them act out
18:34
scenarios like what to do when you think someone is unfreezing
18:37
people too quickly, and how to handle it when the same person
18:40
is it for too long.
18:42
Emily: You can make it fun by having your most dramatic
18:44
students play the what not to do parts. They usually ham it up
18:47
pretty good, which makes the lesson memorable.
18:50
Heidi: And then on day three, you observe the game in action
18:53
and give specific positive feedback after recess. I noticed
18:56
Sophia froze right away when she was tagged without arguing. That
18:59
kept the game moving for everyone. Public recognition can
19:03
go a real long way.
19:04
Emily: The beauty of this three day reset is that you can repeat
19:07
it anytime things start sliding, maybe after a long weekend or
19:10
when a new student joins the class. And once you've gone
19:13
through the process a few times, students start to internalize
19:16
the expectations and even teach each other.
19:19
Heidi: That is the best part. And while the reset is about one
19:22
specific activity, you'll notice the positive effects spill over
19:25
into other recess activities too. Those conflict resolution
19:29
skills are transferable. So this might feel like it's taking you
19:32
lots of time, but it's really saving you time.
19:35
Emily: So give the three day recess reset a try, small
19:38
investment that pays huge dividends for your classroom
19:41
culture and your own sanity.
19:44
Heidi: To wrap up the show, we are showing what we're giving
19:45
extra credit to this week. Emily, what gets your extra
19:48
credit?
19:49
Emily: I'm giving extra credit to lemon crisp Kit Kats.
19:53
Heidi: I forgot about those.
19:54
Emily: I know I tried them last year and fell in love, so I was
19:58
super excited to see. I'm back again this year, but I do
20:01
believe they are seasonal, so if you want to try it, you better
20:04
jump on it. And not all stores even have them. I have kind of
20:08
found them a little tricky to find so, but it's worth it. The
20:11
hunt for the lemon crisp Kit Kat.
20:13
Heidi: They're an excellent spring treat. You might need to
20:16
stock up and throw some in your freezer.
20:18
Emily: Mm hmm. What are you giving extra credit to Heidi?
20:21
Heidi: My extra credit goes to Mucinex Instasoothe sore throat
20:25
drops. That's a mouthful, literally and figuratively, I
20:28
guess. These are like cough drops, but for sore throats, I
20:32
give them a 10 out of 10. If you get spring allergies that come
20:36
with that burning, aching throat that is so miserable, grab some
20:40
of these today, I promise you will be so happy. But even if
20:44
you don't get allergy sore throats, I'm gonna say, grab
20:47
some of these anyway and just tuck them into the back of your
20:49
desk. A couple of weeks ago, Emily and I talked about five
20:52
simple things you can do in April to prep for back to
20:55
school. Well, think about grabbing a bag of these throat
20:59
drops as your sixth suggestion. When back to school rolls
21:02
around, you will be so grateful to have these on hand those
21:06
first few days back you know how it is when your throat is so
21:09
sore from talking non stop for six hours. We're all about the
21:13
little wins here.
21:14
Emily: I love it. And that's it for today's episode. Give some
21:18
of these ideas a try to handle your most difficult recess
21:21
challenges, and don't be afraid to try a three day recess reset.
21:28
Heidi: We hope you enjoyed this episode of Teacher Approved. I'm
21:31
Heidi.
21:32
Emily: And I'm Emily. Thank you for listening. Be sure to follow
21:35
or subscribe in your podcast app so that you never miss an
21:38
episode.
21:38
Heidi: You can connect with us and other teachers in the
21:41
Teacher Approved Facebook group. We'll see you here next week.
21:44
Bye, for now.
21:45
Emily: Bye.