April 28, 2025 • 22 mins
Recess drama got you down? In this episode, we’re sharing four teacher-approved fixes to common playground problems, so you can stop dreading recess duty and start feeling confident about this part of the school day. From teaching games to empowering student problem-solving, these simple strategies will help bring structure and peace to your playground!
Prefer to read? Grab the episode transcript and resources in the show notes here: https://www.secondstorywindow.net/podcast/recess-problems-for-teachers/
Resources:
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Related Episodes to Enjoy:
- Episode 175, 10 Easy Ways to Prevent Behavior Problems Before They Start
- Episode 151, Teacher Work Smarter Tip: Plan for Inside Recess Now
- Episode 110, Our Favorite Indoor Recess Ideas
- Episode 92, Teacher Approved Tips: Teaching Recess Games and How to Save Time
Mentioned in this episode:
The July Secret: How Smart Teachers Use Summer to Start Strong, Not Stressed. Join us for a free training where we'll show you how to use July strategically so you can feel prepared for back-to-school without the guilt or overwhelm. Sign up at https://secondstorywindow.net/july
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Heidi (00:00):
This is episode 192 of Teacher Approved.
You're listening to TeacherApproved, the podcast helping
educators elevate what mattersand simplify the rest. I'm
Heidi.
Emily (00:13):
And I'm Emily. We're the creators behind Second Story
Window, where we give researchbased and teacher approved
strategies that make teachingless stressful and more
effective. You can check out theshow notes and resources from
each episode atsecondstorywindow.net.
Heidi (00:28):
We're so glad you're tuning in today. Let's get to
the show.
Emily (00:36):
Hey there. Thanks for joining us today. In today's
episode, we're tackling some ofthe most common recess problems
with advice for solving themfrom our teacher approved
community.
Heidi (00:47):
Let's start with a try it tomorrow, where we share a quick
win that you can use in yourclassroom right away. Emily,
what is our prompt this week?
Emily (00:54):
Try ending your day with a one good thing share. So
before dismissal, ask studentsto think of one good thing that
happened during the day, likesomething they learned something
kind a classmate did, evensomething that made them laugh.
Give students 30 to 60 secondsto think of something, and then
let a few students share outloud, or let everyone share with
a partner. Or they can writetheir good thing on a sticky
(01:17):
note for a quick class display.
Heidi (01:19):
That is such a sweet way to end the day on a positive
note, and it helps students andyou notice the good even when
the day maybe felt a littlewild. Plus, it gives your
classroom community a littleboost of connection before
everyone heads out the door.
Emily (01:33):
And if you like this idea or anything else we share on the
podcast, would you please take asecond and give us a five star
rating and review on Applepodcasts.
All right, let's talk aboutrecess. So in theory, recess is
this wonderful time whereeveryone gets a break. Kids get
to run around, and teachers getto take a deep breath. But let's
(01:56):
be honest, recess often comeswith its own set of challenges.
And judging by what we heardwhen we asked all of you in our
community how recess was going,you are all feeling the same
way.
Heidi (02:08):
Oh, my goodness, the stories we heard, everything
from students arguing over tagrules. Oh, the eternal struggle.
You know, soccer games areending in tears, and, of course,
the classic, the full onmeltdown about who was out in
Gaga ball. I swear whoeverinvented Gaga ball had no idea
of the emotional turmoil thatthey were unleashing on
(02:29):
elementary schools everywhere.
Emily (02:31):
I remember when my son's school got Gaga ball and they
were all so excited about it,and how frequently he would come
home and mention, Oh, we didn'tget to do the Gaga pit today
because everybody was fighting.Yeah, it is like the hunger
games out there sometimes. Anddon't even get me started on
coming back inside afterwards.Nothing says ready to learn like
(02:52):
25 red faced, sweaty kids whoare either crying or tattling or
both.
Heidi (02:57):
Oh, the memories. Yeah. Randa told us that even though
she doesn't have recess duty,she still deals with all of the
drama. Because, of course, itcarries back into her classroom
and she's left sorting throughthe mess. Stacy mentioned that
her students return from recesstelling her all of the problems
instead of telling the dutyteacher. You know, it's like
(03:17):
they just save up all theircomplaints just for us. We're so
lucky, aren't we?
Emily (03:21):
So lucky. Special delivery! Yeah, we have been
there. So today we're going tofocus on four of the biggest
recess challenges that you aredealing with, and we'll walk
through some simple strategiesthat can help make recess less
stressful.
Heidi (03:36):
Because, of course, we could all use fewer playground
dramas in our lives. So let'sstart with what might be the
most common challenge, recessdrama that does not stay at
recess. This is the worst. Youare all ready to roll into your
math block after recess, andthen in comes the line of kids,
where someone's crying andsomeone is angry and three more
(03:57):
are demanding to tell you theirside of the story before you can
even pass out the base standblocks.
Emily (04:02):
Yeah, and Miranda put it perfectly when she said the
drama that happens at recessrarely gets handled at recess.
It carries back to my classroom,and I'm left to sort through the
mess.
Heidi (04:11):
And she's not alone. Laura mentioned that conflicts
continue into the classroom, andJill shared about having two
very sensitive girls who wereconstantly saying that the other
hurt her feelings.
Emily (04:22):
Oh yes, I guarantee that you have had this sensitive duo
in your class. Bless theirhearts, they could be best
friends on Monday, and they'resworn enemies by Tuesday lunch,
and somehow, as the teacher,you're expected to play
Relationship Coach while you'regetting the rest of your class
to work, it is too much to askof a teacher.
Heidi (04:41):
It really is. But one thing that can really help is
having a calm down space in yourclassroom just for these
moments, nothing fancy, youknow, a stool in the corner with
a journal or some scrap paper.It gives kids a second to
collect themselves beforejumping back into learning.
Sometimes just writing ordrawing what happens helps get
the emotion out in a productiveway.
Emily (05:00):
You can also teach your students a go to script for
solving small conflicts on theirown, something like, I felt
blank when blank and I needblank. And Carmen mentioned that
she teaches her students how touse I messages, saying things
like, I don't like it when youblank, please blank. Now this is
not magically going to stopevery disagreement, but it does
(05:23):
give them a tool, a way to namewhat's wrong and ask for a
solution without needing anadult to intervene every single
time. In fact, we would reallylike to teach them to solve
these sort of disagreementswithout needing an adult.
Heidi (05:37):
And if your students are constantly getting into he said
she said squabbles over who wasout, who tagged who, who wasn't
playing fair, Sara has thisgreat solution for you. She
mentioned that when they havestudents arguing about whether
they're out or not duringhandball, they have them do rock
paper scissors to decide. Shesaid this simple solution really
helps reduce conflicts orrecess.
Emily (05:59):
Yeah, I have to say rock paper scissors is the unsung
hero of classroom conflictmanagement, especially if you
teach the kids that it's a oneand done, you don't get to do
best two out of three, orwhatever, it is rock paper
scissors, move on.
Heidi (06:13):
Yeah. They will drag this out. Whoever got out will be
like, Oh, best three out offive. They'll be in there the
whole day.
Emily (06:20):
So you got to make it one and done, and then it works for
like choosing line leaders in apinch, settling disputes, even
deciding who goes first in thegame. It's much faster than
flipping a coin and way lessdramatic than a full on
courtroom trial about whetherJackson was actually tagged or
if Emma just almost tagged him.
Heidi (06:38):
Oh my gosh, the precision with which kids will debate the
physics of tagging. My fingerwas one millimeter away from a
shirt, but I felt the fabricmove, so technically, I tagged
him. With my second graders. Iactually ended up just setting
the rule, and I taught this fromthe first of the school year. If
someone says they tagged you,they tagged you, even if you
(06:59):
didn't feel it, pointing out tokids that the rule can help them
when they are it as much as itmight cost them when they're the
ones being chased, can dowonders for just helping
everyone get along.
Emily (07:10):
Oh, yes, that is brilliant, and I hope I never
have to moderate another tagdispute in my life.
Heidi (07:17):
Yeah, no joke, I think tag ruins a lot of days at
school.
Problem number two is really atthe heart of so many recess
issues. Students simply don'tknow how to play together
without fighting. Elizabeth toldus her fourth graders argue
about the made up rules to gamesthey play at recess, sometimes
to the point of physicalaltercations. She's had to ban
(07:37):
several games already this year,and Jackie mentioned that the
Gaga pit is particularlyproblematic at her school.
Students struggle to get alongand follow rules.
Emily (07:46):
Ah, that Gaga pit strikes again. Yeah, those should come
with a warning label like maycause extreme emotional
reactions and friendshipbreakdowns.
Heidi (07:56):
They'll probably sell fewer of them.
Emily (08:00):
But seriously, this is probably the most common issue
that teachers mentioned, notjust about Gaga, but about
everything. Cece shared thatstudent led organized games get
too rough. They're oftenresorting to physical fights.
The students involved getrestricted from playing, but
then when the restriction isover, they're back to their old
ways before long, it's likeplayground amnesia or something.
Heidi (08:22):
Soccer and basketball seem to have the most problems,
based on what we heard from you.And Carrie specifically
mentioned boys getting toophysical and competitive. And I
have definitely witnessed soccergames that start with a friendly
passing and end with someonedeclaring that they're never
playing with these kids everagain as they stomp off the
field.
Emily (08:39):
Yeah, it can be like World Cup level dramatics on an
elementary school soccer field,like the falling to the ground,
the clutching of possibly noteven touched limbs. Yeah,
they've got Oscar worthyperformances out there.
Heidi (08:54):
So what's the solution, right? One approach that we have
seen work remarkably well is toactually teach recess games at
the beginning of the year andthroughout the year when needed.
I know your stomach dropped whenI said that, one more thing to
teach, who has time. But Carmenshared that this has been the
best year in terms of recessbehavior in a long time, because
(09:16):
at the beginning of the year,her team rotated through each
class, teaching them recessgames and rules.
Emily (09:21):
Yes, and we have shared this idea before, teaching the
games explicitly makes such adifference. When everyone
understands the rules, there isjust so much less to argue
about. And it might sound like alot of extra work up front, but
it really pays off throughoutthe year when you consider how
much less time you have to spendbreaking up these recess fights.
It's It's like spending 20minutes teaching kids how to
(09:42):
properly clean up the art centerversus spending the entire year
finding dried glue and markercaps everywhere. You know that
investment of time is reallyworth in the long run.
Heidi (09:53):
For those schools with Gaga pits or other specialized
play areas that tend to causeproblems, Jacqueline mentioned
that they do a serious tutorialfor kids at the beginning of the
year and refreshers throughoutthe year when things get out of
hand. They also have a recesssupervisor stationed near the
Gaga pit to referee and addressissues before they escalate.
Students know that if they arguetoo much with the referee, they
(10:14):
lose Gaga pit privileges for theday or even the week. That would
be crushing.
Emily (10:19):
Oh man, the Gaga pit police. I love it. You know,
it's serious when you need adedicated supervisor for like,
one little, small octagon of theplayground. But what I love
about that approach is that it'sproactive rather than reactive.
You're not waiting for problemsto happen and then deal with
them. You're setting upexpectations right from the
(10:40):
start.
Heidi (10:41):
Angela shared a great tip for handling competitive sports
play. She watches over kickballand touch football and makes her
presence known in a positive wayby cheering and making calls.
When she sees students gettinghyped up, she pulls them over
for what she calls an adrenalinetalk and helps them breathe to
learn to control it.
Emily (10:59):
I love that. And sometimes for students who
really struggle with socialskills, a little extra support
can make a big difference.Jacqueline mentioned that they
had friendship clubs for somestudents to work through issues
and learn management skills atrecess a few times a week.
Heidi (11:16):
Yeah, I definitely had classes where that was a
necessary part of our dailylife, and friendship club sounds
way better than you need to keepplaying nicely group. Marketing
is everything with kids.
Emily (11:29):
So problem number three is something that will surprise
no one who works at anelementary school, the students
are claiming they're bored.Valerie mentioned they have a
huge yard, but according to thestudents, there's nothing to do,
which leads to poor choices andbehavior problems. Vicki shared
that when she has gone out withher students, they don't seem to
know how to run and play andthey just want to stand around
(11:51):
or stand next to her.
Heidi (11:55):
Ah, the classic, there's nothing to do while standing in
the middle of a giant playgroundwith balls and slides ans
basketball hoops everywhere. Andthen when they do find something
to do, it's something wildlyinappropriate, like trying to
see if rocks can fly over schoolbuilding.
Emily (12:10):
Yeah, exactly. Or they're using the classroom scissors
that they snuck out to dig amassive hole at the edge of the
field for reasons, I guess.These days, it's true that kids
are really used to beingentertained, and so sometimes
they genuinely don't know whatto do with unstructured time.
Heidi (12:29):
And as Angela pointed out, many kids may not have
experience creating their ownfun. She suggested teaching a
few games and making sure thatthere are basic supplies
available, like kickballs,sidewalk chalk and jump ropes.
Emily (12:40):
Melanie recommended teaching basic group games like
duck, duck, goose or red light,green light. She also had a
great idea about sending anotice to parents asking for
help gathering some simpleequipment that you can add to
the playground.
Heidi (12:53):
That's such a smart idea. Spring is the perfect time to
ask for donations of sidewalkchalk, jump ropes and balls. As
Melanie pointed out, lots offamilies have leftovers from
Easter baskets this time ofyear.
Emily (13:03):
And another approach to handling equipment, because some
of you mentioned that's a painpoint in your classroom, is to
create a recess equipmentcheckout system so that things
actually make it back inside.Your students can be responsible
for checking out and returningitems, which adds another layer
of structure to recess time, andusually kids are more likely to
(13:23):
take care of their equipmentwhen they know it will be
obvious if they come back inwith a knotted jump rope.
Heidi (13:30):
Now, problem four is a big one, inconsistent rule
enforcement between the adultsthat are on duty. Kim mentioned
this specifically. She teachessixth grade, and said their
afternoon recess runs smoothlybecause all three teachers are
on duty every day so that therules stay consistent. But lunch
recess is problematic becausethe adults on duty don't stay
consistent with the rulesthey've established.
Emily (13:50):
Oh, and that causes so much confusion. Plus, kids are
surprisingly good at figuringout which adults allow what
Heidi (13:57):
Oh, they're on to you from the jump, they know.
behaviors.
Emily (14:02):
I swear, they have like a secret spreadsheet that they all
are like contributors on, sothat they know exactly how to
work the system.
Heidi (14:10):
They are strategic little masterminds when they want to
be, but you know, not when itcomes to math.
Emily (14:15):
So true.
Heidi (14:17):
This is, unfortunately, one recess issue that is very
common, especially when you havedifferent staff members,
teachers, aides, administrators,all taking turns on recess duty.
It's confusing for students whenthe rules seem to change
depending on who happens to bewatching them, and it can be
frustrating for teachers whoestablish clear expectations in
their classroom, only to havethem undermined by other adults
(14:38):
during recess.
Emily (14:39):
And I'm going to be honest, this problem
specifically is a tricky one tosolve. Now the ideal solution
here would be to create asimple, visible set of
playground expectations that allstaff agree to enforce. You
could post these rules on theplayground and review them
regularly with both students andstaff. You would also want to
(15:01):
establish the consequences forbreaking rules and how to handle
common scenarios like equipmentdisputes or injuries.
Heidi (15:07):
But what makes this so tricky is that it involves
getting all of the otherteachers and staff on board,
which, as you know, is no smallfeat. I would recommend talking
to your team first and seeinghow they feel about things.
Maybe you could just start withgetting everyone who has recess
at the same time as your classon board, or you can always go
to your admin and express yourconcerns and suggestions.
Emily (15:26):
If the admin does decide to adopt school wide recess
rules, regular check ins as astaff about recess expectations
is super helpful. Maybe once amonth at staff meeting, take
five minutes to discuss what'sworking and what needs
adjustment. I know another thingfor the staff meeting agenda,
but it's better than having thesame playground problems all
year long.
Heidi (15:46):
Another approach is to assign specific zones for duty
teachers to monitor so everyoneknows the responsibility area.
This helps ensure the wholeplayground is covered and rules
are consistently enforced. It'slike creating a perimeter
defense against playgroundchaos.
Emily (16:02):
And Towanda shared a great point, if you have several
reports about your students inyour absence, consider showing
up to help correct the issuesometimes. It shows both your
students and the duty teachersthat you're invested in making
recess successful. Plus it givesyou a chance to see firsthand
what's going on, instead oftrying to piece it together from
25 different kid perspectives.
Heidi (16:24):
Well, we don't know any magic solutions to solve recess
problems once and for all,unfortunately, but you can help
improve these four common recessbehavior issues by applying the
ideas that we shared today. Somake a plan for students to work
through recess drama when theyreturn to class. Give your
students opportunities topractice working together and
handling conflict. Teach Kidshow to stay busy at recess and
(16:47):
make a plan for ruleenforcement. You know, to the
best of your ability, at least.
Emily (16:53):
Now for our teacher approved tip, where we share an
actionable tip to help youelevate what matters and
simplify the rest. This week'steacher approved tip is try a
three day recess reset. That'sfun to say. Choose one game
that's causing the most issuesand reteach expectations for
three days in a row. Freeze Tagseems to be a huge source of
(17:14):
drama on many playgrounds, solet's use that as our example.
Heidi (17:18):
Here's how to make this work. On day one, gather your
students before recess and spendjust five minutes reviewing the
rules of freeze tag, or anothergame that's causing headaches.
Be super specific, not just playfair, but exactly what that
means in this seemingly simplegame.
Emily (17:32):
Right. And the key is to make it visual. So for freeze
tag, we're actually going to gooutside and mark clear
boundaries for the game, andwe're going to demonstrate
exactly what counts as beingtagged. Is it any touch or does
it have to be a two finger tag?What position do you freeze in,
like a statue or crouch down?How long do you have to stay
frozen before someone canunfreeze you? You got to get
(17:55):
into the nitty gritty.
Heidi (17:57):
The biggest freeze tag arguments that we've seen come
from kids claiming they weren'treally tagged, or arguments
about boundaries. So day one isall about getting everyone
crystal clear on the details.
Emily (18:08):
Then on day two, have a couple of students demonstrate
the right way to play. Buthere's the important part, they
also get to demonstrate thewrong way and how to handle it.
So show what happens whensomeone claims they weren't
tagged and model how torespectfully accept being frozen
without a 15 minute debate.
Heidi (18:27):
Why do the children make this so hard? Role playing is
gold in these situations. Youcould have them act out
scenarios like what to do whenyou think someone is unfreezing
people too quickly, and how tohandle it when the same person
is it for too long.
Emily (18:42):
You can make it fun by having your most dramatic
students play the what not to doparts. They usually ham it up
pretty good, which makes thelesson memorable.
Heidi (18:50):
And then on day three, you observe the game in action
and give specific positivefeedback after recess. I noticed
Sophia froze right away when shewas tagged without arguing. That
kept the game moving foreveryone. Public recognition can
go a real long way.
Emily (19:04):
The beauty of this three day reset is that you can repeat
it anytime things start sliding,maybe after a long weekend or
when a new student joins theclass. And once you've gone
through the process a few times,students start to internalize
the expectations and even teacheach other.
Heidi (19:19):
That is the best part. And while the reset is about one
specific activity, you'll noticethe positive effects spill over
into other recess activitiestoo. Those conflict resolution
skills are transferable. So thismight feel like it's taking you
lots of time, but it's reallysaving you time.
Emily (19:35):
So give the three day recess reset a try, small
investment that pays hugedividends for your classroom
culture and your own sanity.
Heidi (19:44):
To wrap up the show, we are showing what we're giving
extra credit to this week.Emily, what gets your extra
credit?
Emily (19:49):
I'm giving extra credit to lemon crisp Kit Kats.
Heidi (19:53):
I forgot about those.
Emily (19:54):
I know I tried them last year and fell in love, so I was
super excited to see. I'm backagain this year, but I do
believe they are seasonal, so ifyou want to try it, you better
jump on it. And not all storeseven have them. I have kind of
found them a little tricky tofind so, but it's worth it. The
hunt for the lemon crisp KitKat.
Heidi (20:13):
They're an excellent spring treat. You might need to
stock up and throw some in yourfreezer.
Emily (20:18):
Mm hmm. What are you giving extra credit to Heidi?
Heidi (20:21):
My extra credit goes to Mucinex Instasoothe sore throat
drops. That's a mouthful,literally and figuratively, I
guess. These are like coughdrops, but for sore throats, I
give them a 10 out of 10. If youget spring allergies that come
with that burning, aching throatthat is so miserable, grab some
of these today, I promise youwill be so happy. But even if
(20:44):
you don't get allergy sorethroats, I'm gonna say, grab
some of these anyway and justtuck them into the back of your
desk. A couple of weeks ago,Emily and I talked about five
simple things you can do inApril to prep for back to
school. Well, think aboutgrabbing a bag of these throat
drops as your sixth suggestion.When back to school rolls
around, you will be so gratefulto have these on hand those
(21:06):
first few days back you know howit is when your throat is so
sore from talking non stop forsix hours. We're all about the
little wins here.
Emily (21:14):
I love it. And that's it for today's episode. Give some
of these ideas a try to handleyour most difficult recess
challenges, and don't be afraidto try a three day recess reset.
Heidi (21:28):
We hope you enjoyed this episode of Teacher Approved. I'm
Heidi.
Emily (21:32):
And I'm Emily. Thank you for listening. Be sure to follow
or subscribe in your podcast appso that you never miss an
episode.
Heidi (21:38):
You can connect with us and other teachers in the
Teacher Approved Facebook group.We'll see you here next week.
Bye, for now.
Emily (21:45):
Bye.
This is episode 192 of Teacher Approved.
You're listening to TeacherApproved, the podcast helping
educators elevate what mattersand simplify the rest. I'm
Heidi.
Emily (00:13):
And I'm Emily. We're the creators behind Second Story
Window, where we give researchbased and teacher approved
strategies that make teachingless stressful and more
effective. You can check out theshow notes and resources from
each episode atsecondstorywindow.net.
Heidi (00:28):
We're so glad you're tuning in today. Let's get to
the show.
Emily (00:36):
Hey there. Thanks for joining us today. In today's
episode, we're tackling some ofthe most common recess problems
with advice for solving themfrom our teacher approved
community.
Heidi (00:47):
Let's start with a try it tomorrow, where we share a quick
win that you can use in yourclassroom right away. Emily,
what is our prompt this week?
Emily (00:54):
Try ending your day with a one good thing share. So
before dismissal, ask studentsto think of one good thing that
happened during the day, likesomething they learned something
kind a classmate did, evensomething that made them laugh.
Give students 30 to 60 secondsto think of something, and then
let a few students share outloud, or let everyone share with
a partner. Or they can writetheir good thing on a sticky
(01:17):
note for a quick class display.
Heidi (01:19):
That is such a sweet way to end the day on a positive
note, and it helps students andyou notice the good even when
the day maybe felt a littlewild. Plus, it gives your
classroom community a littleboost of connection before
everyone heads out the door.
Emily (01:33):
And if you like this idea or anything else we share on the
podcast, would you please take asecond and give us a five star
rating and review on Applepodcasts.
All right, let's talk aboutrecess. So in theory, recess is
this wonderful time whereeveryone gets a break. Kids get
to run around, and teachers getto take a deep breath. But let's
(01:56):
be honest, recess often comeswith its own set of challenges.
And judging by what we heardwhen we asked all of you in our
community how recess was going,you are all feeling the same
way.
Heidi (02:08):
Oh, my goodness, the stories we heard, everything
from students arguing over tagrules. Oh, the eternal struggle.
You know, soccer games areending in tears, and, of course,
the classic, the full onmeltdown about who was out in
Gaga ball. I swear whoeverinvented Gaga ball had no idea
of the emotional turmoil thatthey were unleashing on
(02:29):
elementary schools everywhere.
Emily (02:31):
I remember when my son's school got Gaga ball and they
were all so excited about it,and how frequently he would come
home and mention, Oh, we didn'tget to do the Gaga pit today
because everybody was fighting.Yeah, it is like the hunger
games out there sometimes. Anddon't even get me started on
coming back inside afterwards.Nothing says ready to learn like
(02:52):
25 red faced, sweaty kids whoare either crying or tattling or
both.
Heidi (02:57):
Oh, the memories. Yeah. Randa told us that even though
she doesn't have recess duty,she still deals with all of the
drama. Because, of course, itcarries back into her classroom
and she's left sorting throughthe mess. Stacy mentioned that
her students return from recesstelling her all of the problems
instead of telling the dutyteacher. You know, it's like
(03:17):
they just save up all theircomplaints just for us. We're so
lucky, aren't we?
Emily (03:21):
So lucky. Special delivery! Yeah, we have been
there. So today we're going tofocus on four of the biggest
recess challenges that you aredealing with, and we'll walk
through some simple strategiesthat can help make recess less
stressful.
Heidi (03:36):
Because, of course, we could all use fewer playground
dramas in our lives. So let'sstart with what might be the
most common challenge, recessdrama that does not stay at
recess. This is the worst. Youare all ready to roll into your
math block after recess, andthen in comes the line of kids,
where someone's crying andsomeone is angry and three more
(03:57):
are demanding to tell you theirside of the story before you can
even pass out the base standblocks.
Emily (04:02):
Yeah, and Miranda put it perfectly when she said the
drama that happens at recessrarely gets handled at recess.
It carries back to my classroom,and I'm left to sort through the
mess.
Heidi (04:11):
And she's not alone. Laura mentioned that conflicts
continue into the classroom, andJill shared about having two
very sensitive girls who wereconstantly saying that the other
hurt her feelings.
Emily (04:22):
Oh yes, I guarantee that you have had this sensitive duo
in your class. Bless theirhearts, they could be best
friends on Monday, and they'resworn enemies by Tuesday lunch,
and somehow, as the teacher,you're expected to play
Relationship Coach while you'regetting the rest of your class
to work, it is too much to askof a teacher.
Heidi (04:41):
It really is. But one thing that can really help is
having a calm down space in yourclassroom just for these
moments, nothing fancy, youknow, a stool in the corner with
a journal or some scrap paper.It gives kids a second to
collect themselves beforejumping back into learning.
Sometimes just writing ordrawing what happens helps get
the emotion out in a productiveway.
Emily (05:00):
You can also teach your students a go to script for
solving small conflicts on theirown, something like, I felt
blank when blank and I needblank. And Carmen mentioned that
she teaches her students how touse I messages, saying things
like, I don't like it when youblank, please blank. Now this is
not magically going to stopevery disagreement, but it does
(05:23):
give them a tool, a way to namewhat's wrong and ask for a
solution without needing anadult to intervene every single
time. In fact, we would reallylike to teach them to solve
these sort of disagreementswithout needing an adult.
Heidi (05:37):
And if your students are constantly getting into he said
she said squabbles over who wasout, who tagged who, who wasn't
playing fair, Sara has thisgreat solution for you. She
mentioned that when they havestudents arguing about whether
they're out or not duringhandball, they have them do rock
paper scissors to decide. Shesaid this simple solution really
helps reduce conflicts orrecess.
Emily (05:59):
Yeah, I have to say rock paper scissors is the unsung
hero of classroom conflictmanagement, especially if you
teach the kids that it's a oneand done, you don't get to do
best two out of three, orwhatever, it is rock paper
scissors, move on.
Heidi (06:13):
Yeah. They will drag this out. Whoever got out will be
like, Oh, best three out offive. They'll be in there the
whole day.
Emily (06:20):
So you got to make it one and done, and then it works for
like choosing line leaders in apinch, settling disputes, even
deciding who goes first in thegame. It's much faster than
flipping a coin and way lessdramatic than a full on
courtroom trial about whetherJackson was actually tagged or
if Emma just almost tagged him.
Heidi (06:38):
Oh my gosh, the precision with which kids will debate the
physics of tagging. My fingerwas one millimeter away from a
shirt, but I felt the fabricmove, so technically, I tagged
him. With my second graders. Iactually ended up just setting
the rule, and I taught this fromthe first of the school year. If
someone says they tagged you,they tagged you, even if you
(06:59):
didn't feel it, pointing out tokids that the rule can help them
when they are it as much as itmight cost them when they're the
ones being chased, can dowonders for just helping
everyone get along.
Emily (07:10):
Oh, yes, that is brilliant, and I hope I never
have to moderate another tagdispute in my life.
Heidi (07:17):
Yeah, no joke, I think tag ruins a lot of days at
school.
Problem number two is really atthe heart of so many recess
issues. Students simply don'tknow how to play together
without fighting. Elizabeth toldus her fourth graders argue
about the made up rules to gamesthey play at recess, sometimes
to the point of physicalaltercations. She's had to ban
(07:37):
several games already this year,and Jackie mentioned that the
Gaga pit is particularlyproblematic at her school.
Students struggle to get alongand follow rules.
Emily (07:46):
Ah, that Gaga pit strikes again. Yeah, those should come
with a warning label like maycause extreme emotional
reactions and friendshipbreakdowns.
Heidi (07:56):
They'll probably sell fewer of them.
Emily (08:00):
But seriously, this is probably the most common issue
that teachers mentioned, notjust about Gaga, but about
everything. Cece shared thatstudent led organized games get
too rough. They're oftenresorting to physical fights.
The students involved getrestricted from playing, but
then when the restriction isover, they're back to their old
ways before long, it's likeplayground amnesia or something.
Heidi (08:22):
Soccer and basketball seem to have the most problems,
based on what we heard from you.And Carrie specifically
mentioned boys getting toophysical and competitive. And I
have definitely witnessed soccergames that start with a friendly
passing and end with someonedeclaring that they're never
playing with these kids everagain as they stomp off the
field.
Emily (08:39):
Yeah, it can be like World Cup level dramatics on an
elementary school soccer field,like the falling to the ground,
the clutching of possibly noteven touched limbs. Yeah,
they've got Oscar worthyperformances out there.
Heidi (08:54):
So what's the solution, right? One approach that we have
seen work remarkably well is toactually teach recess games at
the beginning of the year andthroughout the year when needed.
I know your stomach dropped whenI said that, one more thing to
teach, who has time. But Carmenshared that this has been the
best year in terms of recessbehavior in a long time, because
(09:16):
at the beginning of the year,her team rotated through each
class, teaching them recessgames and rules.
Emily (09:21):
Yes, and we have shared this idea before, teaching the
games explicitly makes such adifference. When everyone
understands the rules, there isjust so much less to argue
about. And it might sound like alot of extra work up front, but
it really pays off throughoutthe year when you consider how
much less time you have to spendbreaking up these recess fights.
It's It's like spending 20minutes teaching kids how to
(09:42):
properly clean up the art centerversus spending the entire year
finding dried glue and markercaps everywhere. You know that
investment of time is reallyworth in the long run.
Heidi (09:53):
For those schools with Gaga pits or other specialized
play areas that tend to causeproblems, Jacqueline mentioned
that they do a serious tutorialfor kids at the beginning of the
year and refreshers throughoutthe year when things get out of
hand. They also have a recesssupervisor stationed near the
Gaga pit to referee and addressissues before they escalate.
Students know that if they arguetoo much with the referee, they
(10:14):
lose Gaga pit privileges for theday or even the week. That would
be crushing.
Emily (10:19):
Oh man, the Gaga pit police. I love it. You know,
it's serious when you need adedicated supervisor for like,
one little, small octagon of theplayground. But what I love
about that approach is that it'sproactive rather than reactive.
You're not waiting for problemsto happen and then deal with
them. You're setting upexpectations right from the
(10:40):
start.
Heidi (10:41):
Angela shared a great tip for handling competitive sports
play. She watches over kickballand touch football and makes her
presence known in a positive wayby cheering and making calls.
When she sees students gettinghyped up, she pulls them over
for what she calls an adrenalinetalk and helps them breathe to
learn to control it.
Emily (10:59):
I love that. And sometimes for students who
really struggle with socialskills, a little extra support
can make a big difference.Jacqueline mentioned that they
had friendship clubs for somestudents to work through issues
and learn management skills atrecess a few times a week.
Heidi (11:16):
Yeah, I definitely had classes where that was a
necessary part of our dailylife, and friendship club sounds
way better than you need to keepplaying nicely group. Marketing
is everything with kids.
Emily (11:29):
So problem number three is something that will surprise
no one who works at anelementary school, the students
are claiming they're bored.Valerie mentioned they have a
huge yard, but according to thestudents, there's nothing to do,
which leads to poor choices andbehavior problems. Vicki shared
that when she has gone out withher students, they don't seem to
know how to run and play andthey just want to stand around
(11:51):
or stand next to her.
Heidi (11:55):
Ah, the classic, there's nothing to do while standing in
the middle of a giant playgroundwith balls and slides ans
basketball hoops everywhere. Andthen when they do find something
to do, it's something wildlyinappropriate, like trying to
see if rocks can fly over schoolbuilding.
Emily (12:10):
Yeah, exactly. Or they're using the classroom scissors
that they snuck out to dig amassive hole at the edge of the
field for reasons, I guess.These days, it's true that kids
are really used to beingentertained, and so sometimes
they genuinely don't know whatto do with unstructured time.
Heidi (12:29):
And as Angela pointed out, many kids may not have
experience creating their ownfun. She suggested teaching a
few games and making sure thatthere are basic supplies
available, like kickballs,sidewalk chalk and jump ropes.
Emily (12:40):
Melanie recommended teaching basic group games like
duck, duck, goose or red light,green light. She also had a
great idea about sending anotice to parents asking for
help gathering some simpleequipment that you can add to
the playground.
Heidi (12:53):
That's such a smart idea. Spring is the perfect time to
ask for donations of sidewalkchalk, jump ropes and balls. As
Melanie pointed out, lots offamilies have leftovers from
Easter baskets this time ofyear.
Emily (13:03):
And another approach to handling equipment, because some
of you mentioned that's a painpoint in your classroom, is to
create a recess equipmentcheckout system so that things
actually make it back inside.Your students can be responsible
for checking out and returningitems, which adds another layer
of structure to recess time, andusually kids are more likely to
(13:23):
take care of their equipmentwhen they know it will be
obvious if they come back inwith a knotted jump rope.
Heidi (13:30):
Now, problem four is a big one, inconsistent rule
enforcement between the adultsthat are on duty. Kim mentioned
this specifically. She teachessixth grade, and said their
afternoon recess runs smoothlybecause all three teachers are
on duty every day so that therules stay consistent. But lunch
recess is problematic becausethe adults on duty don't stay
consistent with the rulesthey've established.
Emily (13:50):
Oh, and that causes so much confusion. Plus, kids are
surprisingly good at figuringout which adults allow what
Heidi (13:57):
Oh, they're on to you from the jump, they know.
behaviors.
Emily (14:02):
I swear, they have like a secret spreadsheet that they all
are like contributors on, sothat they know exactly how to
work the system.
Heidi (14:10):
They are strategic little masterminds when they want to
be, but you know, not when itcomes to math.
Emily (14:15):
So true.
Heidi (14:17):
This is, unfortunately, one recess issue that is very
common, especially when you havedifferent staff members,
teachers, aides, administrators,all taking turns on recess duty.
It's confusing for students whenthe rules seem to change
depending on who happens to bewatching them, and it can be
frustrating for teachers whoestablish clear expectations in
their classroom, only to havethem undermined by other adults
(14:38):
during recess.
Emily (14:39):
And I'm going to be honest, this problem
specifically is a tricky one tosolve. Now the ideal solution
here would be to create asimple, visible set of
playground expectations that allstaff agree to enforce. You
could post these rules on theplayground and review them
regularly with both students andstaff. You would also want to
(15:01):
establish the consequences forbreaking rules and how to handle
common scenarios like equipmentdisputes or injuries.
Heidi (15:07):
But what makes this so tricky is that it involves
getting all of the otherteachers and staff on board,
which, as you know, is no smallfeat. I would recommend talking
to your team first and seeinghow they feel about things.
Maybe you could just start withgetting everyone who has recess
at the same time as your classon board, or you can always go
to your admin and express yourconcerns and suggestions.
Emily (15:26):
If the admin does decide to adopt school wide recess
rules, regular check ins as astaff about recess expectations
is super helpful. Maybe once amonth at staff meeting, take
five minutes to discuss what'sworking and what needs
adjustment. I know another thingfor the staff meeting agenda,
but it's better than having thesame playground problems all
year long.
Heidi (15:46):
Another approach is to assign specific zones for duty
teachers to monitor so everyoneknows the responsibility area.
This helps ensure the wholeplayground is covered and rules
are consistently enforced. It'slike creating a perimeter
defense against playgroundchaos.
Emily (16:02):
And Towanda shared a great point, if you have several
reports about your students inyour absence, consider showing
up to help correct the issuesometimes. It shows both your
students and the duty teachersthat you're invested in making
recess successful. Plus it givesyou a chance to see firsthand
what's going on, instead oftrying to piece it together from
25 different kid perspectives.
Heidi (16:24):
Well, we don't know any magic solutions to solve recess
problems once and for all,unfortunately, but you can help
improve these four common recessbehavior issues by applying the
ideas that we shared today. Somake a plan for students to work
through recess drama when theyreturn to class. Give your
students opportunities topractice working together and
handling conflict. Teach Kidshow to stay busy at recess and
(16:47):
make a plan for ruleenforcement. You know, to the
best of your ability, at least.
Emily (16:53):
Now for our teacher approved tip, where we share an
actionable tip to help youelevate what matters and
simplify the rest. This week'steacher approved tip is try a
three day recess reset. That'sfun to say. Choose one game
that's causing the most issuesand reteach expectations for
three days in a row. Freeze Tagseems to be a huge source of
(17:14):
drama on many playgrounds, solet's use that as our example.
Heidi (17:18):
Here's how to make this work. On day one, gather your
students before recess and spendjust five minutes reviewing the
rules of freeze tag, or anothergame that's causing headaches.
Be super specific, not just playfair, but exactly what that
means in this seemingly simplegame.
Emily (17:32):
Right. And the key is to make it visual. So for freeze
tag, we're actually going to gooutside and mark clear
boundaries for the game, andwe're going to demonstrate
exactly what counts as beingtagged. Is it any touch or does
it have to be a two finger tag?What position do you freeze in,
like a statue or crouch down?How long do you have to stay
frozen before someone canunfreeze you? You got to get
(17:55):
into the nitty gritty.
Heidi (17:57):
The biggest freeze tag arguments that we've seen come
from kids claiming they weren'treally tagged, or arguments
about boundaries. So day one isall about getting everyone
crystal clear on the details.
Emily (18:08):
Then on day two, have a couple of students demonstrate
the right way to play. Buthere's the important part, they
also get to demonstrate thewrong way and how to handle it.
So show what happens whensomeone claims they weren't
tagged and model how torespectfully accept being frozen
without a 15 minute debate.
Heidi (18:27):
Why do the children make this so hard? Role playing is
gold in these situations. Youcould have them act out
scenarios like what to do whenyou think someone is unfreezing
people too quickly, and how tohandle it when the same person
is it for too long.
Emily (18:42):
You can make it fun by having your most dramatic
students play the what not to doparts. They usually ham it up
pretty good, which makes thelesson memorable.
Heidi (18:50):
And then on day three, you observe the game in action
and give specific positivefeedback after recess. I noticed
Sophia froze right away when shewas tagged without arguing. That
kept the game moving foreveryone. Public recognition can
go a real long way.
Emily (19:04):
The beauty of this three day reset is that you can repeat
it anytime things start sliding,maybe after a long weekend or
when a new student joins theclass. And once you've gone
through the process a few times,students start to internalize
the expectations and even teacheach other.
Heidi (19:19):
That is the best part. And while the reset is about one
specific activity, you'll noticethe positive effects spill over
into other recess activitiestoo. Those conflict resolution
skills are transferable. So thismight feel like it's taking you
lots of time, but it's reallysaving you time.
Emily (19:35):
So give the three day recess reset a try, small
investment that pays hugedividends for your classroom
culture and your own sanity.
Heidi (19:44):
To wrap up the show, we are showing what we're giving
extra credit to this week.Emily, what gets your extra
credit?
Emily (19:49):
I'm giving extra credit to lemon crisp Kit Kats.
Heidi (19:53):
I forgot about those.
Emily (19:54):
I know I tried them last year and fell in love, so I was
super excited to see. I'm backagain this year, but I do
believe they are seasonal, so ifyou want to try it, you better
jump on it. And not all storeseven have them. I have kind of
found them a little tricky tofind so, but it's worth it. The
hunt for the lemon crisp KitKat.
Heidi (20:13):
They're an excellent spring treat. You might need to
stock up and throw some in yourfreezer.
Emily (20:18):
Mm hmm. What are you giving extra credit to Heidi?
Heidi (20:21):
My extra credit goes to Mucinex Instasoothe sore throat
drops. That's a mouthful,literally and figuratively, I
guess. These are like coughdrops, but for sore throats, I
give them a 10 out of 10. If youget spring allergies that come
with that burning, aching throatthat is so miserable, grab some
of these today, I promise youwill be so happy. But even if
(20:44):
you don't get allergy sorethroats, I'm gonna say, grab
some of these anyway and justtuck them into the back of your
desk. A couple of weeks ago,Emily and I talked about five
simple things you can do inApril to prep for back to
school. Well, think aboutgrabbing a bag of these throat
drops as your sixth suggestion.When back to school rolls
around, you will be so gratefulto have these on hand those
(21:06):
first few days back you know howit is when your throat is so
sore from talking non stop forsix hours. We're all about the
little wins here.
Emily (21:14):
I love it. And that's it for today's episode. Give some
of these ideas a try to handleyour most difficult recess
challenges, and don't be afraidto try a three day recess reset.
Heidi (21:28):
We hope you enjoyed this episode of Teacher Approved. I'm
Heidi.
Emily (21:32):
And I'm Emily. Thank you for listening. Be sure to follow
or subscribe in your podcast appso that you never miss an
episode.
Heidi (21:38):
You can connect with us and other teachers in the
Teacher Approved Facebook group.We'll see you here next week.
Bye, for now.
Emily (21:45):
Bye.
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