They are the kids left out of the action during recess.
While skipping ropes may swing and tag games flourish, some students are left on the sidelines to watch. Others may not have access to play equipment, or enough supervision to be active on the playground.
With that in mind, Lauren McNamara, a professor in child and youth studies at Brock University, launched The Recess Project about 41/2 years ago.
The initiative, funded by Canadian Tire’s Jumpstart program, is now in nine District School Board of Niagara elementary schools.
It runs during the recess breaks, and focuses mostly on boosting physically active play and social connectedness.
“I’m interested in the role that good friendships play in children’s motivation to go to school,” said McNamara.
“When children have a chance to connect positively with each other, they feel understood and accepted, and that’s a fundamental part of being human.
“Physically active play is a natural mediator of friendships. There is fun, co-operation, silliness, blood circulation and good hormones all coming together to make them feel great,” she said. “Happier kids are better students.
“When boredom, social conflict and exclusion permeate playgrounds, this gets in the way of making these connections. Then the reverse happens.”
The project began by DSBN letting university students, with recess equipment in hand, organize inclusive play at recess.
It now includes a training program manual and utilizes 35 part-time recess co-ordinators and dozens of volunteers.
Four 10-week blocks of games and activities are organized. The program includes co-operative games such as handball, soccer, baseball and capture the flag.
Playground games are folded in, such as hop scotch, four square and skipping. Guest yoga instructors and dance instructors have also participated.
A number of community partners are also involved, including Niagara College athletics, Brock athletics, Fox Den Yoga and Yoga by Sarah.
Meanwhile, university researchers are allowed access to participating schools to do project research.
Blair Janzen, curriculum consultant health and physical education at DSBN, said the program is “working on those social skills and organizing games — for a lot of kids, they don’t know what to do at recess.”
Here, “they get to create their own games. Canadian Tire provides equipment, so it may be something new that they may not have had before.
“They’re being more physically active,” she said. “And they’re engaging with other students they may not have had a chance to befriend in the past, so it opens up those (social) avenues some kids struggle with.”
Troy Wallace, a principal at Crossroads School in Niagara-on-the-Lake, has seen the benefits of the program.
“It is an outstanding program,” he said of activities that unfold in the schoolyard and gymnasium. “All kids get included, so if there are students not engaged and playing, they are drawn into games.
“The whole idea of how you play effectively with friends, in a very positive way, is taught and reinforced through the program.”
For a short video on The Recess Project, visit https://vimeo.com/146852859.
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Crossroads in Virgil.
Parnall, Dalewood, Connaught and Price of Wales South in St. Catharines.
Gordon in Welland.
Cherrywood Acres, Martha Cullimore and John Marshall in Niagara Falls.