Recess during school time can be more than just play or blowing off steam for young children. According to Playworks Minnesota, a local affiliate of a national organization that for 30 years has promoted the social, emotional and physical benefits of play at elementary schools.
Schools partnered with Playworks report a 40% reduction in behavior incidents, and teachers recover roughly two weeks of instructional time per year, according to the organization, which cites independent research from Mathematica, Stanford University and RAND. Those institutions designated Playworks a Tier 1 model.
On the morning of May 5, a regular school day, nearly 1,000 Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota elementary school students gathered at CHS Field, home of the St. Paul Saints, for an end-of-year recognition that included a parade on the outfield warning track. Almost a quarter of the fourth and fifth graders in attendance were children of color.
All the grade schoolers participated in the Playworks Minnesota Youth Leadership Program, which serves more than 25,000 students.
“Almost 68% to 70% of our youth leaders are students of color,” said Executive Director Shauna McDonald. “Also, about 22% are English language learners as well.”
“It’s the opportunity to really get involved in leadership at an early age,” added Travis Evans, a Playworks Minnesota trainer for nearly six years. “And leadership can look like a lot of different things.”
“The program allows them to take that step in their leadership … learn small skills that sustain them over the course of a lifetime,” he continued. “This is one of those things where we’re trying to be intentional about how we can build strong children through leadership.”
McDonald stressed that fourth and fifth graders, 10 and 11 years old, are at the right age to learn and adapt leadership skills.
“There’s not a lot of leadership programs for kids in elementary school, they typically start in maybe middle and high school,” she said. “These are all fourth and fifth graders, and developmentally that’s a really critical time. It’s when they’re really getting a sense of self. They start to connect with other kids that have shared interests, and to put them in a leadership role at their age, I think that helps set them on a trajectory of understanding their own abilities… their own agency, to control not only themselves in that leadership role but the situation around them.”
McDonald added that the school playground during recess is the perfect setting.
“We think about school community, right?” she said. “And recess is a critical time of day for kids. It’s where they build community with each other.”
“I was just on an international webinar that said recess is critical for our democracy because recess is a time of community for kids,” McDonald continued. “It’s where they learn to get along, work out differences, solve problems, engage with each other and build a sense of identity together in their school. We increase academic engagement and reduce chronic absenteeism because kids want to come to school, and these student leaders want to come and lead in their school.”
Evans said many of the children who attended the May 5 event were likely experiencing a professional baseball park for the first time. He hopes it leaves a lasting impression.
“If you’re able at a young age to be exposed, whether it’s to the stadium, whether it’s to the sport of baseball … it’s a beautiful thing to see,” Evans said. “Plant seeds, watch them grow.”
McDonald thanked the Saints and other partners for hosting the youth event and supporting the children’s leaders. “We want to let them know that they’re important. They’re leaders,” she said.
Charles Hallman welcomes reader responses at challman@spokesman-recorder.com.