School Recess And Playground Behavior

The recess period represents a unique part of the school day. It is one of the few times when children can interact with their peers on their own terms with minimal adult intervention. Consequently, it represents one of the few places in primary and middle schools to observe spontaneous peer interaction. School Recess and Playground Behavior offers a programmatic examination of a neglected aspect of children's behavior and informs related literatures such as the educational, social-developmental, and cognitive-developmental literatures. Dr. Pellegrini goes well beyond what has been done in the past by systematically pursuing an underlying theme that revolves around the educational significance of recess periods. Due to the relatively new interest in understanding the developmental significance of playground experiences, most past work has been topical in nature. By using a theme, the author has taken the next logical step in bringing coherence to this line of inquiry. The result is a readable and coherent volume that clearly demonstrates the value of recess periods in enhancing children's cognitive and social/emotional development.

This book focuses on key issues and current research evidence of links between children's behavior in outdoor play environments and children's development. Specific attention is given to ways that outdoor play environments are extensions of other development settings, like the classroom or family. Since most work up to this point has focused on development in indoor classroom settings or in other developmental contexts, this book makes an important contribution.

Writing a book about recess could be a very questionable endeavor for a serious academic psychologist. At first blush it seems to be a pretty trivial topic. It's the time during the school day where there's a break from what's typically considered the most serious work of the day--reading, writing, and arithmetic. Reflecting this trivial tenor, it's also that time of the school day that kids--perhaps only half jokingly--say is their favorite part of school. This perception has lead many schools to question the role of recess in the school day. This book is an attempt to broach two views of recess--the perceived value of recess and the movement to eliminate or reduce the school recess period from the primary school day. Due to tightened school budgets and the emphasis on testing, many elementary schools eliminate recess, gym classes, and play periods to the developmental detriment of the very children the schools are supposed to serve. Author Anthony Pellegrini has conducted a number of careful studies regarding student attentiveness and performance within programs that have recess periods, and those that don't. The data show that students need recess in order to blow off energy and interact with each other in the unstructured recess environment in order to grow socially. The goal of Recess is to help readers realize the importance of recess and counter the trend to eliminate it from schools. This book appeals to academics, teachers, administrators, and parents.

While recess provides children with a time to play and take a break from the school day, research has shown that it is also a necessary and vital part of their social, emotional, and academic development. This book provides tools and strategies for school mental health professionals, teachers, and administrators to evaluate and improve the recess experience in order to ensure that children benefit as much as possible from this important time. Using a data-based problem solving strategy, the author presents methods for assessing playgrounds, identifying features that may negatively impact students and their social interactions, intervening to modify and strengthen these features, and monitoring to guarantee that the interventions have created successful outcomes. An accompanying CD contains forms, examples, PowerPoint presentations, and other resources to support the procedures discussed throughout the book.

Writing a book about recess could be a very questionable endeavor for a serious academic psychologist. At first blush it seems to be a pretty trivial topic. It's the time during the school day where there's a break from what's typically considered the most serious work of the day--reading, writing, and arithmetic. Reflecting this trivial tenor, it's also that time of the school day that kids--perhaps only half jokingly--say is their favorite part of school. This perception has lead many schools to question the role of recess in the school day. This book is an attempt to broach two views of recess--the perceived value of recess and the movement to eliminate or reduce the school recess period from the primary school day. Due to tightened school budgets and the emphasis on testing, many elementary schools eliminate recess, gym classes, and play periods to the developmental detriment of the very children the schools are supposed to serve. Author Anthony Pellegrini has conducted a number of careful studies regarding student attentiveness and performance within programs that have recess periods, and those that don't. The data show that students need recess in order to blow off energy and interact with each other in the unstructured recess environment in order to grow socially. The goal of Recess is to help readers realize the importance of recess and counter the trend to eliminate it from schools. This book appeals to academics, teachers, administrators, and parents.

Stop bullying before it starts. Use the practical strategies described in this book to prevent bullying and create a safe, inclusive elementary classroom where kindness and learning flourish. Veteran educator Caltha Crowe offers a proactive approach to bullying prevention that shows you how to create a positive classroom environment and how to respond to mean behavior before it escalates into bullying. Learn to: Recognize and stop gateway behaviors as soon as they start Build a caring classroom community Create rules with children that help prevent bullying Talk candidly with children about bullying Work with parents in your anti-bullying efforts

Children's Play looks at the many facets of play and how it develops from infancy through late childhood. Authors W. George Scarlett, Sophie Naudeau, Dorothy Salonius-Pasternak, and Iris Ponte take a broad approach to examining how children play by including a wide variety of types of play, play settings, and play media. The book also discusses major revolutions in the way today's children play, including changes in organized youth sports, children's humor, and electronic play. Children's Play addresses diversity throughout the text and explores play on the topics of gender, disabilities, socioeconomic class, and culture.