Go ‘Round… Name, Child(ren) and What brought you here… What do you see as changes in structured play?  When we were younger…  Advantages and Disadvantages

 It is increasingly rare for children to have long, uninterrupted blocks of time to play indoors and outdoors, by themselves or with their friends.  Since the end of WWII, the population living in urban areas has increased therefore children are less likely to have access to outdoor play spaces in natural environments.  Technology, traffic, and urban land-use patterns have changed natural play spaces.  Parents are increasingly concerned about the security of their children so they are using more constructed outdoor playgrounds that limit risk-taking to ensure safety.  More and more, children are spending time in settings that focus on structured educational and recreational activities, leaving little time for participation in open-ended, self-initiated free play.

 Advantage: New Ideas  Allows you to introduce your child to new ideas and types of play.  Introduces them to many activities and sports.  Provides an opportunity to learn new skills in a fun setting.  Advantage: Social Interaction  Social skills are developed and fostered.  Learn self-discipline, sportsmanship, conflict resolution and other social skills.  Provides an opportunity for classmates to model appropriate behaviors through simple games.  Disadvantage: Structured Play  Eliminates time for free, child-centered play.  Interferes in developmental benefits such as creativity, imagination, decision-making.  Inhibits development of overall emotional, cognitive and physical strength.  Disadvantage: Stress  Overscheduling often leads to developing stress and anxiety.  Children may fall behind at school.  Complain of headaches or stomachaches and feel tired frequently.  Families often feel the stress and exhaustion of keeping up with the structured schedule.

What do you see as a result?

 Physical symptoms  Decreased appetite, other changes in eating habits  Headache  Sleep disturbances (nightmares, bedwetting)  Stuttering  Upset stomach or vague stomach pain  Emotional or behavioral symptoms  Worries  Inability to relax  New or recurring fears (fear of the dark, fear of being alone, fear of strangers)  Clinging, unwilling to let you out of sight  Questioning (may or may not ask questions)  Anger  Crying  Whining  Inability to control emotions  Aggressive behavior  Stubborn behavior  Regression to behaviors that are typical of an earlier developmental stage  Unwillingness to participate in family or school activities

The American Psychological Association has recently published two studies about children’s social problem-solving related to bullying.  R esearchers discovered that children and adolescents who lack social problem-solving skills are more at risk of becoming bullies, victims or both than those who don’t have these difficulties.  In another study, researchers reported that students who watch as their peers are bullied become as psychologically distressed, if not more so, by the events.  Developing positive problem-solving skills seems to be a crucial part of avoiding bullying.  Youth must rely on the adults around them – parents, teachers, coaches, etc. – to teach them how to solve their problems.  Structured activities will allow them to learn the skills. Free play with clear guidelines will allow them the opportunity to practice problem- solving skills that will serve them well their entire lives.

Based on these changes, Newtown Elementary is:  Building Goal  School-wide Positive Behavioral Support – clarity/consistency  PTO Plans  Specialists’ Plans  Recess/Lunch teams assigned to classes  Options for quiet recess  Teaching more social skills  Restorative Practices  Daily/Weekly Class Meetings  Surveys  Communicating with parents more

What can parents do to help?

 Provide a safe, secure, familiar, consistent, and dependable home and schedule.  Spend calm, relaxed time with your children.  Encourage your children to talk about their day and their friendships.  Acknowledge concerns, worries, or fears.  Ask how he or she would solve the problem.  Listen to your child without being critical.  Build your child's feelings of self-worth. Use encouragement and affection.  Try to involve your child in unstructured situations where he or she can succeed.  Allow the child opportunities to make choices and have some control in his or her life. This is particularly important, because research shows that the more people feel they have control over a situation, the better their response to stress will be.  Seek professional help or advice when signs of stress do not decrease or disappear.

 Properly identify the problem.  Help them clearly understand their difficulty and what specifically is distressing them.  Encourage them to view the situation as an opportunity to improve things.  Generate several alternative solutions.  Brainstorming a list of possible solutions to the given situation.  Ask the child what they have tried before in similar situations.  Ask them to predict likely consequences, both positive and negative, for each possibility.  Make a decision.  Once you have made a list of options together, help to narrow them down.  Consider how realistic it is and the potential obstacles.  Then let them choose the option they would like to try.  Implement and verify your solution.  Encourage them to implement their solution, give it their best effort and see how it works.  Check back frequently to process how the solution is or isn’t working, and  Help them modify it as necessary. The goal is for kids to learn to feel confident about solving their own problems.

 Go ‘Round  Something I learned, thought about or was surprised by…