FEBRUARY 10 • 2022 | 39

playground so that every kid 
can find a game that they love,
” 
Bunn explains. “They can be 
physically active and practice 
those social, emotional skills 
that we know are so valuable 
and happening in real time on 
the playground.
”
On any given day, kids partic-
ipating in Playworks programs 
like the one at Hillel can play 
four square, jump rope or open 
tag, among other activities. 
Group agreements are another 
important facet of the program, 
where kids agree to be respect-
ful and have fun before running 
off to the races.
“When there’s two-three 
minutes left, we’ll call everyone 
back so that we can do some 
cooldowns and take everyone 
from that really high-energy 
active state and bring the energy 
down so that kids are ready to 
go back into the academic space 
and be ready to learn,
” Bunn 
says.
Cool downs can include 
breathing exercises and mind-
fulness, helping kids practice 
positive mental health activities 
while bringing their state of 
mind back to the classroom. 
“Hopefully they’ll be ready 
to continue their learning for 
the day in a really positive way,
” 
Bunn says.

BRINGING LIFE LESSONS 
INTO THE CLASSROOM
Gan through fourth graders at 
Hillel participate in Playworks, 
while fifth and sixth graders 
have a unique opportunity to 
learn lifelong leadership skills 
by volunteering as junior coach-
es who help lead games at recess 
for the younger students.
“The process is usually very 
intentional,
” Bunn says. “We 
try not to always pick the kids 
that are already involved in a lot 
of extracurriculars, on student 
council or are straight-A stu-
dents. We look for the kids that 
are a little shy or can benefit 
from some confidence, or kids 
who are leaders, but not neces-
sarily in a positive way.
”
While encouraging physical 
and mental wellness, Playworks’ 
programming aims to promote 
inclusivity, reduce bullying, 
increase attendance and help 
kids resolve conflict in positive 
ways. Often, the lessons kids 
learn during recess are con-
tinued throughout the entire 
school day.
“They’re the first to vol-
unteer,
” Bunn says of Hillel’s 
Playworks participants, “or if 
there’s an extra task that needs 
to get done, they’ll be the ones 
that will happily do that. They’re 
leading games and brain breaks 
in their classrooms.
” 

Recess is designed for 
students to get active and 
release energy.

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