Play, Think, and Work Together in Elementary Students

Working with elementary students as a physical education teacher or in a physical activity (play) situation can be one of the greatest experiences in the world. There is so much joy and excitement from them that it spreads to you. Creating a cooperative learning program is a great way to increase that joy and overflow into the classroom. Success in this area can lead to increased success in the classroom which is what most of the population is concerned about. This is the challenging part for the teacher and the topic for this read.

In today’s society, students are increasingly struggling to focus and succeed in the school system. The problem stems from two areas. First, now more than ever, students are being forced to stay in the classrooms for longer hours each year. Second, both in the classroom and at home, students are exposed to increasing amounts of technology. “Video games, the Internet, and similar devices are impairing children’s ability to concentrate and think.1 These two areas are impacting students imagination and concentration and, ultimately, their play.

In the education system, it is easy to see firsthand the decrease in time students are allowed to play. Physical education classes are required to get a certain amount of minutes per week, which is helpful, but every school I have worked for allows only 15 minutes for recess. One idea is to create a cooperative physical learning program to incorporate in the school systems. This is a program that strives to teach students an ability to work together. It takes the focus away from sport and towards team building activities. Studies show that students who participate in this type of program increased their cooperative skills and empathy, and decreased their quick-temperedness and tendency to disrupt.2 Lastly, it increases their preferences for working in groups.2 The ability to work together willingly is one of the greatest tools a student can have in order to be successful in school and in life.

If the goal is to increase student success in the classroom, then there has to be a change in a couple main areas. One change is more time spent outside playing throughout the day and less time glued to technology. In addition, if children can learn to work together then they will grow up happy, successful, and healthy.2 So if you work with children, do us all a favor and take time out of your day and spend quality play time with them.

1Roberta J. Park (2014) Play, Games and Cognitive Development: Late Nineteenth-Century and Early Twentieth Century Physicians, Neurologists, Psychologists and Others Already Knew What Researchers Are Proclaiming Today, The International Journal of the History of Sport, 31:9 1012-1032  

2Marios Goudas & Evmorfia Magotsiou (2009) The Effects of a Cooperative Physical Education Program on Students Social Skills, Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 21:3, 356-364