Even though there a variety of benefits, playgrounds could also pose risks for the emotional and physical well-being of kids (U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, 1997). Most injuries in elementary school occur within the playground (Bruya and Wood, 1998). Also, some children find recess unsafe and frightening (Astor, Meyer, and Pitner, 2001), perhaps because bullying as well as other sorts of aggression often occur to the playground (Craig, Pepler, and Atlas, 2000; Olweus, 1993). When playground aggression goes unchecked, students may discover fighting, name-calling, excluding others, and other antisocial behaviors “work.”
It is important to study the structure and operations of playgrounds along with their supervision regularly. It's also good to evaluate systems of staff communication and follow-through connected with playground incidents. Finally, it is necessary to consider how playgrounds supports a school’s broader goals for student behavior and a safe learning environment.
The Physical Environment
Evaluating the physical environment of playground areas is a vital component of improving school safety. First, conduct a visible survey with the playground to gauge the extent that these common hazards can be found:
Gaps inside fence surrounding the playground.
Access points from your play area directly to a street.
Low-hanging branches or shrubs that prevent or limit adults’ capability to see children, especially about the edges on the playground.
Debris for the playground, such as broken glass.
Barriers to empty line-of-sight supervision, like concrete walls, other school buildings, or trees.
Large, unsupervised play areas, such as fields.
Dangerous play equipment or ground surfacing material (See Handbook for Public Playground Safety classified by references for detailed guidelines).
Playground Supervision
Quality of adult supervision is vital to developing tweaking a good playground. Yet providing high-quality supervision on playgrounds is among the most challenging challenges facing schools (Thompson, 1991). Common supervision-related problems entirely on playgrounds include:
Lack of adult line-of-sight or hearing-range supervision for large aspects of the playground.
Absence of adequate adult supervision when playground transitions occur (for instance, when students align to go back to a building).
Adults neglecting to circulate throughout every area on the playground as well as its perimeter.
Absence of adult intervention when children behave aggressively.
Lack of follow-through on reports of playground aggression and bullying.
Limited communication or coordination between recess supervisors and various school staff about children’s behavior at recess.
Typically, improving supervision takes resources, but you will find low- and no-cost methods to make existing supervision within the playground far better. To formulate high-quality playground supervision, you should consider a few things.
1. Ratios of adults to children.
Limit the total number and age range of babies to the playground all at once. Maintain a satisfactory adult-to-student supervision ratio when children are within the playground to when teachers “take over” their classes following recess. Some resources recommend at the least the same ratio as with the classroom (for example, Bruya and Wood, 1998).
If the playground has high rates of problem behavior or environmental barriers to supervision (such as high walls), enhance the quantity of adults circulating over the trouble spots.
Gentle that there are enough adults supervising large, open spaces including fields. If this describes problematic, only permit field use when enough adults is often there to circulate and/or organize field activities.
2. Practicing playground monitors.
Have a proactive way of supervision through providing ongoing education for monitors and enabling the crooks to meet frequently. Specifically, provide tactics pertaining to “active supervision.” For example circulating continuously with an assigned area, praising positive behavior, and helping children problem solve.
Assign monitors to circulate through identified zones with the playground.
Train monitors to cope with physical fights as well as other dangerous playground situations. Most school districts have got a policy regarding hands-on control over students that balances schools’ responsibility for the student and staff safety. All monitors should receive training and support to address these situations.
3. Routines and communication for playground supervisors
Offer a approach to communication (including hand-held radios) so monitors can coordinate supervision and necessitate additional support as required.
Build a specific routine for transition times to ensure continuous supervision of students. Provide clear-cut guidelines for behavior over these times (one example is, assign areas for children to set up by class).
Implement a schoolwide system for handling, tracking, and communicating about playground problems and disciplinary infractions. Train monitors make use of this technique, and often solicit their input and feedback on its effectiveness.
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