AC T I V E R E C E S S P RO G R A M HELPS CHILDREN REMEMBER HOW

TO P LAY
Gail Dowling | The City of Hamilton Public Health Services

he playgrounds are alive with the sound of bouncing

balls, skipping ropes and laughter thanks to an Active
Recess program, one of many programs to promote fun
and cooperative play on Canadian school playgrounds. Active
Recess along with its varied counterparts, P.A.L.S. (Playground
Activity Leaders in Schools), PROPS (Peers Running Organized Play
Stations), Active Playgrounds and others share the same objectives:
to increase physical activity, promote fair play, decrease bullying,
and promote leadership on school playgrounds.
The obesity and physical inactivity rates of Canadian children are
alarming. In Canada, rates of obesity among children and youth
aged 2 to 17 years are increasing. In 1978/79, 3% of children and
youth were obese, by 2004, 8% or an estimated 500,000 were obese
(Statistics Canada, 2005). Over half of children and youth 5 to 17
years of age are not active enough for optimal health and development (Canadian Fitness & Lifestyle Research Institute, 2001).
While getting children more active is a community responsibility
involving parents, recreation services, sport organizations and other
childrens service providers, schools are in an excellent position to
promote physical activity. Therefore, recess, lunch hour, and before
and after school provide excellent opportunities for children to be
outside and be physically active. According to Research Quarterly of
Exercise and Sport (1997), training teachers, playground supervisors
and peer leaders to promote physical activity during recess and lunch
hour is a practical solution to reducing inactivity in young children.

Figure 1: Benefits of Active Recess Program

According to the Canadian Intramural Recreation
Association of Ontario (CIRA Ontario) an active recess
will:

1.

promote FUN and participation

increase physical activity levels

teach movement and dexterity skills

promote fair play

reduce bullying

promote creativity and problem solving skills

teach cooperation and respect for others

provide equal opportunity for all students

be co-ed and inclusive of all students

incorporate safety guidelines

promote multiculturalism

The School Team

In Ontario, The City of Hamilton Public Health Services works

with schools to develop an Active Recess program specific to their
school needs and culture. In Hamilton, Active Recess is a structured
program to promote physical activity at recess by introducing
children Junior Kindergarten to grade five to active games and
activities on the playground. Active Recess utilizes grade five or
grade six students as peer leaders to facilitate playground games and
activities.

An enthusiastic team is essential to putting Active Recess into

motion. Depending on the school, several key individuals need to
support making recess more active: the principal, teachers, sta,
parents, School Council members, Home and School or Parent
Council members, playground supervisors, play leaders, and
Public Health Department sta.

For most schools, an Active Recess program includes several activity

stations scattered around the tarmac and green spaces. Two grade
five or six students are at each area facilitating activities such as
kick baseball, skipping games, wall ball games, four square, etc.
On a set schedule students from specific grades rotate among the
stations. Some students are learning new skills while others are
actually playing rather than standing around or getting into trouble!
See Figure 1 for other benefits of an Active Recess program.

More than likely, a school will have some empty pavement

waiting to become an exciting play area! Paint the tarmac with
Four Square and Hopscotch and other exciting patterns and
make the pavement into an invitation to be active! Recess Revival:
An Implementation Guide to an Active Recess provides tips for
successful tarmac painting.

According to the Canadian Intramural Recreation Associations

(CIRA) Recess Revival An Implementation Guide to an Active Recess,
there are five key components to a successful Active Recess program:

Providing equipment in plastic containers or mesh bags is a great

way to encourage an Active Recess. Schools can choose to have a
kit for each division or to have one large kit for the entire school.
Play leaders can have the responsibility of keeping the equipment

2. Preparing the Playground Surface

3. Kits for Active Kids

| ACTIVE RECESS PROGRAM |

clean and in good repair. They can also be assigned the task of
putting equipment out and away each day. The principal and
teachers should encourage all students to take responsibility for
the equipment and playing with it in a safe manner. Equipment
days that highlight a special piece of equipment can create added
excitement on the playground.
Some suggested equipment for your kit includes:

utility balls

basketballs

Nerf or foam balls

hacky sacs

flags

beach balls

scarves

bean bags

skipping ropes long and

short

soccer balls
sidewalk chalk

Frisbees - soft toss

There are a few additional items you may want to consider when
beginning to implement the program. It is important to prepare
not only the peer leaders but the students who will be participating.
Morning announcements and a letter sent home to parents will
help to ensure students come prepared to play with proper shoes
and outdoor wear. Active Recess can be implemented all year long
but it is ideal to launch it in the fall and spring when there is reduced
chance of inclement weather. Active Recess can be implemented
with snow. Activities can be altered to accommodate the snow and
create more fun. Activities may include snow soccer, snow angel
tag or snow cone relay. For more ideas, consider purchasing
Snow Fun! Favourite Canadian Winter Activities by visiting
www.excelway.ca. It is a collection of winter physical activities
that were gathered from teachers and students from across
Canada. See Figure 2 for additional Active Recess resources.

elastic bands

4. Playground Rules
Safe and fun equipment is not all that you need to have a great
recess! Acceptable behaviour and appropriate use of equipment
are also important. Use posters and/or bulletin boards to promote
and reinforce playground rules. Daily announcements and school
newsletters should address concerns and highlight successes.
Peer leaders can ensure Active Recess is both fun and safe by
encouraging students to follow the established rules.

Figure 2: Resources to Support Active Recess

The following three resources are available for purchase
from Canadian Intramural Recreation Association
(CIRA). For more information, please visit
www.mohawkcollege.ca/external/cira.

Active Playgrounds contains over 100 playground

games including Four Square, Skipping, Hopscotch,
Clapping, and Wall & Ball.

Recess Revival An implementation guide

to Active Recess, assists teachers, playground
supervisors and peer leaders in the promotion of
fun and cooperative play on the playground.
Free copies can be downloaded online at:
www.mohawkcollege.ca/external/cira/template/
recess_revival.html.

Awesome Asphalt Activities provides educators

with playground activities for tarmac surfaces.

Suggested Rules

listen to the supervisor

respect others

play fairly

do not push, shove, fight or bully

do not interfere with the activities of others

use equipment for its intended purpose

report anything unsafe to the supervisor

use normal voices and positive language
tie up shoelaces

5. Involve Everyone
All children should be able to play, including children with
disabilities. When planning for program modifications, consider
the equipment, skill complexity, the rules of the game and the
space and distance in which the activity takes place. Consult the
Recess Revival: An Implementation Guide to an Active Recess for tips
on modifying games.

Do not forget the hard work of the peer leaders! Remember to

establish a rotating schedule of peer leaders and activities to avoid
boredom. Consider purchasing small peer leader incentives such
as Frisbees, hats, pens, etc. Make the peer leaders stand out from
the crowd by purchasing hats (and letting them decorate them) or
wearing bright T-shirts. Presenting the peer leaders with a certificate
of appreciation at the end of the school year is always appropriate.
Examples of peer and school certificates, announcements, letters
to parents, grade specific schedules, activity ideas, equipment
and roles and responsibilities of key team players are outlined
in the City of Hamilton, Public Health Services Active Recess
Manual.

| ACTIVE RECESS PROGRAM |

Also, feedback on the program was collected in the 2005/2006

school year from principals, peer leaders, students and Public
Health nurses involved in the program. A copy of the manual and
feedback summary can be found online at:
www.myhamilton.ca/myhamilton/CityandGovernment/
HealthandSocialServices/PublicHealth/PhysicalActivity/
For more information about the program, please contact the City
of Hamilton, Public Health Services, Nutrition and Physical
Activity Advice line at 905-546-3630.

References
1999 Physical Activity Monitor Increasing Physical Activity:
Building a Supportive Recreation and Sport System. Canadian
Fitness & Lifestyle Research Institute 2001.
Shields M. Nutrition: Findings from the Canadian Community
Health Survey Overweight Canadian children and adolescents
(Catalogue 82-620-MWE2005001) Ottawa: Statistics Canada,
2005.
McKenzie, Thomas L. et.al. (1997). Physical Activity Levels and
Prompts in Young Children at Recess: A Two-Year Study of a
Bi-Ethnic Sample. Research Quarterly of Exercise and Sport, 68(3),
195-202.