P.E. Station Cards are ready to print and go. This P.E. Activities Station Cards are great for movement stations. There are 23 Throwing & Catching station cards/signs around the Easter Theme. The PE Activities Skills Throwing & Catching Stations Cards/Signs are designed for Kindergarten through 6th-grade students. Set includes Cross-Curricular Activities in Language Arts, Mathematics and Social Studies.
PE Balance Station Cards by Dr. M…

Ten Alternatives to Tag
by Dr. Melinda Bossenmeyer

Principals and schools continue to give unsatisfactory reviews to tag at recess. Below are 10 game alternatives for elementary school recess.
Jumprope- A jump rope used in the game of skipping played by children and sometimes young adults for exercise. One child jumps over a spinning rope so that it passes under their feet and over their heads. Two participants turn the rope. Children often chant…

I received this question from a parent.

"My child’s school has started using peaceful playgrounds and the children have been prohibited from playing soccer, basketball, kickball, or making up their own games.  My kids are very upset by this and I am trying to do some research so I can talk to the principal in an informed manner.  Does the peaceful program allow for classic playground games like soccer and kickball?"

My answer:

Thank you…

This 2 minute video talks about Peaceful Playgrounds recess program and our Founder, Dr. Melinda Bossenmeyer.

Peaceful Playgrounds Recess Program

Peaceful Playground Recess Program Brochure

The paper fortune teller game is still a favorite for children. Both my granddaughters were playing with  with a fortune teller game last week.  The idea was such a good one that I decided to create some games with a exercise theme in mind.  I also created a Anti-Bullying Fortune Teller Game as well.

Below is a video of how to fold the fortune teller game.






Currently we have 4 Fortune Teller Hand Games

School Recess: Structured Games and Activities at Recessby Melinda Bossenmeyer, Ed.D. Structured recess.  Good idea or bad?
Today I received a phone call from a second grade teacher.  She indicated that she had a behavior challenged child (frequent discipline issues) and was growing pretty frustrated with him.  In response to Jeremy (not his real name), who was hitting kids, pushing kids, and causing chaos at recess, the school decided that they w…

Grant writing is not about writing a grant but about selling a story. Good grant writers follow a proven formula that results in successful funding and "most importantly" grant implementation.

Grant Writing for beginners will cover:

* Funding sources
* Critical elements necessary for getting your grant funded.
* Strategies and support provided by Peaceful Playgrounds in your grant writing efforts.

Don't miss this opportunit…

Introducing our next FEATURED ARTICLE.

Why is it that some schools have found the magic formula to orderly classrooms and a safe emotional and physical environment for learning, while other schools experience continuing discipline disruptions to the learning environment? We reviewed research for a list of prevention strategies including how to enforce school rules and being proactive in playground problems.

According to the research, sch…

Published in the Daily Herald5/31/08by Eric PetersonPictures by Bill Zars Daily Herald staff photographer.
Teachers and staff at Lakeview Elementary in Hoffman Estates know recess is meant for exercise, not playground conflicts. But they'd searched fruitlessly for a way to encourage the former and discourage the latter among students.Then a staff member whose own child attends school in St. Charles heard of a program in use there that sh…

We are often ask about the contents of the Peaceful Playground Program Package. The list is below:
• (4) Activity Guides: Preschool/Kindergarten; Grades K-3;Grades 3-6; and Field Games.
• (4) Blueprints: Preschool/Kindergarten; Grades K-3; Grades 3-6 and Field Games
• 41 stencils: letters, numbers, feet and shapes
• Playground good sports coupons
• Playground good sports award
• Program overview video or dvd
• Equipment checkout form
• Playground proce…

Peaceful Playgrounds research identified five problems consistently occuring on most elementary school playgrounds. Inconsistent game rules was one of those five problems.

"Children were playing by different game rules and this lead to arguments, frustration and sometimes physical confrontations," according the Dr. Melinda Bossenmeyer, Peaceful Playgrounds President. Further, we found that rarely were children taught either the rules…

"Having students take their lunch recess before lunch has had some unintended, healthy consequences," according to Tulsa, Oklahoma principal Carolyn Moore.

"We switched recess to before lunch because I was seeing so many office referrals of students with stomachaches, but now they're hungrier and more ready to settle down and eat. They're not going to pitch that food out so fast because they want to go outside and play,&qu…

by Emily Graham PTO Today Magazine
Recess is meant to be a break from the classroom, a time for making friends and make-believe. But in reality, recess often involves intense competition, playground bullying, and conflicts that carry over into the classroom. As enrollments have risen at elementary schools across the country, playgrounds have become crowded, increasing the risk of accidents and hot tempers sending children to the principal’s offic…

Children just don't play as much as they used to,'' says Elkind, the author of a new book called, The Power of Play. 'They love it,'' says Elkind, also a Tufts University professor emeritus of child psychology.

His new book, The Power of Play (Da Capo Lifelong Books, $24) underscores a disturbing fact of modern childhood: America's children enjoy less time for creative play than their parents' generation. And that …

Question from a Play Nice Newsletter Reader.
What are your thoughts on free play?

Free Play at Recess: At Peaceful Playgrounds we contend that a child can decide how he/she chooses to spend recess time. We are adamantly against telling kids what to do at recess. We support their right to do something or do nothing. We believe that “enriching the playground environment” brings about a multitude of positive results (see Peaceful Playgrounds R…