Issues - Playground Enhancement Program

School recess is not a break time for energetic students. Recess is a time that results in impressive lessons and lasting memories.

A primary student typically spends 150 hours each year on the playground, where most school conflicts occur. Chronic bullying, isolation and humiliation among peers can undermine what is accomplished in the classroom and at home.

Since 1993, the Playground Enhancement Project™ (PEP) has helped school staff and volunteers teach and model cooperative games and game-playing skills as a way to attend to the psychosocial needs of students at play. PEP has been shown to decrease levels of playground aggression and helps create a safer and more positive school environment.

PEP focuses on the gap in attention paid to intangible aspects of recess - HOW children are playing together - in contrast to physical playground setup and basic supervision. PEP is part of a long tradition of "Education through Play."

Historically, teachers knew many playground games and taught them to students at recess, helping them develop game etiquette and self-sufficiency. Such resources and expectations are lacking today. We have lost many age-appropriate games as well as their benefits.

PEP provides practical tools for facilitating cooperative game play "on-the-spot" and in the classroom and gym. PEP helps students achieve a sense of "belonging" among peers, and to move about freely and try new things. PEP provides a natural and enjoyable way to channel students' abundant energy into positive experiences that build skills and confidence for success in school and in life.

©2002 T.C.Jacobs
For more information about PEP, please visit their website or contact Teresa by e-mail or phone at (406) 251-6450.