Sharing the Yard: Design Zones for a Recess for Everyone

The class looks at how the schoolyard gets split up at recess and designs zones so every game and every student has room. Then they test it in a mock recess and fine-tune the plan.

How to play

1. On a map of the yard, the class marks where people play at a normal recess and which games take up the most space, without calling anyone out (5 min).
2. Groups of 5 design a four-zone plan: ball games, running and tag, jump rope and ground games, and a quiet zone, with a rotation schedule if needed (7 min).
3. The class votes on one plan and marks it out with chalk and cones (4 min).
4. Mock recess: everyone picks a zone and plays freely; halfway through, an optional rotation signal (10 min).
5. Review: did anyone have nowhere to go? Which zone was empty? Adjust the map to present to the school (4 min).

Rules

• Every zone has clear, visible boundaries.
• Hard balls stay in the ball zone.
• Nobody can kick anyone out of a zone.
• Respect the quiet zone: no running through it.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: help check that entrances and the quiet zone are accessible.
• Visually impaired students: boundaries also marked with cones they can feel, and the map is traced with their hand.
• Students with social anxiety: the quiet zone includes board games or two-player games.

Learning goals

• Analyze how space is used at recess.
• Propose a fair, gender-inclusive way to share the yard.
• Test and improve a plan using evidence.

Equipment for a class of 25

• sidewalk chalk: 10
• cones: 30
• balls: 6
• jump ropes: 6
• schoolyard map sheets: 6

Teacher tip

Don't let this turn into a trial against the soccer players; the goal is room for every game. If the plan works, have the class present it to student council.

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