By Peter Johnson, Middle School Language Arts and Social Studies Teacher

As we all know, play is an important part of being a child, as well as a great way to learn many fundamental life skills. Although most of our associations with play may be dominated by images of young children, playgrounds, and toys, play is so much more than that. Play is not just for children, but it’s an important life ingredient for people of all ages. Play can be done for its own sake, but the power of play can be harnessed as a vehicle for learning. Play is as important to academic success as it is to social development since positive forms of play require such transferable skills as cooperation, clear communication, and mutual respect. With this in mind, activities in middle school regularly blur the lines between play and academics. For example, we play games to review content such as vocabulary charades and Jeopardy. We also play games every morning as part of our social curriculum. Other examples of play include acting out scenes from stories, participating in historical simulations, and engaging in debates. Below are examples of a variety of types of play found in the middle school at PNA. 

Students participate in a mountain biking elective.

Students play piano on a snack break in the hall outside of my classroom. Kids have access to a piano, guitar, and ukulele that they are welcome to play before school and during breaks.

During every morning meeting, students play a game. Games are an important part of our social curriculum. Below, students play one of their current favorites called paper hockey.

On one of the nature walk elective classes, I led students on a plant identification scavenger hunt, which you can see below. The friendly competition between groups created a high degree of engagement.

In celebration of Halloween, student council did a great job of organizing fun activities for kids. Below are a few pictures.

Have a great weekend… and don’t forget to take some time to play!