Kids love when teachers join in games at playtime
It’s child’s play for teachers and pupils at Todholm Primary school – thanks to a new project that encourages the whole school to have fun together.
Youngsters can be seen jumping for joy on the first Friday of every month when teachers join in playtime.
Staff at the Lochfield Road School take turns playing Chinese jumprope, tig and hopscotch with the little ones. Depute headteacher Aileen Cochrane said: “We first did it last year when we were teaching the children about their right to play.
“It was such a huge success that we now do it once every month to promote the importance of play.”
Aileen admitted that while at first the staff were hesitant to get involved, they now love nothing more than acting like big kids.
She said: “We found that a lot of children didn’t know how to skip so they are really loving learning something new from their teachers in a more informal environment.
“It has helped to promote good relationships in school and we are seeing different age groups coming together to play as they all want a shot with different equipment.”
Best of all, the school has seen a real improvement in the way children interact with teachers.
Aileen said: “The children are opening up to staff more because it is a more informal environment than the classroom.
“For the teachers, they often spend a lot of time controlling the behaviour of children in the classroom so this is a chance for them to be silly and see the children in a different light.”