IN THE PLAYGROUND

When there is a child with a disability in your school, having that child fully involved in the classroom program is only half the story.

It is also the school's (and that means the whole schools) responsibility to try to ensure that the child is as fully involved as possible in playground activities as well, i.e. at lunchtime and playtime.

A child who, from Grade 1, has less opportunity to talk and play with schoolmates in the playground will have more difficulty developing appropriate social skills. With inadequate social skills, the problem of exclusion obviously grows.

Play is important!

WHAT TO DO

Access - If access to the appropriate play area is difficult, can the teacher-on-duty take responsibility to escort the child to that play area? Or can older students be rostered to do this? Can a more accessible area be made available to that Grade?

Encouraging and facilitating appropriate play - Sometimes it may be possible for a teacher-on-duty to suggest or encourage games in which the child with a disability can join in. This is not to limit the other children, but to encourage games which they can all enjoy.

Try to tune in to whatever games are popular now. It may only take a small modification to make it suitable for all children.

Ask the children for ideas - both the child with the disability and his classmates. They will often have the best ideas about what games will work, or how to modify them.

These are just a few ideas to start with. Remember that the teachers in the schools are the ones who see the myriad of games which children play. YOU probably have lots of good ideas!

	Cubbyhouses - usually made of bushes in the school ground. Can it be made accessible?
	Imaginative play - each child making believe he is someone/something/somewhere else.
	Walking tiggy - instead of running to chase each other, a different type of gait is set (so the game is not as fast moving). Alternatively you may add extra rules about using lines or markings on the ground to limit the pace or area of the game.
	Ball games - e.g. handball against brick wall so a missed ball does not take so long to retrieve or having a designated catcher to retrieve missed balls. There are usually kids watching a game, so it is often easy to find a willing catcher. (Be careful not to give too much assistance).
	Modified ball games - e.g. grip ball
	Sevenies - ball games against a wall
	Piggy-in-the-middle type games
	Simon says
	Traffic lights Green - one step forward, Red - one step back, Orange - don't move, If you do the wrong thing you are out.

If the classmates are playing active games, then the child with a disability should too, whenever possible.

When this isn't practical, a sedentary activity such as Wheres Wally? Books or board games may be good lunchtime activities.

It is sad to hear of children, especially young children, spending lunchtime in the library, even if it is their choice. It only magnifies the social isolation, so they feel even more uncomfortable trying to join in activities in the playground.