Global school play day at RSU #18

by Mandi Favreau

Global School Play Day was celebrated all over RSU #18 this year! Atwood Elementary School, Williams Elementary School, and CPS joined in on February 5, while Belgrade Community School and James H. Bean Elementary School scheduled their play days for the Monday and Tuesday of the following week.

Regardless of the timing, all of our elementary students got to experience a full day where they could let their imaginations and creativity run wild with their friends. Children played with dolls, play dough, puppets, Legos, and much, much more. Several students got to discover all the amazing things you can build out of cardboard boxes, others discovered a new found love for karaoke or for science exploration games.

Global School Play Day was developed in 2015 by a small group of educators who were concerned about the lack of unstructured playtime their students got to experience. Studies show that unstructured play boosts cognitive, physical, social, and emotional development while lack of play increases stress and can lead to many physical and mental health issues.

The day of play was definitely a huge hit with the students. The smiles on their faces say it all and are a terrific reminder of how important it is to simply give our children time to play.