Forming friendships and enjoying social success at school often hinges on positive peer interactions, especially during less structured times like recess. Some students naturally include others in their playground games, while many others benefit from structured support. The ability to invite all classmates to participate, recognize exclusion, and foster a sense of belonging is key to developing strong friendship skills. Everyday Speech’s video modeling lesson, “Including Everyone on the Playground,” provides an evidence-based, accessible way for elementary students to observe, practice, and reflect on these essential play skills.

What Are Play Skills?

Play skills encompass a set of behaviors that allow children to engage with peers, share materials, take turns, resolve minor conflicts, and adapt to group activities. At the elementary level, developing these skills goes beyond merely following playground rules. It means actively identifying peers who may be left out, using inclusive language, and making space for everyone to participate in games and shared play areas. Strong play skills lay the foundation for successful friendships, emotional resilience, and a welcoming school climate.

“Play skills” in this context specifically relate to inclusive participation on the playground. This includes using kind words and actions to invite classmates to join in, pivoting activities to accommodate extra players, and understanding that exclusion can hurt feelings. By learning and practicing these skills, students are better able to enjoy meaningful social connections and reduce loneliness or isolation among peers.

Why Teach Play Skills?

Directly teaching play skills develops much more than simply improving playtime interactions. Students learn to:

• Build and maintain healthy friendships
• Prevent and reduce feelings of exclusion
• Improve group cooperation and teamwork
• Practice effective communication and positive assertiveness
• Strengthen empathy and perspective-taking
• Develop emotional safety and belonging within their peer group
• Reduce the likelihood of playground conflict or bullying
• Generalize inclusion strategies to other school environments

Effective instruction in inclusion and social participation serves as a critical preventive step. It supports the social well-being of all students, including those who may be shy, new to the group, or who find making friends more challenging. Peer-driven inclusion becomes a protective factor for vulnerable students and builds a positive classroom culture.

Lesson Plan: Including Everyone on the Playground

Everyday Speech’s “Including Everyone on the Playground” resource blends video modeling with reflective and active learning. The following lesson plan outlines a comprehensive sequence that facilitates understanding and practical application of inclusion skills.

Step 1: Discussion on Inclusivity (5 minutes)

Begin by engaging students in a group conversation about what it means to include others. Use direct, open-ended questions such as:

• What does it feel like when you are invited to play?
• Has anyone ever felt left out on the playground? How did that feel?
• What are some ways you can help classmates feel welcome?

Encourage children to draw from their experiences. Validate feelings of sadness or discomfort related to exclusion, and highlight positive stories where someone made a difference by reaching out. This introductory dialogue allows the concept of inclusivity to become personally meaningful before moving into specific strategies.

Step 2: Watch the “Including Everyone on the Playground” Video (5 minutes)

Show the Everyday Speech video modeling lesson, available for preview at this link. The video portrays elementary-age peers navigating playground scenarios. Students will see both unkind and kind approaches to inviting others to play. For example, one scene may highlight a group that ignores a classmate’s request to join a game, while another presents a group warmly welcoming someone new.

After viewing, guide students through reflection by asking:

• What did you notice about how the kids in the video included or left out others?
• How did the characters’ words and actions make others feel?
• Can you remember a time when you saw someone use a kind strategy like the ones in the video?

These questions help students transfer modeled behaviors to their own playground experiences. Observing clear, authentic examples empowers students to recognize and apply similar strategies in real time.

Step 3: Worksheet Activity – “Inviting Others to Play” (10 minutes)

Distribute the “Inviting Others to Play” sorting worksheet. This printable challenges students to categorize phrases and actions from various scenarios as either kind (inviting) or unkind (excluding).

Guide the group as they work through each prompt. For example, students might sort “Come play with us” under the inviting category and “We don’t want you to play” under the excluding category. Discuss each response together. Encourage students to explain their thinking:

• Why is this phrase or action kind or unkind?
• How might a new student feel if they heard each example?

Use this dialogue to reinforce language that supports inclusion on the playground. Model positive statements and offer sentence starters, like:

• “Would you like to join our game?”
• “Let’s find a way for everyone to play.”
• “We can make the teams even by adding another player.”

These scripts give students practical tools they can use during unstructured times at school.

Step 4: Creating Inclusive Playground Rules (10 minutes)

Bring students together in a circle or at their desks to create a set of class playground rules focused on inclusion. Encourage input from all students using prompts such as:

• What is one rule we could follow to make sure everyone feels welcome?
• How can we spot someone who wants to join in but is too shy to ask?
• What should we do if someone says they do not want to play?

Have students use markers, crayons, and paper to illustrate their rules. Sample entries might include: “Always ask someone new to play,” “Be kind to everyone,” or “Look for classmates who are alone.”

Display the finished rules poster or set of drawings in the classroom as a visual reminder. Revisiting these rules as needed before recess reinforces expectations for positive playground interactions throughout the year.

Supporting Play Skills After the Activity

Embedding inclusion principles in daily routines and ongoing classroom culture is essential for long-term change. After completing the structured lesson, consider these additional strategies for supporting play skills:

• Offer praise and reinforcement when students demonstrate inclusive behaviors at recess or during group work.
• Role play common playground dilemmas, practicing language for inviting others to join, resolving minor disputes, or responding kindly if someone says no to an invitation.
• Touch base privately with students who struggle with either including others or being included, and pre-teach scripts they can use.
• Pair students who have strong inclusion skills with those who are developing them, creating natural peer models.
• Involve recess aides and paraprofessionals in the inclusive language and scripts so support is consistent across environments.
• Encourage families to reinforce these skills during playdates or after-school programs.

Tracking growth in play skills can be supported with checklists, teacher observations, and student self-reflections. Over time, educators can expand this focus beyond the playground to lunch, free choice centers, or collaborative classroom projects.

Wrapping Up: Building a Classroom of Playground Friends

Ensuring that all students feel welcomed and included on the playground is a powerful way to support friendship development and overall well-being. Video modeling, sorting worksheets, and group-generated rules work together to help children see practical examples, think critically about their actions, and build a collective commitment to kindness.

Regular reflection, positive reinforcement, and consistent practice will help students internalize and generalize these skills, creating a ripple effect across the school community. By focusing on inclusion during play, educators foster not only better friendships but also increased confidence, safety, and a sense of belonging in every student. Everyday Speech’s “Including Everyone on the Playground” lesson makes it easy to implement this evidence-based practice and see meaningful change throughout the school year.