Play before eating or after?
A growing number of schools across the world are trialing play time at the beginning of the break and then sitting down to eat.
A Principal in Douglas County in the United States commented, “In the morning, they’re just full of energy. They want to get out and be with their friends, so they’re kind of preoccupied with that, and eating lunch is just one more thing to get through before they can go play, so this gives them the opportunity to play first and then eat, students aren’t running around on a full stomach, and when they come into lunch, they are calmer and take time to eat.”
He commented that with the new schedule, students are less likely to be hungry or sick in the afternoon, and they come back to the classroom more prepared to learn. The practice also is resulting in an average of 10 minutes additional teaching time as the students are more settled.
What are you doing to maximize learning time?