Free Play (Reinforcement)
Grades 6-8
Setup | Opening | Play Time | Closing
Opening Procedure (5-7 minutes)
PEP-UP: Human Knot (5 min)
1. Groups of 6 to 10 stand in circle.
2. Position A: Everyone hold hands of people on either side of then.
3. Position B: Everyone crosses their hands and hold hands of people on either side of them.
4. As a group, they must untangle and return to Position A without releasing hands.
5. Make the groups compete by getting them to untangle as fast as possible.
FREE PLAY NORMS (1 min)
1. Share the games.
2. Wait for your turn.
3. Be kind to each other.
4. Do not break the materials.
5. Pack everything properly when done.
6. Add: These rules stay the same even when no teacher or facilitator is watching.
More Pep-up Options
2/4
Setup | Opening | Play Time | Closing
Session Name
Full Ownership
Age Group
Ages 12-14
Session Intention
Children run free play fully independently, with high autonomy and minimal facilitator presence.
Materials Needed
Free Play Kit
Classroom Arrangement
1. This session can happen in an open space like a hall or ground in the school
2. Leave the kit in its boxes. Children set up the space themselves.
3. Children organise their own groups of 4-6 and decide where to play.
4. You stay out of the setup, this is theirs to run.
1/4
Setup | Opening | Play Time | Closing
Play Time (~25-28 minutes)
START PLAY:
1. Children organise and begin without direction or instructions.
DURING PLAY:
1. Only observe and take mental notes of what works, how children play and who they play with.
2. Do not prompt, suggest, or intervene unless safety is at risk.
STEP IN WHEN NEEDED:
1. Step in only if safety is at risk.
2. If conflict cannot be resolved by children, step in briefly, then step out again.
3. If children seem completely lost, step in, give some suggestions and step out again once they start playing.
What You May Notice
1. Some groups will be very structured. Others more fluid. Both approaches are valid.
2. Notice who leads, who follows, who creates, who mediates.
3. Children who struggled with free play before should show more ease now.
3/4
Setup | Opening | Play Time | Closing
Closing (~3-5 minutes)
1. Give children a two-minute warning before the end of play.
2. Ask children to share the most creative thing they saw someone do during play.
3. Appreciate the way children managed and directed their own play.
4. Ask the children to help with packing up all the materials.
Try Next Time
1. Children plan and run a free play session for the whole class.
2. Remove 50% of materials and ask children to be more creative with less.
3. Free play with one brief - Create your own new games.