Dr. Recess Assembly & Playground Games Program

Welcome to the Dr. Recess Assembly & Playground Games program...a new and exciting way to help children learn, grow, develop, and live healthy lives through play.

What is the Dr. Recess Assembly & Playground Games Program?

The Dr. Recess Assembly & Playground Games program is an on-site assembly and games program that promotes the importance of being active and living a healthy life by using developmentally appropriate games to teach social/emotional skills, thinking skills, and motor skills to elementary school children. It was created by award-winning teacher and author, Curt Hinson, Ph.D., as part of the Trouble-free Playground program. Dr. Hinson’s Trouble-free Playground program is currently being implemented at schools in all 50 states. The Dr. Recess Assembly & Playground Games program allows schools to improve the health and fitness levels of children by teaching them appropriate games and activities to play during recess.

Who is it for?

The Dr. Recess program is for any elementary school with any combination of grades K through 6.

How does it work?

The Dr. Recess representative comes to your school and conducts a 45-minute assembly program that focuses on fun, active games and activities for recess. Following the assembly, the Dr. Recess instructor sets up the games and activities during your regularly scheduled recess time for the students to come outside and enjoy.

Why participate?

Today’s children are more obese and more out of shape then kids of earlier generations. In addition, today’s children have a lot of difficulty with the social/emotional aspect of unstructured play situations. Many of these problems occur because:

Today’s children do not engage in outdoor, unsupervised play as often as children did 10, 20, 30 or even 40 years ago. They spend more time watching TV, playing video games, or using computers/tablets. Outside physical play is no longer the favorite pastime of childhood.

Today’s children attempt to play many inappropriate games for their age level during recess partly due to being placed in adult-level games and leagues as early as 4-years old. They miss out on learning fun, kid-level games because they’re constantly pushed to participate in high-level organized sport leagues during their free time.

Today’s children lack the necessary social and emotional skills to deal with the conflicts that arise during the inappropriate games they play. Due to a change in societal norms of what’s acceptable and unacceptable, this can often be attributed to the violence and cruelty that is depicted in many of the television shows they watch, as well as the video or computer games they play.

Today’s children are stressed at a higher level than any other generation of kids before them. The pressure to perform in school and in sports has escalated beyond what many kids can handle.

What are the benefits of the program?

School Benefits

• Less conflicts on the playground
• Better use of recess time by students
• Reduction in BULLYING on the playground
• Fewer students sent to the office for playground referrals
• Students participate in safer playground games
• Fewer playground injuries
• Improved student morale and motivation

Student Benefits

• New fun and exciting games to play during recess
• Improved fitness and skill levels
• More participation; less standing around and waiting to play
• More choices to select from
• Improved self-esteem through active participation at one’s individual level

Does the school have to provide anything?

No. The Dr. Recess instructor will show up with all the equipment necessary to teach the games to dozens, even hundreds of students at a time.

How many students can participate?

The introductory assembly program can be done for hundreds of students at one time. However, some larger schools prefer to divide their students into two groups and have two assemblies. Either way is fine and there’s no additional charge for the extra assembly. After the assembly, the Dr. Recess instructor spends time meeting with students during their regularly scheduled recess time, giving them a chance to play the games learned in the assembly. This portion of the program is typically done outside during recess. If inclement weather creates a problem, the recess part of the program can be done inside using a gymnasium or multi-purpose room if necessary.

How much does it cost?

To bring the Dr. Recess program to your school for a day, the cost starts at $1095.00 plus travel expenses (see below) for the instructor. The fee includes both the assembly (either one or two) and the game instruction during recess. Call us at 302-438-3257 to get a specific quote to your location.

Note: Travel expenses vary and are based on your school’s location from the instructor. There are no travel expenses incurred if you are located less than 100 miles from the instructor. Typical travel expenses include things like airfare, hotel, and/or rental car and can range from $150 to $600 depending on your location. Contact us for a specific quote for travel expenses to your area.

How do I arrange for the Dr. Recess program to come to my school?

Call us at 302-438-3257. We’ll be happy to discuss possible dates and times with you. And, if you have any questions, we’ll be glad to answer them for you as well.

Who created the Dr. Recess Assembly & Playground Games program?

The Dr. Recess Assembly & Playground Games program was created by award-winning teacher and author, Curt Hinson, Ph.D., in 1997 as a follow-up program to his Trouble-free Playground staff-training workshop. Originally the program was called Project PlayFit, but as Dr. Hinson traveled around the country to schools, teaching students how to play the games, he began to be referred to as “Dr. Recess” by the students and staff at every school he visited. The name stuck and today there are hundreds of thousands of students across the country who have learned playground games from Dr. Recess.

Curt Hinson, Ph.D., (also known as Doctor Recess) has been teaching for over 38 years. He taught at the elementary school level for 16 years and at the college level for over 22 years. He currently works as an educational consultant for PlayFit Education Inc., presenting staff-training workshops and assemblies for school districts, teachers, and students. In addition, he teaches in the on-line graduate program at Canisius College in Buffalo, NY. He holds a Ph.D. in Kinesiology, a Masters of Education degree, and a BS degree in Health & Physical Education.

Dr. Hinson is the author of four books, Fitness Activities for Kids; Fitness for Children; Games Kids Should Play at Recess; and 6-Steps to a Trouble-free Playground. In addition, he has published over 50 articles related to teaching and is the creator of the “Trouble-free Playground” recess program for elementary schools.

Dr. Hinson has made presentations in all 50 states, as well as in Washington, DC, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and Mexico. His practical, hands-on teaching techniques, along with his enthusiasm, make him one of the most dynamic educators in the country. He was the 1992 SHAPE America Eastern District Teacher of the Year and the 1991 Delaware PE Teacher of the Year. He is a member of the Society of Health and Physical Educators of America (SHAPE America); the National Association for Sport and Physical Education; and the American Association for Physical Activity and Recreation. Dr. Hinson has been featured in the Wall Street Journal; Disney’s Family Fun magazine; and on the Fox News Network. His Dr. Recess playground program is currently being implemented in schools in all 50 states.