Innovations such as choosing colored blocks out of a bag to pick sides for teams, peer mediation monitors and special-interest lunch groups have helped. Because what happens during these periods remains a mystery to a lot of parents, we went on a fact-finding mission. We talked to principals, playground aides, teachers and students nationwide about what really goes on from kindergarten through seventh grade. This will help your kid build a core of lunch buddies for when she eats at school. He asked the academically talented fifth-grader if he'd spend part of recess tutoring younger kids.
Some athletic snobbery is invisible to playground aides, so kids keep getting away with it.
You can also let his teacher or playground aides know that he might need their help in organizing a game. More schools are offering alternatives to recess-time sports. Cheryl Hughes, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist at the Children's Medical Center of Dallas, says that some schools set up chess and checkers tables or art supplies outside. Last, some kids get to go off campus for lunch completely unsupervised. N.Y. Most of the time, kids sit with the same group.