Five kids at a working class school on Long Island gathered to chat with me a few weeks ago about the afterschool activity they’ve been doing all year, twice a week: Playing.
Plain, old PLAYING.
The school started offering a Let Grow Play Club, whereby an adult is supervising. But they don’t organize the games or solve the spats. They’re like a lifeguard at the beach, only jumping in when there’s an emergency.
And so the kids figured out on their own what they like to do and who they like to play with, and how to solve the arguments. And in doing so, they made the thing they’ve been longing for the most, especially since the pandemic: FRIENDS.
Here they are in their own words, below. And here’s the FREE Let Grow Play Club Implementation Guide. Start a Play Club at your school, church, community center or wherever else there are kids who want to bounce back from loneliness!