You can bring out the best in kids through play.

It all starts with a spark.

For nearly 30 years, Playworks has been working toward a vision that one day, every child in America will get to play every day. We partner with elementary schools, districts, and community-based organizations to bring games and youth development practices to enable kids to get active and develop valuable skills that help them thrive in and out of the classroom.

The results are in ...

In just 10 minutes a day, our Playworks Foundations certificate program will give you the tools and strategies you need, including:

Transition time

Bullying reports

Sense of safety

Physical activity

Play helps us...

Get physically active

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Help kids get and stay active & build social skills, all while increasing play-time safety.

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Strengthen academic motivation

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Improve behavior, streamline transitions, prevent injuries, & improve learning outcomes.

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Develop valuable lifelong skills like cooperation and teamwork

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Engage kids with curated games you can start using immediately.

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Together, we can maximize playtime and enhance play systems that will work for you and your students.

Studies show that the Playworks approach contributes to positive experiences for kids and staff alike. Compared to the average school, Playworks schools report...

Dashboard

Guided Learning

Overview Group Management Badge Game Facilitation Badge Play Systems Badge Youth Leadership Badge GRF Foundations GRF Assessment Learn more

Content & Resources

Content Library Games SparkPlay Tools Community Space Curated Emails Spanish Resources

Facilitator Playbook

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Welcome,

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SparkPlay Dashboard

Jump into content here or find what you're looking for in the menu above.

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Game of the Week

Learn This Game

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Pick up where I left off

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Keep going! You're making great progress.

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Getting Started Checklist

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Complete the Welcome course
Browse Content Library
Check out our collection of Games
Explore your Community space and say hi
Complete your first badge

Start here to make the most of SparkPlay

Diving Deeper Checklist

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Complete Group Management, Game Facilitation, and Play Systems badges
Start the Youth Leadership badge
Try out the Playground Planner
Check out the Facilitator Playbook

Keep leveling up your SparkPlay skills!

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Guided Learning Badges

Start earning badges, dive into courses, and track your progress toward certificates.

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FOUNDATIONS Group Management Learn play-based strategies for managing groups and supporting positive play.

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FOUNDATIONS Game Facilitation Build the confidence and skills to lead engaging games for children of all ages.

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FOUNDATIONS Play Systems Create play systems that support safe, healthy play across your school or organization.

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YL Youth Leadership Design a youth leadership program that prepares students to lead through play.

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GRF GRF Foundations Discover how the Great Recess Framework (GRF) helps you understand and improve recess quality.

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GRF GRF Assessment Use the Great Recess Framework (GRF) to assess recess and support continuous improvement.

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Latest from our blog

Ultimate Ball

The goal of Ultimate Ball is to be the first team to catch the ball in the end zone. Ultimate Ball is a Recess Game, Core Game, and Ball Game. To play Ultimate Ball, you will need cones and a ball. This game takes 10-15 minutes to play and is recommended for groups of 6-10 players. Ultimate Ball is great for Grades 3-5 and Grades 6+.

My Progress Table

Get Support

Get Support with GoPlay

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Welcome to your new SparkPlay Dashboard!

Check out the video below for a quick guided tour and navigation tips to help you get the most out of your SparkPlay experience.

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Games Library:

Quick Tips

Looking to build skills? We've got you covered.

Find games that support skill development

Select a skill focus from the list below, then copy and paste it into the search bar to see games that develop that skill.

Accepting Help
Accurate Self Perception
Active Listening
Analyzing Solutions
Building Community
Communication
Conflict Resolution
Cooperation
Empathy
Ethical Responsibility
Growth Mindset
Identifying Characteristics
Identifying Emotions
Identifying Problems
Impulse Control
Integrity
Offering Help
Personal Responsibility
Perspective Taking
Physical Self Awareness
Playing Fair
Positive Language
Problem Solving
Relationship Skills
Resilience
Respect
Responsible Decision Making
Self Awareness
Self Confidence
Self Management
Self Motivation
Social Awareness
Social Engagement
Stress Management
Teamwork
Understanding Consequences
Using Your Voice

Limited on equipment? No problem!

Find games that require specific equipment

Select an item from the list below, then copy and paste it into the search bar to see games that require that item.

Ball
Bandana
Baseball Bat
Base
Basketball
Beanbag
Bouncy Ball
Chair
Chalk
Cone
Dodgeball
Flag
Football
Frisbee
Hula Hoop
Jersey
Jump Rope
Kickball
Soccer Ball
Tennis Ball
Volleyball
Volleyball Net
No Equipment Required

Want to find a specific type of game?

Find specific game types

Select a game type from the list below, then copy and paste it into the search bar to see games of that type.

Autonomous/Self-Access Game
Ball Game
Cooperative Game
Core Game
Icebreaker Game
Indoor Game
Readiness Game
Recess Game
Rotational Game
Tag Game

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Send a SparkPlay Trial

Click your email provider below to share with a friend.

Need help or don't see your email provider listed?

Click below to copy the trial information and link. Then, paste it into a new email to share with a friend.

Facilitator Playbook:

Tips & Resources

Need help introducing games?

Use the 4P's Framework!

Playworks uses a framework called the 4 P’s to introduce games to students. We recommend using the 4 P’s when you introduce games to your youth so they are learning both the game rules and how to teach them to others.

Pre-Game

Review the name, goal, and basic rules of the game using the ABC method:
A - Attention Getters: Focus the group’s attention using a quick attention getter. (Example: If you can hear my voice…” or “When I say _, you say _.”)
B - Basic Rules: Focus the group’s attention using a quick attention getter. (Example: If you can hear my voice…” or “When I say _, you say _.”)
C - Call and Response: Check for understanding by asking a call-and-response question such as “Point to our boundary.

Practice

Test out the game with low stakes with a practice round to normalize forgetting or not understanding rules, asking questions, and implementing modifications.

Play

While you’re playing, continue to check on group engagement. How is the interest level? Are there rules to reiterate? Deciding when to end a game is also an important element of play, so monitor when it appears students are getting tired and/or losing interest.

Post-Game

Debrief or highlight relevant parts of the game related to your goals for playing using the What? So What? Now What? method:
What? - Recap the game.
So What? - How did it make you feel? Why is this important?
Now What? - What can we take from this game to support _ going forward?

For more information on the 4 P’s, visit the Game Facilitation 101 course in SparkPlay.

Want to keep games feeling fresh?

Implement a Game of the Week.

The lesson plans provided include suggested games and often refer to a Game of the Week. The Game of the Week is a large group game that rotates regularly to keep activities fresh. SparkPlay users subscribed to curated emails will get weekly emails with a suggested Game of the Week. Depending on your capacity, you may choose to rotate less frequently and refer to it by another name (e.g. Game of the Month).

Looking for more game ideas?

Discovery a variety of games in the Games resource.

Find games for different group ages, group sizes, equipment types, and school settings in this playbook, and many others here.

Need a refresher on Group Management?

Check out these SparkPlay courses.

Attention Getters & Signals
Openings & Closings
Transitions

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Facilitator Playbook:

Blank Lesson Plan

Create your own lesson plan using our template

Click below to download.

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