In February 2024, the COLEF Council (General Council of Physical and Sports Education of Spain) published on the social network It was the participation of girls and boys in the school playground.
In this image you can see that the girls tend to be located on the periphery of the playground (red line), while the boys were located in the central part (blue line), usually occupied by courts where ball games are played, like basketball or football.
Some authors suggest that this fact is explained by gender socialization, which causes the preferences of a specific group (usually the boys who play soccer best) to be imposed on the rest of the students. While recess time is a right for all students, the practice of this right could be limited for those who do not participate in these ball games.
But is banning them the solution? Not allowing physical-sports activities to be carried out is increasingly common in public areas, especially in the case of ball games. In some places, for example, we can find signs indicating “Playing ball is prohibited for those over 4 years of age under penalty.”
Recess implies a disconnection by students from the school routine, and it is one of the few times in which students have opportunities to be more active. This active leisure time allows the development of a large amount of motor, social and affective learning.
Prohibiting students from playing with balls would limit the self-management of their recess time. However, it is possible to look for other pedagogical and inclusive solutions that allow the development of healthy lifestyles for all students, without this implying the domination of most of the space by one group of students to the detriment of others.
Below we list some of the measures that can be implemented to prevent the physical space of the patio from being monopolized by only a few and a few activities:
For these proposals to be inclusive, it should be the Physical Education professionals who coordinate the active playgrounds, with the help of the rest of the teachers. There is recent research that suggests that the lack of involvement on the part of teachers is one of the factors that influence the perpetuation of social hierarchies. If possible, internship students or sports instructors at the educational center could also be involved.
In short, prohibiting ball games during recess time is not the solution. By proposing varied and organized alternatives, however, it is possible to encourage physical activity for everyone, creating recreational experiences in which the entire student body can participate, regardless of their personal characteristics, and leaving gender stereotypes aside.
This article was originally published on The Conversation.