How Will Recess Work in The 2020 - 2021 School Year?

There are still so many questions that need to be answered for when kids go back to school this year. We know the Calgary Board of Education just announced mandatory masks for all Kindergarten to grade twelve students and staff. But, what else? What happens if a child loses their mask during the school day? Will kids be sitting six feet apart during class? How often will high touch areas be sanitized? There are many key items are shared between students during the school year, textbooks, writing utensils, craft and art supplies, etc. Will the sharing of school supplies be allowed this upcoming year?

Personally, my favourite part about school was recess. It was always the highlight of the day. Spending quality time with my friends. Playing sports. Hanging out on the playground. It was a great palate cleanser for the mind and it’s the part of the day dedicated to where kids and be kids.

I looked at some of the challenges that may be present for the upcoming 2020 – 2021 school year. Classic playground games such as tag, red rover, and hind and seek many no longer be suitable options if we want our kids to practice good social distancing. Sports may also be a struggle. Think about it, any sport where a ball is passed between hands, like basketball, baseball, dodgeball, could be a risk factor. We could hope every player sanitizes and washes their hands before playing, but if one child forgets, it may be all for nothing. Not to say all sports carry this risk, soccer and ball hockey would be great substitutions because, by their nature, they discourage hand contact.

I would love to hear your thoughts!

For more information on how COVID-19 is changing our back to school shopping habits, check out the article here.