Our Middle Schoolers delight in heading outside twice a day to seek out opportunities for unstructured play on the playground and fields at PDS. Combined, these two periods allow our students to experience forty-five minutes a day of unstructured time to be with their peers, enjoy the fresh air and have some fun. This is unique in today’s world.

The benefits of play are well-known and well celebrated for younger students, but not everyone understands the need for Middle School aged students to engage in play as well. In fact, as Time Magazine pointed out in a 2015 article, unstructured play time for Middle Schoolers has been linked to higher levels of “creative thinking, problem solving, independence, and perseverance…” What an enormous return on such a fun investment of time!

At PDS, we are constantly seeking to balance a challenging curriculum with opportunities for self-care and social-emotional well-being. Our time on the playground reminds me everyday that our students need time to breathe, time to play and time to just be kids.