OAKLAND, Calif. – Playworks has launched SparkPlay, an online, subscription-based education resource to support the continuous learning of safe and healthy play for school and youth development staff. The virtual tool pulls from Playworks’ nearly 30 years of experience on playgrounds to teach staff, schools and community-based organizations how to improve recess to bring out the best in every kid through play while sparking new ideas to keep them engaged.
SparkPlay equips teachers and youth development staff with guided learning paths on topics like group management, play facilitation and play systems. It uses evidence-based best practices, practical tips, and fun game ideas to teach the foundational components of a well-run play experience. The learning tool provides on-demand access to games, best practices, curated weekly emails, and guidance anytime, anywhere.
“A positive recess experience helps youth to develop critical social, physical and emotional skills,” says Elizabeth Cushing, CEO of Playworks, the leading national nonprofit leveraging the power of play to transform children’s physical and emotional well-being. “By opening up our playbook online through SparkPlay, we hope to inspire adults everywhere – teachers, after school staff, families – to help kids build relationships and important life skills by playing.”
Playworks partners with elementary schools, districts, and community-based organizations to support every kid–and adult–through play through programmatic services, coaching, consultation, and resources. With an emphasis on skill-building, students feel included while being active and developing valuable skills needed to thrive in and out of the classroom.
The national nonprofit works to ensure that play is an integral part of a kid’s day–in school and beyond. Cultivating a culture of connection, its externally validated programs offer protective factors to support children’s mental well-being while fostering resilience, youth agency, teamwork, and cooperation on and off the playground, positively impacting kids, staff, and school culture at large.
SparkPlay subscriptions include multiple guided learning paths, a searchable library of resources with Playworks’ best tips and tricks to enhance recess, an extensive collection of games, a community and discussion space to share challenges and connect with other educators, and curated weekly emails with fresh games and Brain Breaks.
To learn more about SparkPlay, visit: www.playworks.org/services/sparkplay.
About Playworks
Playworks is the leading national nonprofit leveraging the power of play to transform children’s physical and emotional well-being. The organization aims to bring out the best in every kid and hopes that one day, every child in America will get to play every day. For over 25 years, Playworks has improved kids’ experience at school and enhanced school culture by creating a caring and welcoming environment for every kid to thrive. Through direct-service coaching of youth and providing training and consultation for adults working with kids, Playworks partners with elementary schools, districts, and community-based organizations to bring games and youth development practices. With an emphasis on social, physical, and emotional skill-building, students feel included while being active and developing valuable skills needed to thrive in and out of the classroom. During the 2024-2025 school year, the nonprofit is ensuring more than 600,000 youth in over 1,300 schools and community partners experience safe and healthy play during and beyond the school day nationwide. For more information, visit: www.playworks.org.
