Nurture Social Activities
A well-designed schoolyard reflects a range of outcomes for students. It can promote kids either working as a group or choosing a setting that best suits how they want to engage with one another. This may include:
- spaces like stages and amphitheaters that inspire performance, creativity, and interactive play.
- a secluded place to sit and read quiet or engage in make-believe play, which might apply to more introverted students.
- engaging play environments that provide opportunities for sports and team-based activity, large or small, in which kids can negotiate rules and take on leadership roles.
- public art—banners, tiles, mosaics, murals, or sculptures—that can give children a sense of pride and ownership, especially when they are invited to collaborate in its creation.
Examples of our work
The images below show designs for several schools that integrate ideas for nurturing social activity.
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Before: Our design team identified an underused portion of the Powel School schoolyard as an opportunity for students to engage with one another.
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Creative play: This rendering for the Powel School design shows a painted maze (in yellow) and an old tree well (far right) to create a small stage.
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Play zones: This cross-section drawing of play spaces at Nebinger School reflects how the landscape lends itself to a variety of social activities.
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Art enrichment: Greenfield School students were part of a group effort that designed and installed this mosaic in the schoolyard.
When planning and designing a schoolyard that will encourage social activities, consider these elements:
- nature-inspired play
- creative play
- play zones
- public and other art elements
- game tables
