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Friendship Fence (Buddy Bench on a Budget)

For most students, recess is the best part of their
day. After sitting and thinking all day, they are finally able to run free and
unstructured. They love the care free wiggle time where they can focus on being
a kid and enjoy playing with their friends.
Some students arenโ€™t as lucky. They do not see recess
as a whirlwind of fun, they see it as a source of stress and anxiety. They may
not have anyone to play with and do not know how to ask people if they can join
in the games.
Do you have students
who are having issues making friends at recess? Do you see kids who want to be
included but do not know how to make the first move? A friendship fence may
be perfect for you!

It is so easy to create a friendship fence. Print the signs,
laminate and attach to a fence. Presto you now have your very own friendship
fence! Students who do not have anyone to play with can now stand by the signs
signaling to other students that they need a friend to play with. Kids will see
them standing there and then will (hopefully) come up and ask them to join in
on the fun. Think of it as a buddy bench on a budget!

My students are having so much more fun at recess now that we
have a friendship fence. I have only been able to put up one so far because of
Hurricane Irma and the flooding we have been having here in southwest Florida.
I plan to put up four more so that there is one at all of our recess zones. Stay
tuned for more pictures and updates on how my friendship fences are doing!

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Hi, I'm Ashley!

I am a school counselor who helps educators to change the lives of students with engaging, creative, and meaningful SEL resources.

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