When a student is the odd man (or woman) out at recess, it can be discouraging and awkward for that student to try inserting him- or herself into ongoing games. But—through one young student’s clever and simple idea—loneliness on the playground might be a thing of the past, thanks to the Buddy Bench.
Christian Bucks, an inspiring 10-year-old at Roundtown Elementary School, was faced with the daunting prospect of moving from the United States to Germany for his father’s job. He was nervous about the move and the prospect of finding playmates at his new school, according to the Washington Post. However, when visiting one campus with his mother, Christian saw that one school had a special bench dedicated to students who had no one to play with.
While the move never materialized, he brought back the idea to his principal at Roundtown Elementary School, and the Buddy Bench system was born!
The Buddy Bench works to eliminate loneliness and foster friendship on the playground, according to its website. In the video, Christian suggests three different ways in which the bench can do this:
- A student may approach someone sitting on the Buddy Bench and offer them a space in an ongoing game or activity.
- A student may offer to “walk and talk” with the person on the Buddy Bench.
- A student may join their classmate on the Buddy Bench, where they will play or talk together.
The Buddy Bench’s website also features a slideshow that helps to explain how to use the Buddy Bench, emphasizing a need to encourage students to make recess plans before they enter the playground and be proactive in seeking out activities. The Buddy Bench is one way in which to actively seek classmate companionship—but it’s not the only method!
This is an embedded <a target='_blank' href='http://office.com'>Microsoft Office</a> presentation, powered by <a target='_blank' href='http://office.com/webapps'>Office Online</a>.
For such a simple concept, the Buddy Bench seems to be a rousing success, inspiring rounds of donations and creative construction on benches across the country. The Willowgrove School in Canada had a local TV crew stop by, with a reporter finding dozens of new friends after sitting on the Buddy Bench. One student told the reporter that she can “find friends easily when you’re lonely and don’t have anyone to play with at recess.”
Local companies, artists, governments, and students have been working together to create these benches for their school communities, inspired by the stories of empathetic play the Buddy Benches inspire. In fact, Catholic private school St. Leonard School in Muskego, Wisconsin, is the one of the latest learning communities to install such a bench.
Does your school have a Buddy Bench? Any recommendations for those schools looking to fundraise, install, and implement a Buddy Bench program? We’d love to hear your experiences with this remarkably simple-yet-effective playground tool.
Additional ISM resources:
The Source for School Heads Vol. 13 No. 9 The Professorship of Play
Additional ISM resources for Gold Consortium members:
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