• Identify leisure activities available in their school and local community
• Explore and show curiosity about new free time opportunities
• Begin to understand how the community helps support free time and leisure activities

30–40 minutes Flexible timing/ adaptable format: Can be completed in short segments or extended across multiple sessions.Example Conversation Starters:

• “Where do you like to play or go for fun?”
• “What activities do you like to do outside of school? During different seasons?”
• “Is there a place you’d like to go to during free time afterschool, on weekends or vacation but haven’t yet? Is there a type of place you would like to visit but don’t know where or how to do it?”

Creative drawing:

• Give students blank maps of the school or community, or have them create their own (individually or as a group)
• Have them gather or create images of local places and programs.
• Invite them to draw or label places they know, enjoy, or want to try on the map.
• Use color coding to identify these place: places they already know, want to visit, or want to create.

Interactive version- Moving around the space:

-Post signs, icons or images of local spots and programs around the room. (Students can even create these in advance to use for this purpose)

-Have students “travel” around the room, placing sticky notes:

• I’ve been here
• I want to try this
• We could add something like this to our school or in our community

-Debrief

• Explore how relationships influence leisure choices (and vice versa)— and how leisure can strengthen relationships
• Understand the importance of inclusion and equity in play and social connection
• Notice exclusion and begin to practice ways to respond or include others

30–40 minutes Flexible timing/ adaptable format: Can be completed in short segments or extended across multiple sessions.

• “Who do you like to spend time with during free time?”
• “When do YOU choose the activity or location and then play with who is there?” “When does the opposite happen?”
• “Have you ever felt left out or seen someone else feel left out?”
• “What can we do to make sure everyone feels included?”

Interactive role-play:

-Brainstorm or Create short “inclusion scenarios” like:

• A student is sitting alone at recess.
• A new classmate doesn’t know how to play a game.
• Someone wants to play but uses a wheelchair.

-Act out or discuss: “What could we do in this situation to help everyone feel welcome?”

Equity reflection:

-Ask:

• “Does everyone always get the same chances to play?”
• “What might make it hard for some kids to join in?”

-Create a class “Inclusion Pledge” or “We ALL Belong” visual or project

• Recognize that leisure and play are part of children’s rights
• Reflect on fairness and access to play, increasing empathy for others
• Understand that leisure is meaningful and an important part of a healthy life

30–40 minutes Flexible timing/ adaptable format: Can be completed in short segments or extended across multiple session

• “What happens when people don’t get enough free time? Children? Adults? People you know?”
• “Why do you think play and rest are rights?”
• “What would you want to tell someone who doesn’t think play is important?”

United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) rights Activity:

What is a “right”?

• “Can you think of something every child should have or be able to do?”

There is a big list of rights written by countries around the world, through the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).

Let’s explore the UNCRC rights.

Every child has the right to:

• Relax and play (Article 31)
• Freedom of expression (Article 13)
• Be safe from violence (Article 19)
• An education (Article 28)
• Protection of identity (Article 8)
• Sufficient standard of living (Article 27)
• Know their rights (Article 42)
• Health and health services (Article 24)

-Create Posters for a few of them.

• Start with the first bullet: Relax and Play.
• “What does this mean to you? Why do you think this is important?”

Add on: Place Posters around the room with simplified UNCRC rights ( “You have the right to play,” “You have the right to rest,” “You have the right to be heard”).

-Students walk around and respond verbally, directly on the posters or with sticky notes:

• “This right matters because…”
• “I wish everyone could…”

-Debrief

• Learn that helping others can be a fun and meaningful way to spend free time
• Use their imagination and ideas to create new ways to play and enjoy free time
• Practice including others and making sure everyone feels welcome

30–40 minutes Flexible timing/ adaptable format: Can be completed in short segments or extended across multiple session

• “Has anyone ever helped you feel included? Have you ever helped a friend have more fun or feel included?”
• “What’s something you wish your school or community had?”
• “How could we create something new for ourselves or others?”

• Use Live Your Why to Support these activities, especially the “Connecting with people” and “Getting to know your community” sections!
• For more ideas check out Recess, Explore/Club Time, and Out-of-School Time

-Ask: “What are ways we can help others during recess or free time?”

-Brainstorm and look through LYW for ideas and discuss and/or record on chart paper.

-Group ideas into:

• Helping during school and out of school activities
• Helping create new ideas
• Helping people feel safe and included
• Other categories

-Use other activities in this overall topic and LYW to think about different types of opportunities to create something new or enhance an existing opportunity: a recess/free time activity, a club, a game, a space, etc.

-Then, in small groups (or another model), students design a new opportunity or a few.

-Share out:

• What is it?
• Who is it for?
• How does it help the community?

Help students plan for bringing their ideas to fruition! Even small steps (acknowledge some ideas may be easier than others to implement) 

• “One thing I learned about my rights is…”
• “One way I can help someone feel like they belong is…”
• “One thing I want to try in my free time is…”
• “One new idea I want to create for my class, school or community is…”