I was born in 1956, about 15 miles to the south of London, UK. At that time it was a semi-rural area and I grew up on a smallholding (chickens, fruit, vegetables). I actually remember very little about playtimes (we usually call it 'playtime' in the UK - although, strangely, the school I went to from the age of 7 DID call it 'recess'!). …
I was born in 1956, about 15 miles to the south of London, UK. At that time it was a semi-rural area and I grew up on a smallholding (chickens, fruit, vegetables). I actually remember very little about playtimes (we usually call it 'playtime' in the UK - although, strangely, the school I went to from the age of 7 DID call it 'recess'!). I hated school so much and I never had a single friend until I was nine years old. So I remember walking round the outside of the playground by myself for ever. I think I do remember taking toy cars to school and playing with them there. From nine, I think we did do things like French skipping (with elastic) and skipping with ropes, but I don't recall anything else, I'm afraid. I'm sure our morning playtimes were about 20 minutes and lunchtime was at least an hour. It wasn't uncommon, at my infant school (age 4-7) for children to go home for lunch. However, at home I had immense freedom. The smallholding was quite large so I could roam around, collect warm eggs from under warm hens, climb trees, lie in the grass and look at the sky. We lived near a wood so I would go collecting sticks for beanpoles with my dad - and we would go on long walks across nearby hills where there were pig farms and kennels. I certainly don't remember much 'adult supervision' in playtime, either at home or at school. I am horrified to read that now, in primary schools, that afternoon play has disappeared completely and that lunch time is now around 40 minutes (in which teachers are expected to have their own lunch, supervise lunch, and run lunchtime clubs!). Sorry, my lack of memories of this are not much help to you!
I was born in 1956, about 15 miles to the south of London, UK. At that time it was a semi-rural area and I grew up on a smallholding (chickens, fruit, vegetables). I actually remember very little about playtimes (we usually call it 'playtime' in the UK - although, strangely, the school I went to from the age of 7 DID call it 'recess'!). I hated school so much and I never had a single friend until I was nine years old. So I remember walking round the outside of the playground by myself for ever. I think I do remember taking toy cars to school and playing with them there. From nine, I think we did do things like French skipping (with elastic) and skipping with ropes, but I don't recall anything else, I'm afraid. I'm sure our morning playtimes were about 20 minutes and lunchtime was at least an hour. It wasn't uncommon, at my infant school (age 4-7) for children to go home for lunch. However, at home I had immense freedom. The smallholding was quite large so I could roam around, collect warm eggs from under warm hens, climb trees, lie in the grass and look at the sky. We lived near a wood so I would go collecting sticks for beanpoles with my dad - and we would go on long walks across nearby hills where there were pig farms and kennels. I certainly don't remember much 'adult supervision' in playtime, either at home or at school. I am horrified to read that now, in primary schools, that afternoon play has disappeared completely and that lunch time is now around 40 minutes (in which teachers are expected to have their own lunch, supervise lunch, and run lunchtime clubs!). Sorry, my lack of memories of this are not much help to you!