TL;DR:
- This summer, step out of your comfort zone and try some new ways to play!
- This post shares some new ways to choose your play this summer, including CrossFit, yoga, gaming, and art.
Summer is finally here this week for our school district. Let me tell you, I need some play!
Play looks different for people. I know a lot of teachers who when asked about their hobbies cannot list any. I was one of those teachers too. Well…I teach and I take care of my kids…and I read about teaching…and blog about teaching…and research teaching. I do it because I LOVE it, but I need some downtime too!
This summer, I challenge you to step out of your comfort zone and try some new ways to play. I recently completed a goal of mine to do 40 days of CrossFit! I started my CrossFit journey in October but this new challenge was from May to June. It feels so good to meet that goal!
Choose Your Play: CrossFit
I would never have thought of CrossFit as a form of play, but it goes back to really basic movements that we used to do as children and kind of forgot how to do along the way. I’ve watched toddlers do some of the best squat forms I’ve ever seen. Jumping, jump roping, and throwing wall balls are all moves you may see on the playground. I have fun and I socialize and I feel good when I get movement in! My friend Shanna even tells her students that she uses those fraction skills daily during CrossFit.
Choose Your Play: Yoga
Yoga is another great choice for something new to try. Animal poses, deep breathing, intentional time, and thinking can bring a summer of fulfillment. A friend and colleague of mine just completed a teacher training to use yoga for trauma-sensitive practice. Having fun and moving your body can give you energy outside of the classroom but also give you tools or spark ideas to use with your students in the classroom.
Choose Your Play: Gaming
You know what is really fun!? Playing some video games that you haven’t played in a long time like retro Sonic or Mario! You can play with your kids. Don’t have kids? Play alone! Those feelings of nostalgia can bring some true happiness to a rainy summer day. I know a lot of adult gamers that use that time to socialize or unwind after a busy day. Some of my friends from high school even do some streaming. If you are up on some video game lingo it can help build relationships the next school year.
[scroll down to keep reading]
Choose Your Play: Art
My son Maks and I just took an art class online with Jon Jurjavich (2018 Ohio Teacher of the Year). I found the class because our network of Ohio Teacher of the Year recently started a national chapter! I had so much fun sitting beside Maks and found myself engaged and drawing too.
Mr. J’s playful banter, integration of stories, and passion for googly eyes made it so much fun! If you want to check out Mr. J, he will be releasing some videos on WOSU soon! Find them on Facebook @WOSUClassroom.
If you try something new will you share it with us? Find us on the Teach Better Team Private Facebook Group!
About BreAnn Fennell
Mrs. BreAnn Fennell is a first-grade and second-grade looping teacher in Ashland, Ohio. She has worked in both public and private settings and is passionate about providing exciting learning environments for students. Mrs. Fennell is a published author of children’s books including Play? Yay! and Choose Your Cheer. She is a mom to two energetic boys and a defender of play! 
