By Adaire Fit Fish reporters | You may not realize it, but the next time you’re in the schoolyard playing with your friends you’re doing a lot more than just enjoying games or running around. You’re learning valuable lessons.
“Kids’ work is to play. And while they’re playing, they’re working. They don’t feel like they’re working, but they are,” says Tia Mathisen, executive director of Playworks PA, in an interview with the Fit Fish.
Playworks is a national organization that partners with schools and community organizations to increase opportunities for kids to have physical activity and safe, meaningful play.
Behind the shouts and laughter of the playground, Tia said, kids’ “brains are working, their bodies are working, their energy, their social capital is growing. They learn when they should pull back from a challenge. They learn how to exist in space. They’re building muscles. They’re building their heart. They’re learning how to socialize.”
Playing games together outdoors helps kids connect with each other, get valuable exercise, and learn teamwork, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics’ (AAP) website. Having fun is important for kids’ health, says the AAP.
The School District of Philadelphia’s new student wellness policy means that daily recess is required for all students. Tia (who goes by her first name) praises the new policy.
She’s thrilled about it because she believes that “children have the right to play; it’s deeply connected to their humanity, their growth, and even our success as a society.”
Games matter because they create connection and they provide a space for joy in a kid’s life, Tia says. Group activities are important because they can teach you things like teamwork, following the rules, communication, and empathy, according to her organization’s website, playworks.org.
Tia says that Playworks uses a few models for its approach to schools. The one used at Alexander Adaire School is a “coach model.” A coach comes to the school, works with classes individually, and then helps with recess so that fewer conflicts and injuries happen. At Adaire, the coach oversees the weekly games period in which students play with their classmates.
“I think schools that offer Playworks recognize that kids need recess,” Tia says. Letting kids have free time outside is important because kids need to take a break from all the classroom learning. “I think playing games can impact relationships because having fun is good medicine,” she says.
As an advocate for kids playing, Tia says joy is a feeling that should be spread around schools, and her group can help: “Playworks helps show how to solve conflicts and problems by playing games. It teaches things in a way that is fun and understandable.”
Kids, she says, should have time to have fun just like any other humans.
Illustration by Denim, 4th grade, Rowen, 2025-26.
