Gratitude journal: Four square

Tonight I am grateful for four square, a game that my principal introduced to the school several years ago that has grown in popularity ever since.

Requiring only a rubber playground ball and painted square, four square transformed recess from a time when children wandered in playground like lost nomads in search of an oasis into thirty minutes of engagement and fun. While not every student plays four square during recess, the great majority do, and it has made the time much more manageable and pleasant for all involved.

I was playing four square with the kids today, hopping from square to square, and I found myself recalling the time when four square was not played at our school.

There was always a kickball game back then, which failed to hold students’ attention because so few players are involved at any one moment. A football game appeared from time to time as well, but it usually devolved from touch into tackle fairly quickly and had to be stopped.

And that was about it. Everyone else was basically a nomad until four square came along.

The world has been a kinder, gentler place ever since.