Adults play a pivotal role in helping kids lead healthy, happy lives.  Philly Play offers the most comprehensive training of summer camp staff in the City of Philadelphia.  Not only do our staff learn key group management techniques and they practice their own play skills!

The first day started off with icebreakers and interaction games taught by the Scholar Athlete Advantage (SAA) team. The coaches learned all about the physiological and psychological needs of children, such as self-esteem, rest and relaxation, shelter and protection, etc. They also learned about age-appropriate behavior, language and modeling within each age group. Our team now knows how to comfort and listen to a child who may need psychological attention. 

Teamwork makes the dream work! On this day, SAA taught the coaches games to help kids learn how to interact and play in teams. Games such as, Leapfrog, Dodgeball and Tug of War are great games to get children active and interacting with each other! These games also teach the children to play fair and cooperate. Not only will the kids have fun playing these games, but the coaches did too! 

The goal of Play Philly is to keep kids active for 60 minutes a day. This may be hard when you don’t have all of the equipment you need. The SAA team taught us some games that do not require much or any equipment so everyone can play and be active! Games such as, Tag, Capture the Flag and Relay Races will keep everyone active and happy. Hydration is a key factor while being active. Thanks to SAA, the coaches now know how to keep everyone hydrated, especially in the heat of the summer! 

The Philadelphia Fire Department came out and helped our team get CPR/AED certified! Most of the Play Philly sites go swimming in the summer, so it is important to know CPR, especially when working with children. The hands on training made for a more realistic situation. Cardiac Arrest can occur at any age, which is why it is important for every recreation center to have an AED on site. Our coaches now know how to use an AED properly, incase of any incident. 

Youth Mental Health First Aid enlightened our coaches on the effects and warning signs of potential mental health issues in children. ADHD, ADD, ODD, and many other conditions are important to look out for in children, especially when they are playing with other children. Our coaches are now certified and know how to handle and help any child with these mental illnesses.