1 INTRODUCTION During recess, the schoolyard is where social relationships develop and strengthen, where children practice their social and emotional skills through child-led free play (McNamara et al., 2017). Engagement in schoolyard interactions is positively linked with children's social competence (Veiga, de Leng, et al., 2017) and is considered crucial for children's social, emotional, and academic development (Jarvis et al., 2014; Murray & Ramstetter, 2013).
