8 year old - Ideas for solo break time games in school

[Porticor24]

Hello,
Looking for tips, advice. DD is in year 3 and finds playtimes really stressful. She says when she asks children if she can join their game they say no. She doesnt have a best friend and is an only child. I have spoken to her teacher and have also requested for ELSA so she can get some help and support. I was also hoping to equip her with some ideas for playtime, things she could do by herself - single player games etc and was hoping to get some ideas here. Any suggestions please of things she can do to occupy herself as plan B. She has come up with some ideas like collecting leaves, thinking of jokes, jumping rope etc.
Thank you in advance

The schools that my kids went to had a playground games activity where kids could join if they didn’t have someone to play with. It was games like “what’s the time Mr Wolf” and led by a playground supervisor. It was a mix of years.

If she doesn't actually mind playing by herself - then perhaps skipping (she can make up games where she turns the rope in patterns between skips, tries to beat her record, etc), or one of those games with a small rubber ball/tennis ball where she does those counting games - like bounce the ball and catch it for 'one', throw the ball at the wall and catch it twice for 'two', throw at the wall and let it bounce and catch three time for 'three', throw under the leg at the wall and catch four times for 'four', throw at the ground so that it hits the ground then the wall five times for 'five', and so on - I can't remember them all but I'm sure you could google the sort of thing to give her ideas. I think some involved throw upwards under your leg and catch; throw up straight and catch; throw upwards and spin around and catch etc. Up to ten. And each time, if you ever miss it, you have to start all over from the beginning! I remember it being quite fun spending ages doing it

My son's school has this, and every school should. Just a simple fun game where everyone is welcome - no child should have to play alone (fine if they prefer to of course).

A lot of schools have boxes of things like skipping ropes, hoops etc that children can play with.

Is there a reason your DD isn’t included? Some schools have a buddy system?

Thank you all for your replies that’s very helpful. My DD joined in the last term of year 2. She asks to join but isn’t always included and also friendships are established already …..so has been saying a lot lately that she feels alone in school. We haven’t had a lot of play dates either. I will try to organise some and will also inquire about playground supervisor and buddy system. Sometimes it’s hard to know what to ask for so it’s helpful to hear from others. Thank you

It must be so hard to watch your DD struggle. I'm sure so many girls go through that phase at some point in school.
I don't know the school rules so maybe consult with the class teacher first, but if I don't get sufficient help I would send her in with small fidget toys, small pots of slime or squishy, putty type of toys. She can play with them and also they sometimes become conversation topics where other girls can join in and play together. Just be mindful depending on the school it can cause trouble as they might not like children brining in things.
My friend had her child take in books or things to draw or colour in. She consulted with the class teacher and got consent before sending her in with that small 'fun bag'.
See if she understands some basic school playground games.. it, tag etc, the kind of games that normally kids just let you join in. Play these at home so she gets familiarized. Role-play games may not as easily give her room to join in.
Also while working on in-school friendships, help her make friends outside of school too, should help greatly build back her confidence. I find gymnastics great that she can also practice during playtimes.
Also let her find anyone else who's alone. There are always kids who play with rocks, collecting leaves...
I didn't have time for playdates and they might have been helpful, but at the end of the day the girls need to work it out themselves too. She'll find her way, reassure her that she's okay, and it's important to find friends that work out. Girls' friendships change all the time. I found anything that looked very established can also break down over time and sometimes pretty quickly. The dynamics really change and there will be wriggle room.
Best of luck!

Thank you @kagurazakamum , that’s reassuring.
@Leafbuds the ball game sounds fab, can help with coordination and sports too. Thank you.

Are they allowed to take things to play with?

It sounds like the game I was describing is often called "7-up", though we didn't call it that I don't think, as we had ten actions. And I misremembered - you start with the biggest number, and count downwards, as the actions get harder!
https://www.verywellfamily.com/play-the-7-up-game-1256803

I'm sure you can look up tens or other numbers for more ideas of actions and create your own version, adding in the clapping etc for more challenge