Buddy Bench on the Playground

The Buddy Bench is a simple idea to eliminate loneliness and foster friendship on the playground. If kids feel lonely on the playground without anything to do, they can go to the buddy bench, and another student will come to the bench and ask if they want to play.

Over 1,000 elementary schools on six continents have installed Buddy Benches on their playgrounds. The popularity of Buddy Benches in the United States is credited to then-first-grader Christian Bucks, whose family was planning to move to Germany for his father’s job. When Christian was looking at German schools online, he saw a similar bench on one of its playgrounds. He liked the idea and shared it with the principal of his school, Roundtown Elementary in York, Pennsylvania. Christian’s family ultimately stayed in York, so after Christian started second grade in 2013, he introduced the Buddy Bench to his school during an assembly.