Recess time offers schoolchildren an opportunity for unstructured play and interaction with other kids, a study finds.(Photo: Jose Leiva, The Lewiston Sun-Journal, via AP)
Recess is good for a kid's body and mind, and withholding these
regular breaks in the school day may be counterproductive to healthy
child development, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics'
first policy statement on the issue.
Increasing pressures on
schools to find more time for academics has resulted in "an erosion of
recess time around the country," says statement co-author Robert Murray,
a professor of pediatrics at Ohio State University. "But we have a
couple of decades of research now that indicates that recess plays a
huge role in a child's life, and not just because it's fun."
Safe
and properly supervised recess offers children "cognitive, physical,
emotional and social benefits," he says, including better attention
span, improved classroom behavior, and an important opportunity for
free, unstructured play, creativity and interaction with other kids.
In
fact, the policy statement recommends that recess never be withheld as a
punishment or for academic reasons because the break serves a "crucial
role" in a child's development and social interaction.
About 73%
of elementary schools provide regular recess for all grades, but "it's
difficult to quantify at a national level exactly how many schools are
taking it away as a policy," says Catherine Ramstetter, a health
educator at The Christ College of Nursing and Health Sciences in
Cincinnati and co-author of the statement.
Studies cited by the
authors note that up to 40% of U.S. school districts have reduced or
eliminated recess to allow more time for core academics, and one in four
elementary schools no longer provides access to all grades.
In a
2010 Gallup Survey of 1,951 principals and other school officials, 77%
reported eliminating recess as a punishment; one in five reported
cutting recess time to meet testing requirements.
Chicago Public Schools made headlines this school year
"Recess
may look very different from one school to another," she adds, noting
that facilities, location, and weather, for example, can dictate how
individual schools provide recess.
With increased attention to
the obesity crisis among children, recess has gained added focus as an
opportunity for much-needed physical activity and fitness.
But the academy's statement says it should be viewed as "a complement to physical education -- not a substitute."
Recess
"might allow time to practice something learned in physical education
class, but it might also be a time for free play, creative play,
imagination, or just sitting around and talking with friends," says
Ramstetter.
It's important to view recess as "a child's personal
time to decompress from rigorous academic activity and to prepare for
the next rigorous activity," says Murray.
High school students
get a similar opportunity as they change classes and adults have it when
they "go for a coffee break and talk with their colleagues and then
come back for the next task," he says. This personal time for kids
"should not be taken away for either academic or disciplinary reasons.
We need to protect recess time."
USA Today