Children's Health & Wellness. More and more, parents are protesting school policies that allow teachers and administrators to withhold recess to punish student misbehavior.
Common infractions include tardiness, acting out in class and failure to complete homework—everyday childhood behaviors that result in numerous children having to go without recess on any given day. The research is clear. Children need recess. It benefits every aspect of childhood development—physical development, of course, but also social, emotional and intellectual development as well.
Following are seven reasons why, if we want our children to succeed, recess should not be denied. Everyone benefits from a break. There is one more reason recess should not be withheld from children as punishment: It doesn’t work. About the Author: Rae Pica is a children’s physical activity specialist and the author of 18 books for teachers and parents.
This article appeared in Pathways to Family Wellness magazine, Issue #25. View Article References View Author Bio. Do Kids Need Recess? Major Education Issues: Do Kids Really Need Recess? - EduGuide. By Lisa Hayes and Linda Wacyk The new federal No Child Left Behind Act demands a lot more from schools.
They are expected to steadily improve learning for all students. Some schools have responded by cutting back on playtime so students can spend more time learning. But is that a good idea? Does that cause more stress in children and teachers? As the pressure mounts for schools to increase academic learning, recess is losing out. Some teachers are pleased to have the extra time each day. Parents Question Schools' Issues and Policy On Recess But other parents are stewing about their young children being forced to learn for six hours without a break -- and child development experts agree.
The National Association for the Education of Young Children took a stand as early as 1997 on the value of school recess and outdoor play. Other experts point out that when kids miss out on physical activity and stress-relieving play, they get distracted from learning anyway. Benefits of Playtime. Recess Makes Kids Smarter. All day in the classroom, kids are being told: "Be quiet.
Sit still. Be quiet. Sit still," says Nelly Torres, a parent of a first and a fourth grader in the Chicago Public Schools. "That's because they need their recess. " Torres, 42, still lives in the same neighborhood she grew up in. Forbes Welcome. Pediatricians say kids need recess during school. A group of American pediatricians is telling school districts that children need recess and free time during the school day, and it should not even be taken away as punishment.
"We consider it essentially the child's personal time and don't feel it should be taken away for academic or punitive reasons," said Dr. Robert Murray, who co-authored the new policy statement for the American Academy of Pediatrics. The statement, published Monday in the journal Pediatrics, says recess is a "crucial and necessary component of a child's development. " Recess helps students develop communication skills, such as cooperation and sharing, and helps counteract the time they spend sitting in class, according to the statement. "The cognitive literature indicates that children are exactly as we are as adults. "Kids have to have that time scheduled. Previous research, according to the statement's authors, found children pay closer attention and perform better mentally after recess. The U.S. Should kids have longer recess at school? It makes it harder for kids to get back on track to learn, and less time to learn all together.
I think 15mins. Is perfect because kids are out for an appropriate amount of time to be freshened up to clear their minds. If you make a longer recess, kids will find it hard to get back on track to learn whatever subject is for that current place in time. ~Charcoal the Shadow Animatronic Recess should stay the same time! Well in recess there's more advantage in swearing, fighting, getting bullied and a whole other bunch of crap! Pediatricians say kids need recess during school. The importance of recess. As an elementary physical education teacher, I am constantly reminded about the importance of integrating core subject areas, such as math, reading and science into my curriculum.
I have gone to numerous workshops and listened to administrators, physical educators, and classroom teachers discuss why and how I should plan physical education lessons around what is being learned in the regular classroom setting in order to strengthen the overall learning environment. While I agree that integrating core subject material into physical education is important, at the same time, we as educators also cannot overlook the importance of promoting physical education during the entire school day. As more and more elementary schools are cutting back on the amount of quality physical education time students receive, recess has increasingly become the means to supplement this lack of physical education students receive during the day.
The value of physical education. How does recess and gym help learning at school? What does your child say when someone asks about his or her favorite subject?
Does your child usually say recess or gym? Do you cringe wishing that reading, math, or science was the answer?