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Kids and recess
The importance of recess in elementary school
Benefits of recess
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We all remember recess as a time where we can relax and go outside after a long session of learning. It would be hard to imagine a school day without any sort of recess, but it's becoming a reality for schools. School systems have started to cut recess times, sometimes completely. But how could that affect students? Studies show that recess has many benefits that help students focus, relax, and learn. Growing relationships, focus, and health are all benefits of recess. Without recess, kids wouldn't get to experience any of these benefits. Schools should keep recess, as without it kids simply won't do as well academically in school as they could otherwise.
Recess offers time for students and kids to interact with each other out of class
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Recess provides young kids with the opportunity to get out of their seats, move and play, and not pay attention without getting in trouble. Without recess, kids would have to go almost the entire day constantly trying to focus on what they might not find interesting. This can be especially hard on kids with disabilities like ADHD. ADHD is a disorder that causes hyperactivity and may result in depression, anxiety, and learning disabilities. (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) So, young kids with ADHD could have a tendency to shout out answers without raising their hands or standing up in class and moving around. Of course, this can, and usually will, result in them being punished. Without recess, they wouldn't have any time that they could get up and move around or talk with their classmates. Of course, kids without ADHD will still occasionally disobey on accident or shout out in class, and recess can be helpful to them, too, but recess becomes almost necessary when a young child has to try to focus even harder on being obedient than a kid without ADHD would. Recess becomes more of a needed part of the school day for kids with ADHD, but even for kids without ADHD, it's still a nice way to relax without getting in trouble.
With an increasing demand for higher standardized testing scores, schools are finding themselves in a tough position. The huge question being asked is how do we create more time for students to learn common core. The simple answer is, we don’t! Incorporating more time for recess is the key to success for students everywhere. Many researchers and educators alike agree that participating in recess increases students’ cognitive, academic, and social skills. The amount of time allotted for recess should be increased for students of all ages. A child’s well-being encompasses more than just academia. Children spend almost eight hours a day at school, sometimes more. The school system and
Some people might say that middle schoolers shouldn’t have recess, but, middle schooler don’t always have gym, and they don’t get enough exercise, so recess would be beneficial to middle schoolers.
Lahey states that “young children develop social skills, such as negotiation, social dynamics, and the use of subtle verbal and nonverbal communication cues” through recess. Students should be familiar with all of these qualities, so that they can apply them to the real world. Negotiating comes into play when there are oppositions, group projects, or team sports. Children learn how to negotiate with each other by reaching an agreement. This is seen when children first begin to play games or sports with one another at recess. Negotiation is a significant quality that teaches students that they do not always get their way. Social skills can be formed through interactions with people. Recess provides students with the opportunity to interact with other children in order for them to learn different behaviors. This time that is set aside for recess teachers children about acceptable and non-acceptable behaviors. Students utilize their social skills to create special bonds with others at recess time. These bonds are friendships that teach children how to improve upon their social skills. Friends are the people who bring out the best in people. Misbehaving children will miss out on learning proper socializing skills if their recess is
Sindelar, R. (2004). Recess: Is it needed in the 21st Century? Clearinghouse on Early Education and Parenting, Vol. 18, Issue 1, 1-6.
Based on the article on The National Sleep Foundation, when it's time for school the average teen body still thinks it's the middle of the night.
In the “The Crucial Role of Recess in School” (2012) article it explains, many schools are beginning to replace physical activity, like recess, with more attention to academic subjects. What these schools are forgetting is that well-supervised recess also has benefits that surpass academics. They help make a well rounded student because recess offers cognitive, social, emotional, and physical benefits to the student when they are young that they carry with them into adulthood.
In her Huffington Post blog article titled Here’s One Way to Wreck a Child’s Education: Take Away Recess, Haley Krischer takes an emboldened stand against the practice of eliminating recess; which is often done as a punishment or to make more time for instructional learning. I stand in agreement with Krischer. I do not agree with schools taking away recess for any reason with the exception of dangerous weather or environmental circumstances. Yet, research indicates how common the 86-ing of recess is occurring in schools. A study by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (2010) revealed 77% of school Principals reported taking away recess as a punishment, and 81.5% of schools allow students to be excluded from recess. Krischer begins the article by introducing her 9 year old son and his affinity for recess: “the only subject he will talk about”. She gives examples of how recess benefits her son such as other students who help him troubleshoot technology issues and challenging him to improve his sports skills. Indeed, the unstructured playtime allows children to explore their environment and develop new ideas and understandings of it and those within it (American Pediatric Association, 2013). Kischer also expressed that children need active play to combat restlessness and that this is especially important for children who may suffer from ADHD, noting that taking away recess as a punishment for misbehavior may be counterproductive and result in increased behavioral problems. A longitudinal study that followed over 10,000 students between the ages of 8 and 9 concluded that student recess of at least 15 minutes resulted in better behavior as rated by teachers (Samuels, 2009).
Everyone knows that recess is good for children, but most people do not know why, thus leaving room for schools to cut down or altogether cut out recess. This can damage children and inhibit learning. In 2005, an estimated 40% of schools had cut back or eliminated recess from the average elementary student’s school day (Bland). Teachers may need more instructional time to meet the new demand from standardized testing, but extended unstructured play is essential. It increases children’s cognitive abilities by promoting healthy chemical exchanges within the brain during physical activity, giving more room for creativity, and improving social skills.
Schools all over the country are considering, if not already applying, the removal of recess for elementary school students. Having recess has scientifically proven to play a substantial part in the social development of a child, their physical health, and the amount of attention they pay in the classroom. For example the Tennessee Board of Education says, "It is the position of the NASPE that all elementary school children should be provided with at least one daily period of recess of at least 20 minutes on length" (National Association for Sports and Physical Education). Keeping recess in schools could help lower the childhood obesity rate, help children to be more attentive in class, and assist in the development of their much needed social skills. These aspects are essential to academic healthiness and to your child succeeding academically. Removing recess could cause a dramatic decline in the graduation rate in the U.S.
“More than 40 percent of school districts across the country, … have done away with recess or are considering it” (Mulrine). This is a ridiculously high number when considering all the benefits that recess has on young children. Children develop and improve so many basic skills, as well as just simply getting a brain break. Educators, however, believe they need more time in the classroom in order to learn more information. What they need may be just the opposite. Researchers of Albert Einstein College of Medicine have found, “ ‘Recess may play an important role in the learning, social development, and the health of children’ “ (“Let Them Play”). Specifically, fourth grade students and younger should be required
wouldn't student get tired and not pay attention. and doesn't recess hinder growth and maternity and i'm here to say NO! If students have recess during connect they could choose to go to recess or stay and work on due or late assignments or if a student doesn't have all there due work turned in they don't get recess. This way it won't affect learning. Did you know that recess could actually make kids less tired? If kids get recess they get less tired because they get more tolerant to tiredness which will help them in class. And you might say recess hinders growth and maturity it actually helps growth a quote from the icpa states that Everyone benefits from a break. Research dating back to the late 1800s indicates that people learn better and faster when their efforts are distributed, rather than concentrated. That is, work that includes breaks and down time proves more effective than working in long stretches. Because young children don’t tend to process information as effectively as older children (due to the immaturity of their nervous systems and their lack of experience), they benefit the most from taking a break for unstructured
Many kids love their free time after school because they can play sports, be a part of a club, and hang out with friends. Lots of schools have been starting their school day later, because they think that students are not getting the proper amount of sleep each night. Schools should not start later because not every kid has trouble getting up on the morning, the transportation costs are extremely expensive, and it takes away from afterschool sports and activities.
In high school we no longer got a legit recess. The best thing we get are 15 minute breaks to socialize and prepare for our next class. Recess means next to nothing to me, but I will never forget the good old days of having a half an hour of being able to do whatever you wanted on the playground. Recess is just like any other word now. Recess to me reminds me of freedom, although we get more privileges in high school, we don't get to have the time of our lives
However, despite the unquestionable link to a brighter future for the children who engage in it, less and less time is being allotted for play in the classrooms. As standards for what children are expected to know at younger and younger ages continues to rise along with the demand for standardized testing from the state, time for play is being sacrificed. Adults are choosing to get rid of time for unstructured play and recess to make time for this new testing interfering with the time allotted for children to learn independently through play. Cutting play and recess is a mistake, and here is why: “recess gives students time for social interactions: for students must be able to initiate, negotiate, cooperate, share, and build relationships with one another--skills that are highly valued in the adult world but that often are quite different from work or play under adult supervision and control” (Chang). Those skills learned through play, are often not the sole purpose of a classroom lesson and could potentially be the only place they learn those needed skills. Play is an affective measurement in the classroom as well as outside of the classroom and children can learn so much from it if only given the chance
Experts believe recess is important for our children, it helps them to develop social skills, teaches them to share, helps to decrease inappropriate behavior both inside and outside the classroom, helps to build muscle strength, improves self-esteem and confidence. In...