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Essays on the impact recess has on children
The importance of recess in elementary school
Lack of exercise in children
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What do you think about kids having recess? How do you feel about it in the kid's environment? School is not just about teaching and learning, sometimes the brains need some air to breathe that is what we call a recess. A small break in the day for kids to eat and get outside and enjoy nature. researchers and educators are noticing the importance of recess for kids, as the time on the playground is not only a great way for kids to unwind and release pressure but it helps with their behavior, focus, and discipline throughout the rest of the day. The ever-increasing pressure to put more instructional time into the school day in an attempt to boost test scores has put a hold on recess and naptime in districts around the country all around. There is a lot of reason why recess is important. “A “study from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine found that kids who received more than …show more content…
I've read a lot of articles that talk about recess being a bad thing for the kids. Articles, Such as in a 2013 article from the U.S. Play Coalition, researchers reported that urban schools with high poverty and minority enrollment tended to have the shortest recesses, with some schools clocking in at less than fifteen minutes of break time per day. Other schools had eliminated recess altogether. While 83% of American students living above poverty level enjoyed recess, only 56% of students below the poverty line did. Some cities, like Atlanta, have eliminated or cut back on recess in elementary school to free more time for instruction. So why cut recess? With stress levels through the roof being put on standardized tests throughout the United States, students need to prepare by spending more time on academics, so does the argument goes. The extra time has to come from somewhere, and recess seems to be the most obvious
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.
These are just some key points I would touch when trying to promote recess to school administrators or a school board. Recess is very important to our children and I think taking it out of their day to day routine will hurt them in the end.
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).
Ah recess, the highlight of the elementary school days, no work to do, just running around outside, but did it really benefit us? Many people across the world are against recess because they believe it takes time away from learning. In addition, some parents value the education more than letting their kids have a break during school, which leads them to believe that recess is no good. What they don’t know is that recess actually benefits their kids. Kids should have recess because it helps them build social skills, reset their brains for future information to be learned in the day, and improve their mental function through regular fitness.
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.
A lot of people have agreements and disagreements about if we should or should not have recess. I oppose “Recess, Think about it”, which argues against recess at Burrillville Middle School, and I agree with “An ‘Old-school’ Idea”, which describes bringing recess back to Burrillville Middle School.
Recess has been one of the biggest debates of all time. Some wonder if their children are getting enough time on the playground, and others may think they are getting just enough. However, recess is crucial to a child’s development. Allowing for more time at recess in the schools is beneficial for the student’s well being. Students are more likely to have increased social skills, wellness, and focus. Not only is recess cognitively beneficial, but also physically beneficial. Exercise is healthy, and recess is the best time to go out and move around.
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.
Caralee Adams, reported to Scholastic.com, “About 11 percent of states and 57 percent of districts require elementary schools to provide students with regularly scheduled recess, a study by the Centers for Disease Controls, in 2006.” As far back as 1884, W.T. Harris, addressed students being overweight, could be reduced with physical needs, be saved by recess. On the other hand, those who do not think recess is beneficial, argue that recess is a waste of time in the school day. Recess should be allowed in all schools because physical health and concentration benefits to kids.
“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
Did you know that 6th grade and on do not have recess? I think recess can help a child make friends cope with stress and combat obesity.Recces could help children be better students and everybody wants that. Recess can also make children learn better. It can also cope with stress!
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
...n, B., (2012) Yay for Recess: Pediatricians Say It’s as Important as Math or Reading, Available at: http://healthland.time.com/2012/12/31/yay-for-recess-pediatricians-say-its-as-important-as-math-or-reading/, (accessed: 05/01/14)