Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Essays on the impact recess has on children
Importance of physical development in early childhood
Physical activity and academic performance research paper
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Essays on the impact recess has on children
After working hard on that test that took almost an hour to finish, the scent of dirt and fresh air hits the face. The sound of laughter fills the air. Ah, freedom! Recess has always been a way for children to be themselves and take a break from school work. With the help from researchers it has been proven that “recess may play an important role in learning, social development, and health of children” (“Let Them Play”). Children benefit from recess physically, mentally, and socially.
Physical activity is a more than vital necessity in early stages of life. “Physical activity improves [children's] fitness and lowers their risk of obesity” (“How much recess?”). With recess children can gain necessary physical activity in order to stay healthy. For example, research indicates that with more recess time, children’s ability to stay on task in the classroom improves. In turn, more time on task results in improved academic performance which, ultimately, increases chances of graduation (Nanci). The results ending in less children at home bumming off their parents. In
…show more content…
Most adults do not realize the amount of weight such young minds have to endure in a single day. Director Howell Wechsler of the Division of Adolescent and School Health for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, states that “Some shortsighted people thought that cutting back on time spent on physical education to spend more time drilling for tests would improve test score’’ (Nanci). However, many other studies reflect quite the opposite: allowing more time for physical education activities actually improve academic performance (Nanci). With little knowledge to the issue at hand, society is assuming what is best for children without acknowledging what they may really need. Not only would it affect their mental stability, but possibly their future social
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
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
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.
other hand, obesity accounts for about 13 percent of children in the United States, which is why physical education programs should be one of the last things to go. They also help students release the stress they have built up through out the day and teach them the ...
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).
When I was in kindergarten we were allowed three recesses. This seems like a lot compared to today's students who are only allowed one fifteen-minute recess. During my recesses I do not remember focusing on academics. I was usually playing with friends and working on problem solving without even realising it. Most of the time we would play two hand touch football. At first glance this does not seem very academic, and to be fair it wasn’t exactly. I was not learning academically but I was learning in other areas. Playing sports is a great way to build teamwork, as well as learning how to work together to solve problems. In the classroom I was learning how to solve math problems by myself, which was not giving me a chance to try and solve problems with my peers. This playtime gave me the chance to work with friends and build relationships, which is hard to do in only 15 minutes. So, while I believed that I was giving my brain a break from learning, I was actually still learning in different areas. My experience with recess leads me to believe that allowing playtime throughout the day is not only a good thing for learning academically, but is also very important because it gives the students a chance to work on other areas of development that are usually brushed over in school
28 Nov. 2011. Jarret. Olga S. “Recess in Elementary School: What Does the Research Say?” EricDigests.org.
the ICPA also stats that The outdoors is the best place for children to burn calories, practice emerging physical skills and experience the pure joy of movement. Research has even shown that children who are physically active in school are more likely to be physically active at home, and children who don’t have the opportunity to be active during the school day don’t usually compensate during after-school hours. This will also help the students to feel more energized because the more your body works the more energy you will produce meaning students won't be so tired. Children get one quarter of gym and 3 quarters of band art and computer where you sit in a chair most of the time. And Recess can help children make friend
Physical activity enhances children’s quantitative development within middle childhood, supporting growth toward healthy strong people, physically and psychology. Middle childhood is documented as being between the ages of six to ten years old. A lack of physical activity affects children across all areas of development; it is not restricted within the domain of physical development. Discussed within are the expectations of motor development within middle childhood, the benefits of physical activity and the consequences of prolonged inactivity. Along with how a student’s physical development facilitates or restricts development in other areas and how the learning environment can accommodate and support the physical needs of students.
On the contrary, Broadway Elementary School has observed there to be a decrease in injuries during recess by utilizing a coach - showing a decrease in the aggression of students during play due to the reduction of students getting harmed as well (Text 4, lines 10-13). Moreover, in addition to the study’s findings on how structured play can allow a child to develop their problem-solving abilities, the study performed by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation have found that when compared to schools that were not included in the program with structured recess, the participating schools that did have the program with structured recess had students that felt safer and more included (Text 3, lines 10-12). The lack of the feeling of exclusion and students getting harmed and the increase in those who feel more comfortable and included in activities due to structured recess illustrate the effect structured recess has on the behavior of students — this effect being
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
Have you ever wondered if the glorious thing we call recess could be taken away? Me neither. Recess is a time for us to relax, exercise, and work on our social skills. I am going to be talking about why we should all have recess because of these reasons, relaxing, exercise, and improve social skills. Kids need a time to relax and get their minds off whatever the’re dealing with.
In fact, the percentage of children aged 6-11 years who live in the United States who are obese increased from 7% in 1980 to 18% in 2012. Similarly, the percentages of adolescents aged 12-19 years who are obese raised from 5% to 21 in the same period (CDC, Childhood Obesity Facts).That very important reason is exercise. Recces helps physical health since it provides kids with time to exercise and play. Another reason why recess is important for exercise is that you can learn games that you never played before. According to the same article by Eric Westvert he inserted a quote about exercise a quote that says this, “Wong has also trained some three dozen kids across the school to serve as ‘junior coaches’, who help organise games, resolve conflicts and clean up” (Westvert 4).
Technology - an incredible, constantly advancing achievement- has greatly impacted our world by creating an efficient and easier way to do work and, as a result, increased the lethargy of our people. However, recess is one aspect that hasn't altered and remains a major source of fitness that monitors obesity rates through exercise. Additionally, it increases a child’s cognitive development. Unstructured recess bestows upon children the ability to learn important life skills such as collaboration, negotiation, and resolution of conflicts, which will be advantageous in the future. However, the design of the unstructured play is being threatened with a new proposal due to the increasing number of worried parents.
Recess is a time where students are free to socialize and utilize all their energy. Additionally, free play involves social interactions, creativity, and problem solving. Moreover, students possess the opportunity to create their own games and respectfully solve their own arguments. Furthermore, structured play may combat obesity and is believed to be more beneficial to society; however, structured recess conforms to the classroom rules.