Why Is Recess Important

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Recess In Secondary Education
Imagine being back in elementary school at recess. Children running around the playground, laughing and yelling and playing together. In middle school and high school, there is no recess. Today, we need it more than ever. Recess should be allowed after elementary school because kids need a break- this break includes physical activity, which stimulates imagination and cooperation.

Kids need a break from stress, drama, and homework. The school day is spent in the classroom- of course, students need to learn, but outside of the classroom they can learn important social skills involving cooperation and imagination. Nowadays, students are spending more and more time with technology (social media, video games), homework, and extracurricular activities- we need time to unwind. Even if it is just fifteen minutes, studies have shown kids with a fifteen or more minute break are more attentive in class. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics “...free, unstructured play is essential for keeping children healthy, and for helping them reach important social, emotional, and cognitive developmental milestones. Unstructured play also helps kids manage stress and become resilient.” Recess can help children learn to play …show more content…

This means most kids get their exercise from recess, not gym, so it is still very important to children’s health. The obesity rate for children ages ten through fifteen has doubled in the past twenty years. America has a high obesity rate in children, so more physical activity can help reduce it. With the pressure from school systems and teachers to do well on standardized tests, students have more homework than ever, which leaves less time to do physical

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