19% of children in the U.S. ages 2-19 are obese. This is a huge problem in the U.S. Kids need more recess time in some schools. Recess should be longer in school because kids need more exercise. Recess also helps kids stay focused in class. Recess enhances kids' social skills as well. These are the three reasons why kids need an extended recess period. The first reason why kids need a longer recess period is because studies show that kids need more physical activity. 19% of children in the U.S. ages 2-19 are obese. If we have more recess time, kids will have more physical activity. According to “U.S. News and World Report”, “Kids should ideally get 4 15-minute recesses every day”, says Debbie Rhea, a professor of kinesiology at Texas Christian …show more content…
If kids get more recess, we have more time to try making new friends. According to “AprilAire”, “Activities for children are key for improving social skills. Not only do places, like playgrounds for kids, foster socialization free from structure, but they also offer kids a chance to try out new modes of communication while leaving addicting electronic distractions at home.” According to “Recess Guardians”, “Recess provides the right time, optimum space, and environment for kids to learn social awareness skills, giving them the ability to take the perspective of and empathize with classmates.” This shows that more recess time helps with kids’ social skills. The third and final reason why kids need a longer recess period is because studies show that recess also helps kids stay focused in class. If kids get more recess, they will be able to do better in school. According to “The Conversation”, “The physical activity and social connection that take place at recess help children’s brains work and develop properly by lowering their levels of stress, regulating their nervous system and allowing them to be more engaged once back in the classroom.” According to “The Arizona Republic”, “Recess is a lot more than just a free break for kids to play after lunch
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.
Are teachers enforcing discipline mechanisms in a healthy way for children? Researchers would answer no to this question because of one major factor: removing recess from a child’s school day. In Jessica Lahey’s article, “Students Who Lose Recess Are the Ones Who Need It Most”, she states that “schools continue to take away recess privileges as a penalty for academic or behavioral transgressions”. Many teachers follow this procedure because they assume that they are teaching the child how to act with appropriate behaviors. However, it is a proven fact that eliminating a student’s recess results in a negative outcome. Therefore, recess should not be removed from a child’s school day because this recreation plays a role in their physical health,
Council on School Health (2012). The Crucial Role of Recess in School. Pediatrics, 131, 182-189. doi: 10.1542/peds.2012-2993
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.
Recess is essential to the development of children mentally through the releasing of chemicals that rebuild the brain during physical activity, improving their state of mind through creativity, improves social skills, and the risks can be worked with. The ideal recess that children in at least elementary schools should have is a minimum of an hour of completely unstructured play. Unstructured play is essential to children and should never be taken away.
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.
Many people claim that all children should have recess. I'm here to tell you why we should. To start with, Physical activity helps the brain, It also gives children a chance to socialize, lastly, it gives children time to let the brain relax. Yes, I think that we should definitely have recess. Firstly, Physical activity helps the brain.
Schools all over the country are considering, if not already applying, the removal of recess for elementary school students. Receipts have been 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 in 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 health and to your child succeeding academically.
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
Ramstetter, Catherine L., Robert Murray, and Andrew S. Garner. “The Crucial Role of Recess in Schools.” Journal of School Health 80.11 (2010): 517-526. Academic Search Elite. Web. 8 Feb. 2012.
Did you know 25% of teens ages 13-18 at some point have a diagnosable anxiety disorder in schools without a break in the day? Recess is a place of free action where kids can let out all excess energy and socialize with others. It is a very fun time during the school day because it is a break from learning and gives you time to relax and have time to do things other than academics. There are many reasons teens should take a break during the school day to let out all of their energy not used in class and to help improve mental health. First of all, recess gives students a break from using their brain and lets them exercise and be social with other students.
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