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School recess offers benefits to student well-being, Stanford educator reports

A Stanford study shows that recess is a profoundly important part of the school day. Well-organized recess programs engage students in meaningful play and prepare them to learn once back in the classroom.

Stanford research published in the “Journal of School Health” shows the benefits to children and the school climate when well-organized recess is part of the school day.

A high-quality recess program can help students feel more engaged, safer and positive about the school day, according to Stanford research.

In fact, recess can yield numerous benefits to an elementary school’s overall climate, said Milbrey McLaughlin , the David Jacks Professor of Education and Public Policy, Emerita, founding director of Stanford’s John W. Gardner Center, and a co-author of the journal article .

“Positive school climate has been linked to a host of favorable student outcomes, from attendance to achievement,” the study noted.

In an interview, McLaughlin said, “Recess isn’t normally considered part of school climate, and often is shortchanged in tight fiscal times, but our research shows that can be a critical contributor to positive school climate in low-income elementary schools.”

McLaughlin’s co-authors are Rebecca London (lead author), formerly of Stanford and now a researcher at UC Santa Cruz; Lisa Westrich, a former Stanford research and policy analyst; and Katie Stokes-Guinan, a former Stanford graduate student researcher.

Benefits of recess

A positive school climate has been linked to a host of favorable student outcomes, from attendance to achievement, according to the study. It includes four key elements for students – physical and emotional safety at school; positive relationships with peers and adults; support for learning; and an institutional environment that fosters school connectedness and engagement.

Prior research attests to the importance of play or recess time for children, McLaughlin and her colleagues wrote.

For example, the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights recognizes the right of all children to play, regarding it as an essential part of their well-being, especially for the economically disadvantaged. And the state of California now includes school climate as one of eight priority areas for local education agencies.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has outlined a set of guidelines intended to help schools develop positive recess programs – guidelines necessary because recess today does not always meet these standards, according to McLaughlin and her co-authors. Many schools had cut back recess programs watering down their effectiveness, or eliminated them altogether.

“The quality of recess is in question,” they wrote.

Because recess offers opportunities for both positive play and experience in learning how to resolve conflicts, it can have powerful implications for a child’s education, McLaughlin said.

Improved attitudes

The researchers examined six low-income elementary schools during the 2009-10 school year that had implemented a non-profit organization’s recess-based program aimed at encouraging a safe, healthy and inclusive environment.

Trained, full-time “coaches” were sent into low-income elementary schools with the goal of improving recess. They worked with students to establish recess games with a common set of rules, introduced conflict-resolution tools, and encouraged positive language and inclusive behavior. Each school had two recess periods during the day.

The findings were based on teacher, principal and recess coach interviews; student focus groups; recess observations; and a teacher survey. Schools on the opposite ends of the recess spectrum – good and poor – were compared as well.

Adults are integral to a well-rounded recess experience, McLaughlin said.

“Recess seems like a time for kids to get some exercise or just have fun, but unless there are adults actively paying attention to and supporting a high-quality recess, it can be a time when kids feel unsafe, physically and emotionally,” she said.

Teachers and principals said that previously when students did not know or could not agree on game rules, conflicts arose. Overall, 89 percent of teachers surveyed agreed that there was improvement in recess organization.

A teacher from one school said, “It’s more of a structured, fun environment. You can see that they’re playing soccer, whereas, before, you weren’t sure what they were playing.”

The students felt safer. Fostering positive language, although challenging, was seen as key. About half of teachers (49 percent) reported that students frequently encouraged each other with positive language. One teacher said, “There’s a lot more collegiality between the kids. They’re using, ‘Hey, good job, nice try,’ instead of ‘Ha ha, you’re out.’ “

Less bullying among students was found for schools with high-quality recess programs as compared to those with low-quality recess. And student-to-student conflict was lessened.

Students more often initiated games in the pro-recess environments (83 percent of the students initiating games, compared to 33 percent in the lesser environment), and female students felt more engaged overall (85 percent to 55 percent). Finally, an overall improvement in how students felt was recorded (91 percent to 59 percent).

The study concluded that schools with well-run and well-organized recesses feel better, safer and more engaged, which in turn was associated with improvements in overall school climate. Teachers began to more highly appreciate the importance of recess time.

“This analysis points to a new framing for how a high-quality recess can positively contribute to a school’s climate,” the authors wrote.

Change to better recess routines isn’t always easy, McLaughlin said. School cultures are frequently resistant to change; sometimes student attitudes and behaviors are at odds with well-established norms of behavior on the playground.

“We saw how a positive recess experience can benefit classroom climate in low-income elementary schools through students’ improved conflict-resolution skills and sense of teamwork,” she added.

Home » Tips for Teachers » 9 Reasons Why Students Should Have Recess: Enhancing Learning Through Breaks

9 Reasons Why Students Should Have Recess: Enhancing Learning Through Breaks

Recess, a scheduled break in the school day, is often underestimated and overlooked by educators and parents alike. However, research shows that recess plays a crucial role in a student’s physical, mental, and emotional well-being, ultimately enhancing their learning experiences. In this article, we will explore 9 reasons why students should have recess, highlighting its benefits and the importance of well-structured break times.

Recess is not just about play; it’s about the holistic development of students. It provides an opportunity for physical activity, which is essential for students’ physical health. Additionally, it has been found to increase mental focus, improve memory and attention, and reduce stress and anxiety, ultimately contributing to better academic performance. Moreover, recess fosters social and emotional development, allowing students to engage with peers, practice social skills, and develop essential life skills.

Furthermore, recess nurtures creativity, imagination, and leadership skills, as it provides unstructured time for students to explore and create. It also contributes to the overall well-being of students by providing a much-needed energy boost, reducing disruptive behavior, and promoting healthy habits.

Students stated their opinions and provided supporting details in Ms. Timmer’s first grade class today. Students were fully engaged as they wrote about why students should have more recess 😆. #CPSBest #Scholarsfirst pic.twitter.com/jRCnWJR9S7 — Marekka Nickens (@TeachNickens) February 15, 2022

Well-structured recess can significantly improve students’ learning experiences and overall well-being. By understanding the multifaceted benefits of recess, educators can create a more productive and healthier academic environment for their students.

In this article, I’ll share:

• 9 Reasons Why Students Should Have Recess →
• Optimal Duration and Timing →
• Additional Tips for Enhancing Recess →

9 Reasons Why Students Should Have Recess

Understanding why students should have recess reveals its undeniable importance in the school day. It is not just a break from the classroom; it’s a vital component of a student’s day that fosters physical, social, and emotional development.

Recognizing its multifaceted benefits, I delve into nine compelling reasons that underscore the importance of preserving recess in educational settings. From enhancing academic performance to improving health and well-being, these arguments advocate for the indispensable role recess plays in shaping well-rounded, healthy students.

1. Physical Health and Activity

Physical activity during recess is essential for maintaining good health and combating sedentary lifestyles. Recess provides students with an opportunity to engage in physical activity, which helps them build healthy bodies and prevent chronic diseases. Studies have found that physical activity during recess can help children increase their physical fitness, decrease body fat, and improve their overall health.

Moreover, physical activity during recess can help children stay focused and attentive in the classroom. Exercise releases endorphins, which improve mental focus and cognitive skills, leading to better performance in the classroom. Additionally, physical activity during recess helps children’s bodies deliver more oxygen, resulting in increased energy levels throughout the day.

Incorporating physical activity during recess can also help reduce stress and anxiety in students, contributing to a healthier academic environment. Furthermore, physical activity during recess allows students to engage with peers, practice social skills, and develop essential skills like collaboration, communication, compromise, conflict resolution, leadership, and negotiation.

This video is recommended for insight into the diverse ways schools can incorporate physical activity into the daily schedule.

In conclusion, physical activity during recess is crucial for maintaining good health and combating sedentary lifestyles. By incorporating physical activity into recess, educators can create a healthier, more productive learning environment for their students.

2. Mental Refreshment

Recess serves as a vital period for mental refreshment, rejuvenating the mind, and enhancing focus and concentration in post-recess classes. When students engage in unstructured play during recess, it allows their minds to take a break from the rigors of concentrated academic challenges in the classroom. This mental break is essential for cognitive, social, emotional, and physical well-being, and it offers cognitive benefits that may not be fully appreciated when a decision is made to diminish it.

Research dating back to the late 1800s indicates that people learn better and faster when their work includes breaks and downtime, proving more effective than working in long stretches. Recess increases focus, as it provides an opportunity for children to engage in behavior considered unacceptable indoors, allowing them to take control of their world, which is a rarity in their lives.

Moreover, morning outdoor breaks contribute to optimal cognitive processing and a break from academic challenges, making children more attentive and productive in the classroom.

This video is recommended for its compelling presentation by a 6th grader to educators, sharing his personal discovery on how increased physical activity contributed to his academic performance, offering valuable insights for parents and educators alike.

In conclusion, recess plays a crucial role in providing mental refreshment, which is essential for enhancing students’ focus and concentration in their academic pursuits. By understanding the cognitive benefits of recess, educators can create a more conducive learning environment for their students.

3. Social Skills Development

Recess plays a crucial role in developing social interactions and friendships among students. During recess, children have the opportunity to engage in unstructured play, which allows them to practice social skills with their peers and form meaningful relationships.

Some of the valuable communication and social skills kids learn during recess include:

• Collaboration
• Communication
• Conflict resolution
• Negotiation
• Perseverance
• Self-control

Recess also provides a space for children to practice decision-making skills while playing games or engaging in creative play, which helps them build gross motor skills, improve coordination, increase energy levels, and foster self-confidence and positive relationships with peers.

Watching the video on Playworks, a national nonprofit that transforms recess into a time for active social and emotional learning, is recommended for understanding how structured play can enhance conflict resolution, leadership, and self-regulation among students, while also reinforcing a positive school culture.

Moreover, recess provides an opportunity for children to bond with their peers, especially those in large classes where it’s increasingly difficult to talk to each student. Time spent in the classroom with classmates is not enough to build relationships, and children need time to have full-length conversations that are not interrupted. More extended recess generally allows time for kids to build this bond, which is an important element of child development .

In conclusion, recess is essential for social skills development, as it provides students with the opportunity to engage in unstructured play, practice social skills, and form meaningful relationships with their peers. By understanding the social benefits of recess, educators can create a more conducive learning environment for their students.

4. Enhancing Creativity

Unstructured playtime during recess can significantly boost students’ creativity and imagination, making it an essential part of the school day. When children engage in unstructured play, they have the freedom to explore their own ideas and process information, which is crucial for fostering creativity.

Recess provides a break from structured learning, allowing students to have independence and engage in activities that help them learn how to get along with each other and feel good about themselves. Additionally, unstructured play during recess helps children mature in ways that are unlikely to happen in the classroom, promoting creativity and social development.

Furthermore, the American Academy of Pediatrics emphasizes that recess is necessary for the cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development of children, and it should never be withheld for punitive or academic reasons.

This video is recommended for those interested in discovering creative approaches to combine learning with play during recess.

In conclusion, unstructured playtime during recess is vital for enhancing students’ creativity and imagination, and it should be prioritized as an integral part of the school day to support their overall development.

5. Improving Academic Performance

Research has consistently linked regular breaks, such as recess, to better academic outcomes. Recess benefits students by improving their memory and attention, helping them stay on topic in class, reducing their disruptive behavior, and improving their social development. The unstructured, physical time in their school day has been shown to increase creativity and problem-solving, leading to improved academic performance.

Additionally, the American Academy of Pediatrics emphasizes that recess is a crucial and necessary component of a child’s development, and it should never be withheld for punitive or academic reasons. Furthermore, the elimination of mandatory recess has been shown to negatively impact children’s cognitive development and school achievement.

Studies have found that recess provides cognitive, social, emotional, and physical benefits that may not be fully appreciated when a decision is made to diminish it. Recess is important because it:

• Serves as a necessary break from the rigors of concentrated, academic challenges in the classroom
• Offers cognitive benefits
• Provides social benefits
• Contributes to emotional well-being
• Supports physical health

Several studies demonstrate that recess, whether performed indoors or outdoors, contributes to optimal cognitive processing and a break from academic tasks.

For a deeper understanding of recess as a crucial educational tool, viewing this video, “The Most Overlooked Learning Tool in Education: Recess,” is highly recommended.

In conclusion, regular breaks, including recess, play a vital role in improving academic performance and should be prioritized to support students’ overall development and success. Teachers and school administrators should recognize the importance of recess and ensure that students have adequate time for unstructured play and physical activity during the school day.

Delve into “ 7 Research-Based Reasons Why Students Should Not Have Homework: Academic Insights, Opposing Perspectives & Alternatives ” for a comprehensive view of the homework debate, presenting alternative strategies to improve student learning.

6. Emotional Regulation

Recess allows for emotional decompression and better mood management, making it an essential part of the school day. Children need time to relax and recharge, and recess provides them with an opportunity to do so. Recess also allows children to release pent-up energy and emotions, which can help them regulate their emotions and behavior in the classroom. Additionally, recess provides children with a sense of autonomy and control, which can help them feel more confident and less anxious.

Research has shown that recess can help children develop emotional regulation skills, such as self-control and conflict resolution. During recess, children have the opportunity to practice social skills and role-play with peers, which can help them learn how to manage their emotions and interact with others in a positive way.

Furthermore, recess provides children with a break from academic challenges, which can help reduce stress and improve their overall well-being.

Watching this video is recommended to see how Montpelier High’s innovative schedule adjustment, allocating 15 minutes for recess, enhances calmness, focus, and camaraderie among teachers and students, positively impacting the classroom environment.

In conclusion, regular breaks, including recess, play a vital role in emotional regulation and should be prioritized to support students’ overall well-being and success. Teachers and school administrators should recognize the importance of recess and ensure that students have adequate time for unstructured play and physical activity during the school day. By providing students with regular breaks, schools can help promote emotional regulation, reduce stress, and improve overall academic performance.

7. Inclusivity and Equality: Emphasizing the Importance of Recess for All Students

In the vibrant tapestry of a school, recess functions as a unifying thread, fostering inclusivity and equality among students. Regardless of background, abilities, or interests, recess provides a leveled playing field where everyone can participate and engage. The playground becomes a space where friendships are formed, social skills are honed, and differences are celebrated.

During recess, students have the opportunity to interact in an informal setting, breaking down barriers that may exist in the classroom. Games and activities create a shared experience, transcending academic and cultural differences. This inclusivity is especially vital for students with diverse needs, ensuring they are not left on the sidelines but actively involved in the social life of the school.

A study by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) emphasizes that recess is a critical period for social interaction among children from diverse backgrounds. The AAP highlights that recess promotes social and emotional learning (SEL), which is as crucial as academic skills. This aligns with findings from Pellegrini and Bohn (2005), who observed that recess breaks improve social competence among students.

Moreover, recess can be a great equalizer for physical activity. Students of varying athletic abilities can find activities that suit their preferences, promoting a sense of belonging. Team sports, imaginative play, or just a stroll around the playground—each child can participate at their own comfort level.

This video is recommended for understanding the growing importance of playtime, especially as school-starting ages become younger and school days longer. It explores the critical question of why students should have recess, highlighting its necessity in the context of modern educational challenges.

In essence, recess acts as a microcosm of the real world, teaching students the values of acceptance, collaboration, and appreciation for differences. By incorporating inclusive practices during these break periods, schools send a powerful message: that every student matters and every student has a place to belong in the shared joy of recess.

8. Developing Independence

Recess stands as a pivotal period in the school day, serving not just as a break from structured learning but as a vital arena for fostering students’ independence and decision-making abilities. In the throes of free play, children are afforded the liberty to select their activities, navigate social interactions, and establish their play parameters.

This autonomy in choosing how to engage not only bolsters their confidence but also enhances their ability to make decisions independently, a cornerstone of personal development.

Moreover, the unstructured environment of recess acts as a sandbox for personal exploration, where children can:

• Delve into their interests
• Experiment with leadership roles
• Learn to manage conflicts on their own terms

Such experiences are invaluable, imbuing them with the resilience and adaptability needed for life’s varied challenges. Recess thus emerges as a key contributor to developing a child’s sense of self-reliance and self-direction, skills that are critical not only within the confines of the schoolyard but in the broader context of their future endeavors.

Research by Ramstetter, Murray, and Garner (2010) supports the idea that recess plays a vital role in child development, particularly in autonomy and decision-making. Their study suggests that unstructured play during recess encourages children to make independent choices, enhancing their problem-solving and negotiation skills. This is further supported by Bjorklund and Brown’s (1998) work, which links unstructured play to the development of executive functioning.

Watching this video is highly recommended to learn how a specific recess program fosters independence, creativity, and empathy among students, addressing the important question of “Why should students have more recess time”.

Acknowledging the multifaceted benefits of recess underscores its indispensability in the educational landscape. It’s a time when children can cultivate their individuality, learn the nuances of personal responsibility, and build the foundation for a lifetime of independent thinking and problem-solving. Consequently, ensuring recess remains an integral part of the school day is paramount for nurturing well-rounded, autonomous individuals prepared to navigate the complexities of the world.

9. Healthier Classroom Environment

Recess is not just a time for children to play and have fun, but it also plays a significant role in developing their decision-making and independence skills. During recess, children have the freedom to make choices and engage in activities of their preference, which fosters a sense of autonomy and self-reliance. This sense of independence is essential for their overall growth and development.

Additionally, recess provides children with the opportunity to explore their interests and make decisions about how they spend their time, which can contribute to their decision-making skills.

Recess has been significantly linked to improved behavior and a more conducive classroom environment, with studies demonstrating its benefits in enhancing memory, attention, and social development, while also reducing disruptive behavior. It provides a critical break from the academic grind, allowing students to engage in free play and social interaction, which are essential for their overall development. Key benefits of recess include:

• Enhanced Memory and Attention: Breaks during the school day, including recess, help refresh students’ minds, improving their ability to focus and retain information when they return to class.
• Social Development: Recess offers a unique space for children, particularly in large classes, to forge deeper connections with peers through uninterrupted conversations—something the structured classroom setting cannot always accommodate.
• Physical Health: It provides essential physical activity and exposure to natural light, both of which are vital for children’s overall well-being and stress reduction.

A comprehensive review by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on the association between school-based physical activities, including recess, and academic performance, found that physical activity can positively impact cognitive skills and attitudes, which are indicative of academic behavior.

Moreover, Barros, Silver, and Stein (2009) found that more time in recess correlates with better classroom behavior among elementary school students. This evidence supports the notion that recess contributes to a more conducive learning environment by not only improving physical health but also enhancing cognitive function and reducing stress.

To uncover the link between recess and a healthier classroom environment, along with its impact on student productivity, watching this informative video is highly recommended.

In conclusion, recess is an essential part of a child’s education. It provides numerous benefits, including developing decision-making and independence skills, improving behavior, and creating a healthier classroom environment. Therefore, schools must prioritize recess and ensure that children have enough time to engage in unstructured play.

It might be interesting to explore “ Comprehensive Analysis: 8 Strong Reasons Why School Should Not Be Year-Round ” which offers insightful arguments on the potential drawbacks of year-round schooling for both students and educators.

Optimal Duration and Timing

The duration and scheduling of recess in U.S. schools are pivotal for enhancing student health and learning outcomes. Research underscores the benefits of longer recess periods for boosting student behavior, attention, stress management, and social-emotional development.

The American Academy of Pediatrics underlines the necessity of regular breaks, like recess, for the holistic development of students across cognitive, social, emotional, and physical spheres. To be effective, recess must be long enough to facilitate substantial social interaction and physical activity.

Educational experts recommend specific durations to optimize the benefits of recess. Debbie Rhea suggests four 15-minute recesses daily, a guideline supported by the American Academy of Pediatrics for all age groups. This structured approach is essential for ensuring that students receive adequate breaks for physical and social engagement, contributing to their overall well-being and academic performance.

To see the positive impact of increased playtime in North Texas schools on classroom performance, watching this video is highly recommended.

However, the implementation of recess varies widely across the United States, influenced by factors such as age, grade, facility, and district policies. Many elementary schools schedule recess immediately following lunch, although studies have shown that holding recess before lunch can enhance nutritional intake and reduce food waste.

This finding has led some institutions to adopt a recess-before-lunch policy, which also correlates with improved student behavior both during meals and in post-lunch classroom settings. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Department of Agriculture endorse recess before lunch as a component of school wellness policies.

While the precise optimal duration for recess remains undetermined, the consensus underscores the importance of regular, scheduled breaks that align with national guidelines. The variability in recess scheduling reflects different educational philosophies and logistical considerations, but the overarching goal is to support student well-being and learning efficiency. Key points include:

• Recess Duration: In the United States, recess times in schools typically range from 20 to 60 minutes daily, depending on age, grade, and school policies.
• International Practices: Countries like Japan implement a different approach, offering a 10- to 15-minute break every hour. This frequency is designed to accommodate the natural decline in attention spans after 40 to 50 minutes of instruction, suggesting a more nuanced understanding of student concentration cycles.
• Benefits of Regular Intervals: This varied scheduling across different educational systems suggests that to enhance learning efficiency, recess should be timed at regular intervals. Such breaks provide students with sufficient opportunities to refresh and refocus, thereby optimizing their readiness to engage with subsequent instructional material.

These insights point to the nuanced considerations that influence how recess is implemented globally, highlighting the universal recognition of its value in the educational process. The goal remains consistent: to ensure that students have the necessary breaks to support their physical, emotional, and cognitive development.

Additional Tips for Enhancing Recess

Recess is an essential part of a child’s school day, and educators can take steps to make it more effective. Here are some practical tips for teachers to enhance recess:

By implementing these tips, educators can help make recess a more effective and enjoyable experience for students. Recess provides numerous benefits for children, including improved academic performance, emotional regulation, and social development. It is essential that teachers prioritize recess and take steps to make it a positive and productive part of the school day.

Discover effective playground games and strategies for enhancing recess by watching this insightful video.

Useful Resources

• Average School Day Length by Country 2024
• Effect of Recess on Fifth Grade Students’ Time On-Task in an Elementary Classroom
• Do High Schools Have Recess? A Detailed Look

Final Thoughts

In summary, recess plays a vital role in a well-rounded educational experience, offering cognitive, social, emotional, and physical benefits for students. It provides an opportunity for children to be physically active, improve their memory and attention, reduce disruptive behavior, and enhance their social and emotional development.

Recess also fosters creativity, leadership, and conflict-resolution skills, making it an essential component of a child’s school day. Therefore, it is crucial for educators to prioritize recess and implement strategies to make it a positive and productive part of the school day.

For an in-depth analysis of the benefits of delayed school start times on student well-being and academic achievement, the article “ Exploring the Evidence: 7 Comprehensive Reasons Why School Should Start Later for Enhanced Student Well-being and Academic Success ” is highly recommended.

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• The Crucial Role of Recess in School
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Why We Need to Rethink Recess

• Posted October 17, 2019
• By Jill Anderson

Sociologist Rebecca London knows that recess is an afterthought at many schools. Too often, it's just "a blank space in the middle of the day," she says, or a way to get some physical exercise for kids. She thinks it's time that educators rethink how to use that time to better support young students. In this episode of the Harvard EdCast, London shares ideas from her new book, Rethinking Recess , how to create a more inclusive recess, and why taking away recess — especially as punishment — is a bad idea for kids.

Jill Anderson: I am Jill Anderson. This is the Harvard EdCast. Rebecca London is a sociologist who studies recess. She knows recess is an afterthought in many schools day. Too often, it's just seen as a break or a way to get some physical exercise for kids. She wants to see us rethink how to use that time to better support young students. In recent years, there's been news about states mandating recess. So I asked her what the current state of recess is across the country.

Rebecca London: Well, recess is a really interesting space in the school day because it's a time when there could be a lot of academic and social and emotional physical growth happening, but there isn't necessarily all that happening. It's often a blank space in the middle of the day. It's a break. And so people think, "Well, I don't have to pay attention to it." But really, what we know is you do have to pay attention to it because it's a time when children can experience a lot of growth. It's also a time when they can experience boredom or bullying. It can result in disciplinary incidents that go to the principal's office. So generally, I'm interested in those kinds of spaces in children's lives, where it's this confluence of developmental opportunities with some attention to them can be a really amazing time to build all kinds of developmental skills.

Jill Anderson: We've been hearing a lot about recess around the country and in different ways. And can you provide like a snapshot of what elementary school recess looks like across America today?

Rebecca London: So elementary school recess is actually not available everywhere across the US today. We know that in urban schools and schools serving low-income populations and schools serving predominantly children of color, there isn't always recess. Sometimes the children don't get any time to run outside in the unstructured opportunity for play after their lunch or before their lunch. And even when they do, it's often less time than their peers in other schools get. In some schools, they've really paid attention to what happens during that time. And there's activities, there's equipment, there are caring adults who are helping the children or connecting with them. And in other schools, there hasn't been that attention to recess.

And so sometimes there's a little bit of equipment, sometimes not, and then sometimes there's opportunities for activities and games, sometimes not. Children are often left up to their own devices to figure out what to do with that time. Sometimes the adults are really caring and providing support and maybe turning a jump rope or refereeing a soccer game or a basketball game and sometimes not. Sometimes they're looking at their phones or connecting with their friends and not engaging with children. So right now, I would say we're in a place where we're paying a lot of attention to recess. There's actually a fair amount of state legislation happening. The CDC has guidelines out on what a healthy recess should look like. The American Academy of Pediatrics has guidelines out on what a healthy recess should look like. This is our moment to capitalize on all of that and just scheduling the minutes in the day isn't enough to ensure that children are experiencing a safe and healthy and inclusive recess.

Jill Anderson: We know play is good for kids, and that has been proven time and time again. But at the same time, it's interesting how we focus so much on improving all these aspects of education, but it seems like we've ignored recess a little bit.

Rebecca London: Well, and while we haven't ignored recess, we're focusing on it as an opportunity for physical activity. That's how states are framing it in their legislation. It's an opportunity to get those 60 crucial minutes per day of physical activity that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends. But what's really interesting is play is the way that children learn. We know that from very young age on play is how they learn. So right now, for instance, a lot of schools are using curriculum on social and emotional learning, SEL, that's very big right now. And this curriculum is offered in classrooms with classroom teachers.

But the chance for children to practice those skills, to think about self-regulation, what am I going to do if I lose this game? To think about collaboration and sharing, to think about conflict resolution, how am I going to resolve a conflict? The ball is in, the ball is out. Their chance to practice these skills, the only unstructured time during the school day is recess. And so if we're not offering them an opportunity with meaningful engagement in play amd in an inclusive safe environment to practice these skills, these curricula aren't going to have the opportunity to take hold in the same way.

Jill Anderson: So in your research, you talk about organized recess and high-quality recess. So what is high-quality, organized recess look like?

Rebecca London: So there's this debate in the literature about structured versus unstructured play. So structured play is more like a physical education class. There's an adult who's leading a class, all the kids are participating in the same activity. They don't really have any choice. Unstructured play is we're putting you out there on the play yard. Maybe there's equipment, maybe there's not. And kids have free reign to design whatever games and activities they want to play. And some schools I think that works well. And the schools that I've been to, low-income urban schools around the country, there needs to be something of a hybrid. So organized recess is an opportunity for there to be a lot of free choice, different kinds of games available, but organized in a way so that everybody has a chance to play, everybody can be included, and everyone has a chance to have fun.

So the ways that schools can do that are first of all to identify the games that kids like to play, they want to be playing, and find a place on their play yard outside or inside if it's going to be an indoor recess where those games can happen in separate spaces so that there's not jump rope running through the basketball game, there's not soccer tag games running through the soccer game. So every game has its own space. And then the second step is to identify a set of common rules to the games so that children they know how to play, they understand when they're out or when they're in. We don't have to spend a lot of time arguing about whether that rule is part of the game or not part of the game. We all are operating under the same set of rules.

One of the schools that I visited was trying to do this, establishing a common set of rules with the game four square. I don't know if you're familiar with four square. There is markings for four different squares on the ground and then kids play with the ball and they bounce the ball from square to square. There's four people standing in the square. And there's a million different ways to play this game. There's different rules. They can double bounce, they can single bounce. Sometimes at this particular school, the person who was in the King spot or the Queen spot, the number one spot got to make the rules for the rest of the game. So the rule changed every single time a kid rotated into that spot. And the child in charge always made the rules to their best advantage. And so if you weren't a kid who could play by those rules, you never got a chance to play.

And so the school decided, you know what? We're not going to have that anymore. We're going to allow anybody to play. We're going to establish a common set of rules and that's how it's going to go. And there was a rebellion at the school. Those kids, the parents especially, you're ruining recess for my kids. And so the school decided to try a hybrid and they said, "Okay, we'll keep one four square court with the old school rules, and we'll have another four square court with the new school rules, and we'll see which one the students like better." Well, by the end of the school year, everybody liked the new court rules, the new school rules better because they were fair, everybody had a chance to play and the old school rules kind of dwindled. So it took a little while to get used to having this common set of rules for the game. But after a little while, the kids got to see how beneficial that was for them and then they had more of an opportunity to play.

Okay, so the organized recess is about finding spots for the games and coming up with a common set of rules for the games. And then the next piece is about what the adults are doing. And it's about adults supporting children's play at recess. So know not all adults who are out there monitoring recess want to throw on their tennis shoes and run around and play basketball with kids and that's fine. But they could help kids to resolve conflicts when they arise as they do when children play. There's always going to be a conflict, is the ball in, is the ball out? Help them to resolve those conflicts. They can be a positive supporter of play. They can cheer for kids, they can remind them to play fair, they can remind them to pass the ball, they can do inactive ways of supporting play, like turning a jump rope. I've seen a lot of adults standing on play yards, turning jump ropes and getting to know the kids that way.

So it's about positive engagement, pro-social engagement with the children, not just being there to make sure that they're safe and yelling at them if they're running on the blacktop as they're not supposed to do in most schools, but to really be a positive supportive of play. Get to know the kids that way. Those are the three key ways to organize recess. In the book, I talk about a lot of different steps, other ways that you can centralize the equipment disbursement, and that's a role that kids can actually play at their own recess so that teachers aren't responsible for monitoring equipment, equipment doesn't get lost as much. If there's a centralized checkout available, then students have an opportunity for leadership if they're the ones who are running that checkout. So there's a lot of other things that go into it as well.

Jill Anderson: Right, do you see organized recess affecting school climate at other times of the day like when the kids are not in recess?

Rebecca London: Well, that's what we hear and there was a randomized controlled trial done on this. By organizing recess, what we find is that children are more engaged. And when they're more engaged in play, there's less opportunity for all of the negative things that can come out of recess. So one of the things that we hear from teachers is that after recess, that time when they go to pick their students up after they've had recess is their most stressful time of day because they know that their students are going to come back into the classroom feeling unsatisfied and potentially upset about what happened during their recess time if they felt excluded or they had an argument with someone or their game didn't go the way they wanted it to or it never really even got started.

And so by having an increased level of engagement in play at recess, teachers tell us students are coming back feeling much more satisfied, much more ready to learn. They can settle their classes in a much shorter period of time, whereas it might have taken them 8 or 9 minutes, 10 minutes to settle their classes down after recess. Before organized recess came in, after, it might take them just a minute or two to get their kids... get them a drink of water and get them settled and ready to learn. So they're actually gaining time in their classroom learning by having an organized recess. And that affects their stress levels. So we know school climate is not just about children, but it's about how adults are feeling in their school. And if everyone's feeling a little bit less stressed, there's not a line out the principal's door for disciplinary incidents that refer from recess. Teachers aren't spending as much time resolving conflicts from their students outside of recess. That does build school climate definitely.

Jill Anderson: I thought it was so interesting some of the information about discipline and particularly how often teachers will withhold recess as an activity. Can you talk a little bit more about why that isn't a good idea?

Rebecca London: Withholding recess either because students haven't behaved appropriately or because they're missing schoolwork is a very common practice in elementary schools. And when I talked to teachers about it, they tell me that it's really the thing that kids care about the most. And so they use it as a way of getting kids to behave and finish up their work. The problem is that by withholding recess, not only are you withholding a break, and we know that breaks are important, even adults take breaks. Everybody takes breaks. You need a moment to reset and recharge, and that's an important part of the school day. But beyond that, it's often the same children who have recess withheld over and over again.

What we hear is that it's not just a random kid every day, but it's often the same children who have behavioral problems day after day and have recess withheld. And what we know about that is that when we're removing children from an important developmental setting as recess is, because it helps them to build those social and emotional skills, those skills that they need for self regulation and conflict resolution and cooperation and sharing, by withholding that opportunity to practice those skills, we're actually holding children back. And especially for withholding that opportunity day after day after day, what we're teaching children is that they don't belong. They don't belong at recess, they don't belong with their peers. In the book, I talk about this as a step ladder into the school to prison pipeline. When you tell children from a very early age that they don't belong, they begin to believe that about themselves, and then they begin to act as if they don't belong.

Jill Anderson: What would be a better way to handle a situation like that? I mean, for teachers, they're looking forward to that break themselves to send kids to recess.

Rebecca London: Yeah, it's often when they take their lunch. So they have to have that break. There's a lot of different ways to incentivize children to behave and do their work. One is to incentivize with recess. So instead of saying, "I'm going to withhold this recess that you already have scheduled," say, "If you all get your work done and you're all behaving well, you can have an additional recess. I'll take you out for 10 more minutes."

Jill Anderson: Oh, yeah.

Rebecca London: So to use recess, but as an incentive as opposed to as a punishment, there's all kinds of ideas about how to get students to behave in class and how to make reparations for the misbehaviors so they can write a letter, an apology letter, instead of having the recess withheld. They can be incentivized by getting to choose the book that we read that day, or there's a lot of different ways that you can turn behavior around positively. And you know what's interesting is that states are beginning to legislate this. By my count, there are at least nine states right now that do not allow recess to be withheld...

Jill Anderson: Interesting.

Rebecca London:  ... as a punishment or for missed schoolwork.

Jill Anderson: Do they mandate that recess has to happen because I was looking into this, there's quite a few states that do have that mandate in place, but they don't mandate necessarily a certain amount of time? Am I understanding that right?

Rebecca London: Yeah, that's right. The data that I relied on is from a survey that was conducted by the CDC with SHAPE America. SHAPE America's the physical education professional association. And they found that there were nine states that said that recess is on the books and their state regs that recess cannot be withheld for punishment or from missed schoolwork. Not all of those states mandate recess.

Rebecca London: There are currently about 12 or 13 states that require recess for... usually, it's a minimum of 20 minutes per day. And for me, I feel like 20 minutes is the absolute minimum. More would be better probably. And like in Finland, the students get 15 minutes of recess for every hour of instruction. I think we're a little bit far away from that here in the US. But if there could be two recesses in the day, maybe one in the morning and one at lunch, or one at lunch and one in the afternoon depending on the bell schedule to allow students just to have that time to take a break and reset, what we know from the research is that this does not detract from student learning.

Jill Anderson: To change to an organized recess, is that an easy thing to do or is it hard to do? Does it require a lot of training and things to make that happen or even hiring additional people?

Rebecca London: It requires a commitment. It may not take a lot of money, but it requires a commitment on the part of somebody who has some decision-making authority. I was at one school in an East Coast urban center and it was actually the school nurse who took on recess at that school. So that person decided we really need to do something better than what we've got going on. That person wrote some grants connected with the leadership at the school and really was able to make a change in how recess went. So it doesn't have to be the principal. I've been to a lot of schools where it's the counselor, or a behavioral specialist, or even the PE teacher, or even a really committed recess monitor. Somebody who's already at recess who says, "We could be doing this better." And there are all kinds of training opportunities that are available to work with adults who are out at recess. It's not a huge change that needs to happen, but there's a lot of commitment because there's a lot of legwork that has to happen. But once it's in place, it pretty much runs itself.

Jill Anderson: For so many of us we’re familiar with old school recess, where it was just you kind of ran around and did whatever, it was very free, and I wonder if you get a lot of pushback or people just don't understand. They feel like this is imposing more restrictions on kids.

Rebecca London: And you know what I would say to that, if your school has a recess that is totally unregulated and it's going well, then great, stick with it. If that's what your students like and they can organize themselves and come up with games to play without beating each other up and without people feeling excluded and feeling bad during recess, then that's a recess that's working. But there's a lot of recesses that aren't like that, and they need some help figuring out how to make things better. I've been to school where children are engaged in physical fights on the ground where adults don't know how to encourage play, where kids are standing in line for the entire 15 minutes that they're outside waiting to go back into their class because they don't feel safe. I've been to places where it's just not working and they're looking to make a change, and this is a change that we know works.

Jill Anderson: Rebecca London is an assistant professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz. She is the author of the book, Rethinking Recess: Creating Safe and Inclusive Playtime for All Children in School. I'm Jill Anderson. This is the Harvard EdCast produced by the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Thanks for listening.

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The Importance of Recess Time: a Persuasive Analysis

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Physical health and well-being, cognitive development and creativity, social skills and emotional growth, enhanced academic performance.

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Is Recess Important for Kids or a Waste of Time? Here’s What the Research Says

E lementary school students in Florida are now guaranteed 20 minutes of recess each day — something many kids lacked before a new state law took effect during the summer.

Florida’s law and similar recent proposals in several other states are the latest examples of the running debate over the value of recess for young children. In recent years, more parents have begun fighting a trend of reduced recess time and are calling on schools to give children a chance to play .

Last year, Rhode Island enacted a similar law requiring 20 minutes of consecutive recess for elementary-school kids. The Board of Education in Atlanta, where recess was once eliminated , is now considering a rule that would prohibit teachers from withholding recess from students for disciplinary purposes, months after state lawmakers failed to pass a bill that would have mandated 30 minutes of daily recess in schools across the state, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reported. And in Arizona, a bill that aimed to expand recess time to 50 minutes passed in the House but met opposition in the Senate this year.

Florida’s law was the culmination of a long campaign by parents in the state. One of those parents, Angela Browning, founder of Recess for All Florida Students, said her kids started coming home from school in tears a few years ago, complaining that the day had been too long and that they’d had no time to play with friends. At the time, they were getting 10 minutes of recess twice a week, she said. This year, with 20 minutes of recess each day, their response has been different.

“I cannot even begin to explain to you how much adding recess back into their day— how much of an effect that had on my kids,” she said. “When we have these young children and we can’t find time to give them a 20-minute break a day, we’ve lost our way.”

Not everyone agrees. Last year, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie vetoed a similar bill that would have required 20 minutes of daily recess for students across the state. “That was a stupid bill and I vetoed it,” he said at the time.

Here’s what you need to know:

The debate over recess

In the past 20 years, an increased emphasis on standardized testing as a metric for student achievement has led leaders in some states and school districts to cut into recess in favor of more in-class instruction. In 2007, the Center on Education Policy at George Washington University found that 62% of school districts had increased the amount of time spent on English language arts or math in elementary schools since 2001, while 44% of school districts had cut down on time spent on other subjects. The survey showed that 20% of school districts had reduced recess time. According to the 2016 Shape of the Nation report , just 16% of states require elementary schools to provide daily recess.

The debate over standardized testing grew with the enactment of No Child Left Behind in 2002 and, more recently, with the adoption of Common Core State Standards. Students today take an average of 112 mandated standardized tests between pre-kindergarten and 12th grade, according to an analysis by the Council of the Great City Schools in 2015.

Many health and education experts argue that recess is a necessary activity for child development, and parents have begun to advocate for more recess time.

“Some devalue recess because they assume it to be — as they assume play in young children to be — a waste of time, time that could be otherwise more efficiently spent,” Anthony Pellegrini, former professor of educational psychology at the University of Minnesota, wrote in a 2008 paper . “There is no theory or empirical evidence to support this point of view. The counter-argument, that recess is good, is backed by a large body of theory and empirical research.”

What the research says

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that children participate in 60 minutes of “moderate to vigorous activity per day,” and suggested that recess be part of that. “Recess is a necessary break in the day for optimizing a child’s social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development,” the AAP wrote in a 2013 policy statement . “In essence, recess should be considered a child’s personal time, and it should not be withheld for academic or punitive reasons.”

Experts argue that physical education and recess should both be part of a child’s schedule. In 2001, the Council on Physical Education for Children and the National Association for Sport and Physical Education recommended that physical education classes not become a replacement for the unstructured playtime of recess.

“Quality physical education along with daily recess are necessary components of the school curriculum that enable students to develop physical competence, health-related fitness, self responsibility, and enjoyment of physical activity so that they can be physically active for a lifetime,” the groups wrote in a position paper about elementary school recess in 2001.

A 2009 study found that 8- and 9-year-old children who had at least one daily recess period of more than 15 minutes had better classroom behavior. The study also found that black students and students from low-income families were more likely to be given no recess or minimal recess. That report reinforced the results of a 1998 study , which found that when 43 fourth-grade students were given recess, they worked more or fidgeted less than when they were not given recess.

When recess is eliminated or reduced, it is often because a school is allocating more time to subjects covered on standardized tests, aiming to improve student achievement. But a 2010 report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found positive associations between recess and academic performance. “There is substantial evidence that physical activity can help improve academic achievement, including grades and standardized test scores,” the report said.

Another study , from 2016, found that young boys who spent more time sitting and less time playing didn’t progress as quickly in reading and math.

Studies also show that recess can improve student nutrition when held before lunchtime. A 2014 study published in Preventive Medicine found that holding recess before lunch increased students’ fruit and vegetable consumption by 54%.

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The Benefits of Recess for the Whole Child

Cognitive/academic benefits, social and emotional benefits, physical benefits, safety and supervision, the emerging issue of structured recess, duration and timing of recess, conclusions, recommendations, lead authors, council on school health executive committee, 2011–2012, former executive committee member, former liaison, the crucial role of recess in school.

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COUNCIL ON SCHOOL HEALTH , Robert Murray , Catherine Ramstetter , Cynthia Devore , Mandy Allison , Richard Ancona , Stephen Barnett , Robert Gunther , Breena Welch Holmes , Jeffrey Lamont , Mark Minier , Jeffery Okamoto , Lani Wheeler , Thomas Young; The Crucial Role of Recess in School. Pediatrics January 2013; 131 (1): 183–188. 10.1542/peds.2012-2993

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Recess is at the heart of a vigorous debate over the role of schools in promoting the optimal development of the whole child. A growing trend toward reallocating time in school to accentuate the more academic subjects has put this important facet of a child’s school day at risk. Recess serves as a necessary break from the rigors of concentrated, academic challenges in the classroom. But equally important is the fact that safe and well-supervised recess offers cognitive, social, emotional, and physical benefits that may not be fully appreciated when a decision is made to diminish it. Recess is unique from, and a complement to, physical education—not a substitute for it. The American Academy of Pediatrics believes that recess is a crucial and necessary component of a child’s development and, as such, it should not be withheld for punitive or academic reasons.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines recess as “regularly scheduled periods within the elementary school day for unstructured physical activity and play.” 1 The literature examining the global benefits of recess for a child’s cognitive, emotional, physical, and social well-being has recently been reviewed. 2 Yet, recent surveys and studies have indicated a trend toward reducing recess to accommodate additional time for academic subjects in addition to its withdrawal for punitive or behavioral reasons. 3 , – 6 Furthermore, the period allotted to recess decreases as the child ages and is less abundant among children of lower socioeconomic status and in the urban setting. 4 , 7  

Just as physical education and physical fitness have well-recognized benefits for personal and academic performance, recess offers its own, unique benefits. Recess represents an essential, planned respite from rigorous cognitive tasks. It affords a time to rest, play, imagine, think, move, and socialize. 8 , – 11 After recess, for children or after a corresponding break time for adolescents, students are more attentive and better able to perform cognitively. 12 , – 16 In addition, recess helps young children to develop social skills that are otherwise not acquired in the more structured classroom environment. 8 , 11 , 17  

Children develop intellectual constructs and cognitive understanding through interactive, manipulative experiences. This type of exploratory experience is a feature of play in an unstructured social environment. 8 , 18 Optimal cognitive processing in a child necessitates a period of interruption after a period of concentrated instruction. 19 , 20 The benefits of these interruptions are best served by unstructured breaks rather than by merely shifting from 1 cognitive task to another to diminish stresses and distractions that interfere with cognitive processing. 9 , 11 , 15 , 20 Several studies demonstrated that recess, whether performed indoors or outdoors, made children more attentive and more productive in the classroom. 11 , – 13 , 16 , 19 , 21 This finding was true even though, in many cases, the students spent much of their recess time socializing. In fact, a student’s ability to refocus cognitively was shown to be stimulated more by the break from the classroom than by the mode of activity that occurred during that break; any type of activity at recess benefited cognitive performance afterward. 14 Although specified time afforded for recess diminishes with age, the benefits of periodic breaks in the academic day to optimize cognitive processing applies equally to adolescents and to younger children.

Recess promotes social and emotional learning and development for children by offering them a time to engage in peer interactions in which they practice and role play essential social skills. 8 , 17 , 18 , 22 , 23 This type of activity, under adult supervision, extends teaching in the classroom to augment the school’s social climate. Through play at recess, children learn valuable communication skills, including negotiation, cooperation, sharing, and problem solving as well as coping skills, such as perseverance and self-control. 8 , – 11 , 15 , 17 , 22 These skills become fundamental, lifelong personal tools. Recess offers a child a necessary, socially structured means for managing stress. By adapting and adjusting to the complex school environment, children augment and extend their cognitive development in the classroom. 15 , 17  

There is a wealth of literature published on the need for and benefit of physical activity and fitness, not only for a child’s physical well-being but also for academic and social maturation. 5 , 12 , 22 , – 33 Although not all children play vigorously at recess, it does provide the opportunity for children to be active in the mode of their choosing and to practice movement and motor skills. Importantly, recess affords young children free activity for the sheer joy of it. 34 Even minor movement during recess counterbalances sedentary time at school and at home and helps the child achieve the recommended 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity per day, a standard strongly supported by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) policy, which can help lower risk of obesity. 5 , 12 , 30 , – 35  

A child’s safety during recess is a concern for many parents, teachers, and administrators. Some schools even have chosen to ban games or activities deemed unsafe and, in some cases, to discontinue recess altogether in light of the many issues connected with child safety. 10 , 36 Although schools should ban games and activities that are unsafe, they should not discontinue recess altogether just because of concerns connected with child safety. There are measures schools can take to address these concerns and protect children while still preserving play during recess. 5 , 11 , 24 , 28 , 34 , 37 , 38 Compliance with the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s Playground Safety Handbook ( http://www.cpsc.gov/CPSCPUB/PUBS/325.pdf ) will help to ensure proper maintenance of playground equipment that meets all of the following applicable federal guidelines:

Provision of adequate safe spaces and facilities.

Maintenance of developmentally appropriate equipment with regular inspections.

Establishment and enforcement of safety rules.

Implementation of recess curriculum in physical education classes to teach games, rules, and conflict resolution.

Establishment of a school-wide, clear policy to prevent bullying or aggressive behavior.

Provision of adequate supervision by qualified adults who can intervene in the event a child’s physical or emotional safety is in jeopardy.

Some playgrounds in areas with a high risk of violence may require additional protective measures to ensure the safety of children.

Structured recess is a recess based on structured play, during which games and physical activities are taught and led by a trained adult (teachers, school staff, or volunteers). Proponents for structured recess note that children often need help in developing games and require suggestions and encouragement to participate in physical activities. Recently, policy makers and funding organizations have called for more opportunities for daily activity as a means to address childhood obesity. These statements have strengthened the argument to maintain or reinstate recess as an integral component of the school day. 12 , 25 , 30 , 34 Although this new dimension to the recess debate has increased attention on its role, it also has created tension. Some have promoted recess time as a solution for increasing children’s physical activity and combating obesity. If recess assumes such a role, then, like physical education, it will need to be planned and directed to ensure that all children are participating in moderately vigorous physical activity. 4 , 7 , 12 , 31 , 33 , 38 Pediatric health care providers, parents, and school officials should be cognizant, however, that in designing a structured recess, they will sacrifice the notion of recess as an unstructured but supervised break that belongs to the child; that is, a time for the child to make a personal choice between sedentary, physical, creative, or social options. 2 , 8 , – 10 , 18 , 22 , – 24 , 30 , 34 , 37 , 39 However, there are many cited benefits of structured recess to consider, including 12 :

Older elementary children may benefit from game instruction and encouragement for total class inclusion.

Children can be coached to develop interpersonal skills for appropriate conflict resolution.

More children can actively participate in regular activity, irrespective of skill level.

Anecdotally, teachers have reported improved behavior and attention in the classroom after vigorous structured recess.

To be effective, structured recess requires that school personnel (or volunteers) receive adequate training so that they are able to address and encourage the diverse needs of all students. 12 , 38 One aspect of supervision should be to facilitate social relationships among children by encouraging inclusiveness in games. A problem arises when the structured activities of recess are promoted as a replacement for the child’s physical education requirement. The replacement of physical education by recess threatens students’ instruction in and acquisition of new motor skills, exploration of sports and rules, and a concept of lifelong physical fitness. 24 , 30 , 34  

There are ways to encourage a physically active recess without necessarily adding structured, planned, adult-led games, such as offering attractive, safe playground equipment to stimulate free play; establishing games/boundaries painted on the playground; or instructing children in games, such as four square or hopscotch. 37 , 38 , 40 These types of activities can range from fully structured (with the adult directing and requiring participation) to partly unstructured (with adults providing supervision and initial instruction) to fully unstructured (supervision and social guidance). In structured, partly structured, or unstructured environments, activity levels vary widely on the basis of school policy, equipment provided, encouragement, age group, gender, and race. 4 , 7 , 30 , 38 , 40 Consequently, the potential benefits of mandatory participation of all children in a purely structured recess must be weighed against the potential social and emotional trade-off of limiting acquisition of important developmental skills. Whichever style is chosen, recess should be viewed as a supplement to motor skill acquisition in physical education class. 5 , 23 , 24 , 33 , 34  

In the United States, the duration and timing of recess periods vary by age, grade, school district, and sometimes by building. 4 , 7 The majority of elementary schools that offer lunch-time recess do so after the students eat lunch. 4 , 37 , 41 , – 44 Many school wellness councils have adopted the “Recess Before Lunch” concept which stems from studies that examined food waste by students in relation to the timing of their recess. 42 , – 44 When students have recess before lunch, more time is taken for lunch and less food is wasted. In addition, teachers and researchers noted an improvement in the student behavior at meal time, which carried into the classroom in the afternoon. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the US Department of Agriculture support the concept of scheduling recess before lunch as part of a school’s wellness policy. 2 , 45  

Peer-reviewed research has examined the timing and type of activity during recess and chronicled the many benefits of recess for children, without establishing an optimal required duration. 2 , 8 , 12 , 13 , 18 , 19 , 21 There is consensus about the need for regularly scheduled recess based on national guidelines, even though the length of the recess period has not been firmly established. In schools, the length specified for recess ranges widely, from 20 to 60 minutes per day. 24 , 30 In other countries, such as Japan, primary school-aged children have a 10- to 15-minute break every hour, and this is thought to reflect the fact that attention spans begin to wane after 40 to 50 minutes of intense instruction. 46 On the basis of this premise, to maximize cognitive benefits, recess should be scheduled at regular intervals, providing children sufficient time to regain their focus before instruction continues.

School attendance represents a unique opportunity to address nutrition and physical fitness. Each day, 55 million US students attend school, which constitutes nearly one-half of their wakeful hours. 47 In light of rising rates of overweight and obesity, schools have come under increased scrutiny. Within the school environment, there are competing calls for stricter standards and greater academic achievement as well as calls for schools to provide greater opportunities for nonsedentary daily activity. Even with ample evidence of a whole-child benefit from recess, significant external pressures, such as standardized cognitive testing mandated by educational reforms, have led some to view recess as time that would be better spent on academics. 4 Time previously dedicated to daily activity in school, such as physical education and recess, is being reallocated to make way for additional academic instruction.

Ironically, minimizing or eliminating recess may be counterproductive to academic achievement, as a growing body of evidence suggests that recess promotes not only physical health and social development but also cognitive performance. 10 , 37 Although recess and physical education both promote activity and a healthy lifestyle, it is only supervised but unstructured recess that offers children the opportunity to actually play creatively. In this sense, then, pediatricians’ support of recess is an extension of the AAP’s policy statement supporting free play as a fundamental component of a child’s normal growth and development. 16 On the basis of an abundance of scientific studies, withholding recess for punitive or academic reasons would seem to be counterproductive to the intended outcomes and may have unintended consequences in relation to a child’s acquisition of important life skills.

In their role as child health experts, the pediatricians of the AAP stress the following perspective to parents, teachers, school administrators, and policy makers:

Recess is a necessary break in the day for optimizing a child’s social, emotional, physical, and cognitive development. In essence, recess should be considered a child’s personal time, and it should not be withheld for academic or punitive reasons.

Cognitive processing and academic performance depend on regular breaks from concentrated classroom work. This applies equally to adolescents and to younger children. To be effective, the frequency and duration of breaks should be sufficient to allow the student to mentally decompress.

Recess is a complement to, but not a replacement for, physical education. Physical education is an academic discipline. Whereas both have the potential to promote activity and a healthy lifestyle, only recess (particularly unstructured recess) provides the creative, social, and emotional benefits of play.

Recess can serve as a counterbalance to sedentary time and contribute to the recommended 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity per day, a standard strongly supported by AAP policy as a means to lessen risk of overweight.

Whether structured or unstructured, recess should be safe and well supervised. Although schools should ban games and activities that are unsafe, they should not discontinue recess altogether just because of concerns connected with child safety. Environmental conditions, well-maintained playground equipment, and well-trained supervisors are the critical components of safe recess.

Peer interactions during recess are a unique complement to the classroom. The lifelong skills acquired for communication, negotiation, cooperation, sharing, problem solving, and coping are not only foundations for healthy development but also fundamental measures of the school experience.

Robert Murray, MD

Catherine Ramstetter, PhD

Cynthia Devore, MD, Chairperson

Mandy Allison, MD, MSPH

Richard Ancona, MD

Stephen Barnett, MD

Robert Gunther, MD, MPH

Breena Welch Holmes, MD

Jeffrey Lamont, MD

Mark Minier, MD

Jeffery Okamoto, MD

Lani Wheeler, MD

Thomas Young, MD

Robert Murray, MD, Immediate Past Chairperson

Mary Vernon-Smiley, MD, MPH – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Adolescent and School Health

Linda Grant, MD, MPH – American School Health Association

Veda Johnson, MD – National Assembly on School-Based Health Care

Carolyn Duff, RN, MS, NCSN – National Association of School Nurses

Linda Davis-Alldritt, RN, MA, PHN – National Association of School Nurses

Madra Guinn-Jones, MPH

American Academy of Pediatrics

This document is copyrighted and is property of the American Academy of Pediatrics and its Board of Directors. All authors have filed conflict of interest statements with the American Academy of Pediatrics. Any conflicts have been resolved through a process approved by the Board of Directors. The American Academy of Pediatrics has neither solicited nor accepted any commercial involvement in the development of the content of this publication.

All policy statements from the American Academy of Pediatrics automatically expire 5 years after publication unless reaffirmed, revised, or retired at or before that time.

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Recess in School is Essential Playtime: The Importance of Parent Advocacy

by Catherine Ramstetter View Bio and Charlene Woodham Brickman View Bio

Dr. Cathy Ramstetter is a Health Educator with an interest child and school health, and currently serve as a School Health Consultant with Successful Healthy Children , the non-profit she founded in 2015. Cathy assists schools with wellness initiatives and recess implementation, with an aim to protect recess for every child everyday and to foster children’s healthy growth and development—intellectually, socially, emotionally and physically.

Since 2007, Dr. Ramstetter has served on the Ohio Chapter of the AAP’s Home and School Health Committee, and is the co-author of AAP’s Policy on Recess with Dr. Bob Murray. She serves on the Board of Directors for the American School Health Association and also the Board of DePaul Cristo Rey High School in Cincinnati, where she is a member of the Academic Committee. Cathy is an adjunct professor with The Christ College of Nursing & Health Sciences, teaching Wellness & Health Promotion.

In April, 2020, Dr. Ramstetter was a founding member of the Global Recess Alliance , formed of academic leaders from the US, Canada, United Kingdom and Australia, which guides schools to rethink policies and practices for recess time.

Dr. Charlene Woodham Brickman is an educational consultant and writer. As a career educator for 32 years, she has served in many roles including teacher, administrator and college adjunct instructor. Dr. Brickman recently completed her PhD in Early Childhood Education at Auburn University. She did so to earn a better seat at the table in order to advocate for young children more effectively.

A major focus of that advocacy is in the area of play, but more specifically, recess. In a time when our youngest students are expected to learn more and do so more quickly, recess is unfortunately often sacrificed. Dr. Brickman’s research centers on the necessity of recess as well as the beliefs and perceptions of site-based decision-makers regarding the practice of recess. Working to educate educators, parents, and the community about this daily non-negotiable unstructured break is her passion.

Currently, Dr. Brickman is involved in her community (Athens, GA) as a member of the Athens-Clarke County Library Board and a member of the Athens Technical College ECE Board. She is busy collaborating on writing projects and consulting (recessandplay.com). After that, she is on the lookout for play in life and is dragging her friends and family along in the quest. Afterall, we are never too old for recess and recess supports good mental health!

Research shows that when children have recess, they gain the following benefits:

• Are less fidgety and more on task
• Have improved memory and more focused attention
• Develop more brain connections
• Learn negotiation skills
• Exercise leadership, teach games, take turns, and learn to resolve conflicts
• Are more physically active before and after school

“It is the supreme seriousness of play that gives it its educational importance. Play seen from the inside, as the child sees it, is the most serious thing in life. Play builds the child.... play is thus the essential part of education.” Joseph Lee Play and Education (1910)

Play is essential to a child’s growth and learning, and recess offers the prime setting for children to experience play during the school day. Research demonstrates the many benefits of recess in supporting kids academically, physically, and socially both in and out of the classroom.

Many schools have unfortunately bowed to the pressures of learning loss and standardized test achievements and have eliminated or shortened recess. For schools that do still provide the unstructured break, students may still be required to miss all or part of it to complete assignments or as punishment for negative behavioral choices.

That’s why, parents, it’s important to advocate for recess for your children and all the students in their school. Start by talking to your school representatives about their recess policies and practices.

Recess is often overlooked -- perhaps due to an assumption that a quality recess is occurring and that it looks the same from class to class, or that recess is not essential. But educators overwhelmingly agree; recess is valuable for all children and the assumption that recess is consistently delivered and experienced is untrue.

Similarly, when you ask your child about their school day - don’t forget to ask about recess. Below are some questions to help start the conversation:

• Do you have recess? How long is recess? What happens at recess? Tell me about the playground? What kind of equipment do you have? Are you able to use the equipment? Do you have balls, jump ropes, etc.? How do you play? Are you able to choose what and where you play? Do all children get to participate? Does your class ever miss recess? Why?

Be sure to follow up with your child’s teacher. Ask them the same questions. See what teachers say about what occurs in this (hopefully) daily scheduled event. Ask them how much time is scheduled for students at recess and does that scheduled time include travel to and from the playground? Inquire if it is a structured or unstructured playtime. Ask if punitive measures are allowed such as requiring students to walk laps during recess as a behavioral consequence.

Feel free to ask the principal and assistant principal the same questions. These types of questions may seem insignificant, but they demonstrate that you are observant and want the best for your children. They show that you are uniquely invested.

If you receive differing answers from your children or their teachers, your school may be missing their opportunity to provide this essential component of education to your child. If so, then it’s your time to speak up! Ask to see the school wellness policy -- does it include recess? Volunteer to be a part of the school wellness team to be a part of the process to ensure all students are experiencing a daily quality recess.

Published guidelines recommend that every child be given a minimum of 20 minutes of unstructured recess daily (Murray & Ramstetter, 2013). Make sure that your child receives the right amount of recess time every day.

More Expert Advice

How Much Recess Should Kids Get?

Experts say recess is crucial to learning and development, but many kids don't get enough.

Getty Images

Schools may be held accountable for how well kids do at reading and math, but experts say that recess plays an essential but often overlooked role in children’s physical, emotional and intellectual development.

Ask a group of kids about their favorite part of the school day and many will talk about something that happened at recess. Maybe they finally made it across the monkey bars. Maybe somebody kicked the foursquare ball over the fence. Maybe a fruit tree in a neighboring yard started to drop plums on the playground.

Any one of these things is a marker of a good recess, not just according to kids, but also to adults who study the benefits of play. Whether they’re inventing a new game or sitting under a tree, kids need a break – or several of them – during the school day. And not just so they can blow off steam.

Schools may be held accountable for how well kids do at reading and math, but experts say that recess plays an essential but often overlooked role in children’s physical, emotional and intellectual development. While physical education focuses on teaching and practicing specific skills, recess is not instructional. Research shows that kids need this supervised free time to move and socialize in order to process their emotions and what they’re learning in class.

“The way our brains work, you can’t go hours at a time and retain and store information in working memory,” says William Massey, an associate professor of kinesiology at Oregon State University in Corvallis. “You need time away to process it.”

Why Kids Need Recess

There's no debate that physical activity is good for kids, particularly as a powerful weapon against childhood obesity , which has more than tripled since the 1970s. The average child sits for 8.5 hours a day. Combine that with high-calorie foods, and weight gain in inevitable, researchers say. But studies show that at least 20 minutes of recess daily, along with 150 minutes of physical education a week, make a measurable difference in children’s weight.

Beyond the physical benefits, recess is important for kids emotionally and cognitively. Active movement works the brain’s prefrontal cortex, building connections between the creative and analytic sides of the brain. Activity that involves arms and legs – running, climbing, crawling – builds new neural connections, which in turn help kids regulate their emotions and process what they have learned in class.

Equally important is the benefit of an unstructured, but supervised, break. Catherine Ramstetter, co-author of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ recommendations for recess, says that these breaks should be times when children can choose between sedentary, physical, creative or social options.

“We don’t question that adults need to take breaks,” says Ramstetter. “What we expect of little children, especially the youngest ones, is heartbreaking.”

Studies show that after recess children are more attentive in class, perform better cognitively and have fewer behavioral problems. One study of fourth graders in Fort Worth, Texas, found that children who had just come back to school after the COVID-19 lockdown and had 45 minutes of daily recess had significantly less of the stress hormone cortisol after a three-month period than students who had 30 minutes of recess.

How Much Is Enough?

Ideally, children should get four 15-minute recesses every day, says Debbie Rhea, a professor of kinesiology at Texas Christian University in Forth Worth and director of the LiiNK Project, which advocates for outdoor play in schools.

The American Academy of Pediatrics confirms this recommendation, for both younger children and adolescents. While recess is usually only part of the school day for elementary school kids, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently expanded its recommendation to encourage recess for all students, including those in middle and high school.

But when it comes to allocating those precious school-day minutes, recess has rarely been a priority. Starting in the early 2000s, many schools cut back or even eliminated recess in favor of more instructional time. Since 2001 , average weekly recess time has declined by 60 minutes. Only nine states require schools to offer a daily recess, and most districts don't have a formal recess policy.

And it's still common practice for teachers to take away recess as a punishment, something experts say should never happen.

“We wouldn’t have kids sit out of math or reading because they were being bad,” says Massey. “Often the kids who lose recess are the kids who need it the most. They need time to regulate.”

How to Make Recess Better

In addition to simply providing enough time for recess, schools should teach social skills that will make recess more successful, Rhea says.

The LiiNK Project consults with school districts to train teachers and administrators in how to incorporate a character development curriculum into the way recess is offered. Fifteen minutes a day of classroom instruction around empathy and respect, Rhea says, can transform recess from chaos into a meaningful learning opportunity.

“Out on the playground, kids solve their problems better. The character curriculum has helped with that,” says Rhea. “Kids learn from each other, but when an adult gets in there, the adult changes the environment.”

Especially after missing in-person school during COVID-19, children need more opportunities to practice sharing, taking turns and resolving conflicts, says Massey. Preparing for recess, he says, is an opportunity to talk about how to make smooth transitions in the day – often a fraught time in classrooms.

“We don’t do anything else without norms,” says Massey, “but we do that with recess and then wonder why things aren’t going well.”

This approach changes the role of the adults on the playground, who should be less like police and more like facilitators of play, Rhea says. For instance, it’s important for teachers and yard-duty staff to allow children to take reasonable risks with their bodies.

Letting kids run fast will help them develop coordination. Running up the slide may not be as unsafe as it looks. And even falling, Rhea says, is something kids need to practice to avoid getting badly hurt. It’s also OK for kids to get bored.

“Adults have a hard time watching kids do nothing,” Rhea says. But “when kids get bored, they have to be creative and think of something to do.”

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Home / Essay Samples / Life / Children / The Importance Of Recess

The Importance Of Recess

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• Topic: Child Obesity , Childhood Obesity , Children

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