Oftentimes when you ask a child what their part of the school day was more often than not they’ll answer “recess”. It’s not a surprising answer, everyone knows recess is the most fun part of the school day. Recess is a time of the day when kids can be kids and take charge of their school day. In recent years, however, many schools have been cutting recess in the hopes of improving academic performance. This is extremely harmful and counterproductive due to the extremely important part recess plays in a child’s development and school experience.
Recess serves as an important brain break for students. Recess serves as a time when students can get out their energy in a healthy way, making them able to focus and pay more attention throughout the day. Recess is a time of the school day where children can be physically active, allowing for children to de-stress and decompress. In addition, studies show that students are better listeners and more attentive after recess.
The physical aspect of recess is increasingly appealing for students in combating childhood obesity. Recess serves as a time where children can exercise and play, improving their physical health after sitting all day in class. Similarly to PE class, recess is a time where students can enjoy being active and develop a love for exercising.
Furthermore, recess serves as an integral break from the structured school day. Periodic breaks from the structured school schedule are extremely important for children to not only retain information, but for students to remain engaged throughout the entire school day. Recess is shown to improve student’s classroom behavior and willingness to participate in class.
While recess is a break from structured learning within the school day, there are many opportunities for children to learn during recess. Children improve their communication skills with other students as well as develop skills in cooperation, sharing, problem solving, conflict resolution, and negotiation. Recess plays a large part in developing a student’s social development. Recess is a time where many students make a majority of their friends and learn to effectively navigate situations with other people and learn how to work well with others.
Overall, play is an essential part of a child’s well-being, making recess an important aspect in a child’s cognitive, social, physical, and emotional well-being. The benefits of unstructured play time within the school day cannot be underestimated for a child’s well-being and ability to learn. It is incredibly important that recess continues to be incorporated in children’s school days due to the long-lasting physical and emotional benefits it provides for students.