How Much Recess Should Elementary Students Have?

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) points out that more than 76% of children between 6 and 17 don’t get the recommended daily 60 minutes of physical activity. While allocating a whole hour for recess might seem difficult, the practice remains vital. But how much recess should these children have exactly?

Elementary students should have at least 20 minutes of recess daily according to the CDC. However, this time is still not enough based on the U.S Department Of Health And Human Services guidelines that recommend 60 minutes of daily physical activity for children and adolescents.

In this article, I’ll discuss a few topics related to this question burning in the back of each parent and teacher’s mind. These include why recess is important, why some schools reduce or scrap breaks, and the measures to adopt to ensure recess is available.

Table of Contents

Why Recess Is Important

“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” So, children are naturally wired to play, and denying them enough recess is an injustice. Although the time off has proved difficult to find throughout the busy school year, allowing students at least 20 minutes of unstructured play each day is essential.

Unstructured play boosts children’s physical health. Moreover, it improves their cognitive, social, and emotional development. Playtime is a crucial aspect of children’s development, and schools should accommodate it.

Here are a few more benefits of recess:

Improved Physical Health

Physical activity is one of the most recommended practices to keep diseases at bay. Additionally, it improves heart health, bone structure, and weight loss to minimize the risk of chronic conditions such as heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure.

The busy school schedule gives elementary students no time to engage in physical activity. Therefore, recess is the only time some children can play, as it allows them to engage in active play, contributing to their physical health.

Additionally, this builds a habit that children adopt in adulthood, helping them to stay fit and away from chronic conditions. Although some schools accommodate physical education (PE), this isn’t enough because it doesn’t include unstructured play, which is fundamental for normal development.

If you’re looking to learn more about active recess, check out this video:

Improves Mental Health

Elementary kids have a shorter attention span and will get bored and distracted through long sitting hours. Thus, they only understand a small portion of their class work. Including recess breaks allow the brain to recharge, improving mental alertness.

Physical activity activates the brain and triggers feel-good hormones necessary for mental stability. Therefore, it helps the students to concentrate better, leading to higher academic results.

Additionally, these hormones reduce depressive episodes and tension in children, which causes them to lose interest in school. Research shows that children who enjoy enough recess are happier and less likely to dislike school.

Recess is especially critical for children with mental health issues. With rising numbers of children with mental health problems in the United States, more recess time is vital. School work overwhelms kids, and a lack of breaks forces their brains to shut down.

Sometimes the children will react by rebelling, fidgeting, and being uncooperative in class. And these behaviors can progress at home, especially if the environment is stressful.

Moreover, any physical activity that causes the heart to race or triggers sweating enhances the brain part associated with memory and learning. Thus, children who engage in active play often achieve better academic outcomes.

Improved Social Skills

As children play, they interact and communicate among themselves. Therefore, they develop interpersonal skills that help them to relate well with their peers. Learning conflict resolution by themselves ensures they grow into responsible adults who can negotiate what is right and wrong. In addition, some games require cooperation. As a result, students learn the importance of team playing at an early age.

Playtime is even better when students play together with teachers or coaches. This kind of play improves children’s interactions with adults and alleviates fear, as they have fun together. The result is enhanced participation in classwork and, in turn, higher academic achievements.

Children can also learn problem-solving skills crucial for class work and tackling other life problems. Still, recess can teach sharing, perseverance, and self-control. For instance, the kids will learn to wait patiently for their turn if they play in turns. Ultimately they become better individuals in class and at home.

Unstructured play helps children practice leadership skills and enhance their confidence and self-esteem. For instance, some games require taking special instructions from one another, where the players assume leadership roles. As a result, the kids develop confidence, which is crucial for their future.

Why Schools Scrap/ Reduce Recess Time

Research indicates that many schools have reduced recess time, and others have entirely scraped it from their school calendars. The primary reason schools forego playtime is the increase in standardized testing. Therefore teachers want to focus more on teaching to enhance performance, especially in math and language.

Here are some of the most common reasons why schools are cutting back recess time:

Standardized Testing

American schools are focusing more on standardized testing since the adoption of the ‘No Child Left Behind Policy.’ The law requires grade three to eight students to take standardized tests for math and reading.

As a result, teachers have to maximize class work to improve performance. Consequently, there’s little or no time to play.

Legal Issues

Many schools have minimized recess time due to legal liabilities that result from injuries acquired by students as they play. Kids are prone to get injured as they jump, run and play ball games. While it’s common for them to get hurt during play, schools are afraid to take the blame since this can result in legal cases that tarnish their image and finances.

Additionally, some parents will go as far as suing schools for negligence when their children get hurt. Therefore, school heads are skeptical about letting children play alone for fear of the consequences.

Bullying

Some schools have cited bullying as the reason for reducing or scrapping recess. In such cases, some students avoid the halls and play areas and are only comfortable in class.

Teachers fear that these students might get hurt in school without their knowledge which could cause problems for the institution.

Lack of Resources

Some schools have poorly structured playgrounds, making it unsafe for kids to play due to the high chances of getting hurt. In some cases, the playgrounds are easily accessible by strangers and hence dangerous for kids, especially younger ones.

Moreover, children might get exposed to dangers such as sexual predators, child traffickers, and drug peddlers. Other schools lack designated play areas, and playtime takes place in classrooms with the teacher’s supervision.

How Schools Can Overcome Recess-Related Problems

There has been an upward trend by state governments enacting laws to reintroduce recess. However, the law isn’t enough to address the issues contributing to the scrapping of breaks.

Here are some measures that schools can adopt to make recess possible (and safer) for elementary students:

Introduce Short Breaks

No school wants to post poor results, but denying kids recess is unlikely to help their performance. Giving them a few minutes of play could be the missing ingredient for improvement.

The research linked above indicates that children who enjoy physical activity in between classes behave better in the classroom than those who don’t. Thus, they can concentrate better on improving their results.

Introduce Adult Supervision and Invest in Play Areas

It’s normal for kids to get hurt during play. However, it’s uncommon for accidents to occur in well-structured play areas. Schools can reconfigure playgrounds to make them less prone to accidents. For instance, they can eliminate high areas to avoid climbing and get floors that aren’t slippery.

Alternatively, teachers can supervise the kids during play to minimize the chances of accidents. Adult supervision also reduces bullying incidents because the teachers can help mitigate the conflict. The practice works even better when teachers play with the kids, as this promotes healthy interactions.

Introduce Organized Recess

Schools have resorted to shortening recess to deal with behavioral problems. Teachers complain that some students return from recess upset and angry. As a result, they’re unable to focus.

Organized recess is the best way to reduce such behaviors. It offers choices to students because it involves organized games where each student gets a chance to participate. In addition, playing reduces the chances of conflict, promoting a healthy coexistence between the kids.

Increased Funding

Different stakeholders have recognized the need for recess, forcing schools to reintroduce it. In response, several states, such as Florida, are enacting laws to ensure kids get some time for recess.

Therefore, public schools should lobby for more resources to improve play areas and make them better equipped and, more importantly, safer.

Conclusion

The CDC recommends 20 minutes of recess daily to allow students to enjoy unstructured play. In other words, PE doesn’t count because it involves structured play.

Recess comes with a wide array of benefits, including improved physical health and emotional well-being. Additionally, it’s during recess that children learn interpersonal skills, problem-solving, and conflict resolution.

They also learn how to negotiate and exercise leadership skills, which are fundamental in any child’s development. Although there are time-related challenges affecting recess, schools should ensure that elementary children enjoy at least 20 minutes of play each day.