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Recess In School

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Getting Recess Back in Schools Recess. Ask any elementary school kid what their favorite subject is in school and most of the time the answer will likely be recess. Yet many schools are reducing the amount of time children are allowed recess due to the increasing demand for schools to meet standardized testing scores and teach all the required curricula. This has had direct implications on elementary-aged school children that can jeopardize them for years to come across many different facets of development. Research suggests that when recess programs are properly implemented, in addition to physical education, they can help children be successful socially, physically, and academically.
What defines recess? As defined in Pellegrini and Smith’s …show more content…
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2017) has outlined six steps that can be used to create a better recess program. The first includes having leadership to create guidelines and implement practices. Secondly, there needs to be communication in place between administration, staff, and students in order to keep all safe which leads to the third point: a supporting place for recess. Recess should have adequate space and equipment for all and stagger different age groups to avoid undue harm. Fourth is to gain support. This can be achieved by parents being involved and allowing students to participate at their own leisure. Lastly, it is important to track the efficacy of the newly, implemented program to help better prepare future programs (p. 7). In considering these steps to create an effective recess program, and for parents to make a difference, they must first understand that recess plays several different roles in their child’s development including social and emotional implications, physical fitness, and academic achievement.
Social and Emotional Implications of …show more content…
519). The article continues to discuss how the breaks in learning should be unstructured to allow for exploration and to avoid switching from one critical thinking task to the next. Ramstetter, et al., (2017) also seeks to discuss the benefits that teachers receive from students participating in recess. It showed that students came in from recess more focused and ready to learn. This in turn helps the teacher be more available to teach instead of redirecting wayward students (p. 522). Additionally, the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services (2010) conducted several studies to determine the link between exercising and cognitive development. It was found that exercise does not directly cause a child to become smarter, but rather helps with brain development by means such as: increasing blood flow to deliver more oxygen and developing nerve connections. The results of these body changes showed a greater attention span, better coping, and better learning outcomes (p. 9).

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