Recess (break)
Recess is a scheduled break from structured activities, commonly observed in school settings, where students have the opportunity to engage in play and social interaction. The specifics of recess, including its frequency, duration, and timing, can vary significantly from one school to another and across different countries. In the United States, for instance, elementary students typically receive around thirty minutes of recess daily, often spent outdoors or in designated play areas. However, many schools have faced pressure to reduce or eliminate recess in favor of academic instruction, particularly due to the emphasis on standardized testing.
Research indicates that recess plays a crucial role in children's cognitive and social development, with studies linking sufficient playtime to improved attention, retention of information, and overall well-being. While some educators argue that recess may disrupt learning, many parents and experts advocate for its importance in helping children recharge and develop essential life skills. Globally, approaches to recess can vary widely, with some countries implementing multiple short breaks throughout the day, while others prioritize outdoor play regardless of weather conditions. Advocacy for recess remains strong, particularly in the wake of challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, underscoring its significance in supporting children's physical and mental health.
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Recess (break)
Recess is a temporary break from participation in an activity. In a school setting, recess is a time in which students get a break from classwork to play. Many schools, however, have shortened or eliminated recess from their curriculums to devote more time to learning and preparing for assessment tests. Administrators have argued that recess hinders students from wanting to continue learning and view it as a waste of precious time that could be spent learning. On the other side, researchers have cautioned that a break in learning is critical to a student's overall well-being, as this downtime helps students recharge between cognitive challenges.
Overview
Many schools around the world provide recess to their students, but much varies about the practice. For example, the number of breaks, length of recess time allotted, and timing of these breaks differs according to individual schools worldwide. A school in Indonesia may provide students with three twenty-minute breaks staggered at different times throughout the day, while a school in the United States may only give students one thirty-minute break in the afternoon.
In the United States, most children in elementary schools receive recess breaks, on average, of about thirty minutes a day. During this time, they play either inside or outside. Some schools have outdoor playgrounds, but many schools no longer have play equipment due to safety concerns and lack of funding. In Britain, recess breaks are most like those found in the US. Children are generally given one set recess that they usually spend playing outdoors.
In Finland, students receive ten- to fifteen-minute breaks after every forty-five minutes to an hour of instruction. During this time, children are encouraged to play with their classmates. Schoolchildren in Norway are required to take recess outside—even in inclement weather. They are encouraged to climb trees, build camps, and other outdoor activities. They also are mostly left to their own devices, and teachers allow them to resolve arguments among themselves instead of intervening.
In Bhutan, children get one break after breakfast, in which they usually participate in sports such as soccer or play on playground equipment before they start their school day. Schools in China give exercise breaks instead of recess. During these, students stretch and then run for ten minutes. The students also receive other breaks, one of which encourages students to move their eyes to the beat of music as a way to recharge the eyes.
In Japan and Tokyo, students receive multiple recess breaks throughout the day. Areas for recess are constructed on the roofs of the schools because land is scarce. Children can only play with soft balls, as not to injure anyone on the streets below the buildings. In addition, every few days, students use recess time to clean up their classrooms.
Sierra Leone is a very poor country that has no sanitation or garbage collection, and the area is plagued by floods, which damage the schools. This forces the schools to close during certain months. Children here are given recess breaks during the school days, but they do not have clean areas in which they can play. Most gather outside the school and talk in huddles or play games of tag. In Kenya, classrooms are very cramped. Poorly built schools cannot handle it when it rains. These schools do not have playgrounds either. At break time, students gather in the roads surrounding the school and run around, play, or talk.
Recess Today
While recess is a mainstay at schools in many parts of the world, it has been a source of debate in the United States. In the early twenty-first century, many schools abandoned recess in favor of more learning time. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 40 percent of school districts cut or reduced recess time during the first two decades of the twenty-first century. Some educators believe that a break in the day interferes with learning and blame rigid assessment testing guidelines as the main reason for its demise. While teachers agree that children do need a break, schools receive funding based on test scores, so much of the school day is devoted to preparing children for examinations. This has not only affected recess but also art, music, and physical education classes. Many experts argue that lack of recess also hurts children in other ways, such as hindering a child's ability to play. Many children choose to use electronic devices instead of playing games and sports with other children their age. Recess can help teach students how to play with others.
Researchers who oppose cutting recess look toward the rise in obesity rates and children with disorders such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). They say children need more playtime to boost their ability to pay attention and retain information. A break in learning helps them recharge and return to the classroom ready to learn. Playtime helps students develop social skills as they learn teamwork, game rules, competition, and more. In addition, physical activity helps children thwart obesity, and recess is needed to ensure children get exercise instead of sitting all day. Research has also shown that recess and the physical activity that accompanies it aids children's cognitive ability. Movement helps build neural connections in the brain and strengthens its prefrontal cortex, all of which help students process new information.
Parents report that their children who are denied recess feel more exhausted and tense. They say children need to get up and play; they need to go outside, get fresh air, blow off steam, and recharge. Many parents have petitioned their school districts to make recess a priority.
Some schools have listened to parents and have adopted recess guidelines similar to those in Finland: multiple short breaks throughout the day. Instead of one long break in the middle of the day, students are provided with four fifteen-minute breaks throughout the day. Teachers at these schools have reported that their students seem more alert, attentive, and willing to learn.
The CDC also updated its recommendations for recess in the mid-2010s, stating that all students from kindergarten through twelfth grade should be provided at least twenty minutes for recess each day. At that time, 90 percent of elementary schools provided recess for an average of 27 minutes each school day, but numbers were much lower for grades six and higher. Advocates for recess continued to push state legislators and school districts to institute formal recess policies. Many experts deemed this especially important following the COVID-19 pandemic and the significant impacts it had on children and adolescents. In 2022, only nine states required elementary schools to provide recess.
Bibliography
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