Argumentative Essay: Should Schools Have Recess?

On Tuesday we started a debate over if we are for recess and if we aren’t. I was on the pro side of the debate. With doing this debate we found out a lot of reasons why maybe recess isn’t such a good idea and why it is a good idea. For the pro side we found that recess provides an unstructured break that gives children discretionary time to engage in physical activity. We also learned that recess can be held anywhere. Recess plays an important role in a comprehensive school physical activity program and can provide a portion of the activity that a child needs every day to maintain health. We also told the con group that children learn through play. Free play allows children the opportunity to be themselves and use their imaginations. The con

Do you want to be involved in the decision of whether you or your child should be able to have recess? If so then I recommend reading this story to help you make your decision!This is why I think we should have recess.Recess is where student get to go outside and socialize for 20-30 minutes a day.

Recess helps create social and other developments. For example according to the American Heart Association they say, “Recess time has been championed as a way to help combat the notions childhood obesity problem. Studies also have shown that the free-play that comes with recess is crucial to a child’s cognitive, social and emotional development” (American Heart Association). This evidence proves

Growing up, it was among the most common of punishments to be told to stay inside during recess. It is still being used in the school where I do my observations. I remember when recess had to be cancelled due to inclimate weather. The rest of the day would drag on. It was hard to focus on school work as I kept glancing out the classroom window at the playground. An article published in the 2011 journal Economics of Education Review cited the findings of Olga Jarrett and her colleagues, who determined that recess increased the amount of work completed in the classroom and it reduced the amount of fidgeting and listlessness in students, promoting behavior management. It’s worth noting that the American Pediatric Association referenced a series of studies that determined the brain was able to process at optimal levels once it had the chance for a break following learning. Then there are the physical benefits of recess to consider. Between tablets, smartphones, laptops, and advanced gaming systems; a majority of the attention grabbing activities for students involve staying inside and being sedentary. Recess offers students an opportunity to get out and be active which they might not be motivated to do after school at home. The National Association for Sport and Physical Education recognize recess as an essential component to helping students participate in physical activity and recommend that students be allowed at least 20 minutes of recess per school day.

One reason kids should have recess is it gives them time to relax. Many kids feel less stressed when they have recess. They are more calm when they come inside from recess which is easier. Most kids are worn out witch lets the teacher some time to relax.

The first reason why kids need recess is they will be more focused and less fidgety. A no recess school was studied by a doctor from Georgia State University’s Department of Early Childhood Education, Doctor Olga Jarret, to see if giving the kids recess would affect their behavior. 60% of the children, including 5 special needs kids, proved that recess gave them more focus and they were less fidgety, or moving a lot, on the day they knew they had recess. Kids build up energy throughout the school day leading them to lose focus, fidgety, and lose focus. Giving the kids recess releases some of their energy, giving them enough to focus for the rest of the day. Letting them have recess not only releases energy, but feeds the brain for more focus.

When at recess kids tend to talk with their friends outside rather than inside the classroom. Most kids get in trouble at school for talking during class, but with the short bell schedule and little time at lunch kids will want to talk with friends therefor in the classroom. If a new kid is at the school kids will be tempted to talk with this person, but without recess the kids will never meet unless they talk in the hall and be late or in the classroom.

Should students have recess or not? Many people say that kids should have recces… well manly kids but you get the idea (i am a kid but whatever). Now i have a several reasons as to why we should have recces, but i will only be telling you a few.

Since 1971, childhood obesity has more than tripled. Today, 18 percent of American children are either overweight or obese. On average, students get 26 minutes of recess per day. The CDC recommends that children get at least 60 minutes of physical activity daily. Kids need recess to stay socially and physically healthy and to perform better in school.

Others protest that recess is a waste of time where teacher can’t teach. They think that time would be better used on instructions. Despite what opponents say recess should be in school because students are more focused after recess. In addition, the down time allow students to be refreshed for class. Therefore the time is better used for recess.

When you were in elementary school, there was a high chance you were asked what your favorite subject is. Most of the time, you probably answered recess. But, there are many kids in and out of the United States that don’t get to experience recess. In fact, only 11% of states and 57% of districts actually require recess. Recess was first given to reduce childhood obesity. It was also given to let children and teachers have a half an hour “brain break.” Now, schools say recess is a complete waste of time, in which dangerous activity may take place. These activities include bullying, falling, contamination of sicknesses, and many more. Either way, recess’ existence is still up for debate. Whether or not you believe recess is important, this debate

They couldn’t think of time where they couldn’t go out and play on the blacktop or swing on the jungle gym or even hang with their friends. But the people running the school wouldn’t notice a difference. Even though school staff are trying to improve the amount of learning endured during the day, they are actually decreasing the quality of work by taking away recess. Most school officials are unaware of the importance of recess. Though the effects of recces on kindergarteners and first graders are not very significant, as they get older signs of change become more and more relevant whether its during testing or just paying attention during class. Teachers may notice the difference but they may not know the causes of this lack of focus. Speaking in support of more recess principal Angela Long said, “We find that we spend less time in the classroom redirecting off-task behavior. So, kids are going to take recess whether it’s in the class or outside so we just give it to them,”(Long). She is saying recess is essential to kids. It is like the sun rising and setting, it is inevitable, the sun has to set at some point and the children have to play at some point

These days it's all about no play and more write and study. shows the value of recess:apparently research shows,“It gives kids a much-needed break from intense studying, teaches them social skills, encourages them to use their imagination, and allows them to exercise.” (https://www.theatlantic.com/author/sigrid-anderson-cordell/).with exerse they not only have a bright emagination but also have a

Schools need more time for gym class. Most of the children today do not have the time or the space to go outside and play. Most of the youth today live in bigger cities and do not have the room to go out and run around. There should be more gym time in schools because it can help with teens grades, it can make the students healthier, and the parents want their teens to be more active.

Federal and state policies have also contributed in making it harder for children to play outside during the school hours. The No Child Left Behind Act created in 2001 have affected elementary schools to reduce the amount of time children are given to play during recess. In fact the reduced times are spent more on preparing students for standardized tests and for students to meet new school goals (Sacks, 2005). Thus, this explains clearly