Elementary School Recess

Since we don't have recess the only time to meet and take a break is lunch. At lunch people just sit by their friends and don't meet new people. If we had recess they would make new friends. Teachers could take a break and everyone's happy.

Recess is a period of time during the school day in which students take a break from learning and socialize with each other. The students get to do whatever they want, and they have fun with each other. A typical recess involves unstructured play which means that the students engage in their own activities without adults. Recess can also be structured which means that teachers set up mandatory activities for the students to play instead of letting them be free. There has recently been debate about whether or not recess should become structured or unstructured. Schools should agree with structured recess because the students can be able to interact within the same activity. It can also promote teamwork and teach the students how to help each other out.

My first reason why I think schools should have recess in middle schools recess increases concentration.

“ I'm so tired of sitting in those same boring classes with teachers talking the whole class period, I would like a break in between academic classes.” Schools should have a break in the day where students can have time to get away from all the teacher talking. With that said, students should have recess in schools, because minor movement at recess can alter the child's physical health, when at recess with their peers they can learn cooperation skills and negotiation skills, and children learn many things by playing at recess. Recess can also help students with their communication skills, brain development, and physical health.

In the article Recess Makes Kids Smarter, it makes a case for why recess is necessary in elementary schools. It starts off talking about Nelly Torres, who is a parent at Chicago Public Schools, and how her first and fourth grader didn’t have recess until last year and even now it is only a 10 minute brake once a day. The cut back on recess was brought upon with the No Child Left Behind movement outing pressure in the school work and good scores. This made recess seem like a waste of time that could be used to improve scores. A few things are starting to support bringing recess back with the high childhood obesity rate and The First Lady talking so much about children’s exercise. The NASPE says that the children should get at least 20 minutes of recess per day.

First of all, recess can allow students to relax and release energy. According to “Do You Need Recess?” by Mackenzie Carros, “...’Recess is the one break in the day to relax and have fun!’...” (pg. 31) When a student is relaxing or having fun, it helps them take a little break to run or even walk around. That can help teachers with students that have a lot of energy and disrupt class because they will lose some of that energy outside having fun. That is one reason why middle schools should have recess.

Hey!, Do you wonder what recess is for? Well, let me tell you, why we should have recess. Recess is a time were you can talk and yell and be free! It is also a break for the teachers to get out and bond with other teachers. Recess is an important part of a student’s day because it help kids learn better. It helps their health problems and there socialization skills.

Allowing students to have a lunch recess allows them to visit and spend time with friends. Students will be able to catch up with friends

Schools and districts make the most of recess through on-site staffing, consultative support, professional development, free resources, and more.

Taking short breaks is a thought ,because it helps the brain relax, also gets your energy out, and to be sociable. It helps the brain cool down a get a break.It also helps get all your energy out. You would be more sociable during the break and no in class.

Another article states that because of the recess cut time many children are walking around with an underdeveloped vestibular (balance) system today due to restricted movement. Thus another reason why kids need more recess time.

According to the text it says, “An analysis of studies that focused specifically on recess found positive associations between physical activity and the ability to concentrate in class” (The Atlantic Magazine). This quote shows that recess helps kids pay attention in class because studies and analysis show that recess has a positive effect for kids to concentrate in class. Rae Pica wrote “Dr. Olga Jarrett with her colleagues at Georgia State University’s Department of Early Child Education, approached an urban school district that had a no-recess policy. They received permission for two fourth grade classes to have recess once a week so they could observe the children’s behavior on recess and non-recess days. Their result showed that 43 children became more on task and less fidgety on days when they had recess. Sixty percent of the children, including five with attention deficit disorder, worked more and/or figited less on recess days” (Rae Pica). This quote proves that recess helps kids pay attention in class because a doctor took a study/observation that shows recess improves concentration in class even with kids that have a attention deficit

For instance, after 15 minutes of running around it is hard to get kids to calm down, so imagine trying to get a class of kindergarteners to calm down after 30 minutes of chasing one another around, it would take even more time out of our school day. Also, if recess was longer kids would spend more time thinking about what to do at recess. They would spend the day thinking, play tag or soccer? Swing or do gymnastics? Addition, with their minds elsewhere, they wouldn’t pay attention in class. The teacher would be talking, but all the while, kids would be debating up in the clouds who to play with, what do, and who to avoid.. They would get behind in class and the teacher wouldn’t recognize that it was just from their students lack of effort. “I disprove of recess in every way shape and form. My students heads fly up to the clouds and don’t come down again until they hear the dismissal bell.”

The first reason of why kids need recess is because of Stress kids are getting the mad feeling recess relieves that feeling and makes you feel better.Stress is a bad mostly on kids and when kids are working too hard the and get really mad and not having recess makes them even madder. And people should know because when they were kids and they work too hard you get mad and stressed. But when kids go to

Spending too much time worrying about what you’re learning can raise stress levels through the roof causing thinking to become unclear. A break would give time to prepare your brain for the next class. Next, studies support a brain break for students because it helps increase student learning. For instance, when teachers let students walk around every other hour it helps decrease stress and increase motivation. Last, students can get materials ready for the next class. If your materials are already organized, then you can spend less time stressing about where your supplies are and more time learning. Brain breaks will improve brain flow for students at Independence Middle