Why Kids Have Recess

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.

Have you ever heard a child complain to someone about something happening at school or about them being too tired to do something because of at school or from not getting enough sleep? Kids now hardly get sleep because of after school activities ending too late, from staying up late to do homework, etc. I believe that if we cut back recess just a little that kids will have more time to get their homework, or classwork finished so they don’t have to worry about it later on.

Recess is very beneficial to a students learning. Jessica Lahey, author of “Students Who Lose Recess Are the Ones Who Need It Most”, says that research shows that recess is an important part of students’ academic, cognitive, physical, and mental wellness. Recess is

Recently, as kids get older, kids have less time to enjoy and get to play outside. It’s because of the ideas of parents or education administers who want their children to learn more and experience more at school. For instance, some parents want their child to learn high school math, even-though, their children may not in high school. However, interestingly, many researches have showed that having recess gives a lot of benefit to the student.

Your in math class thinking about what you want to do at recess but wait i'm in middle school I don't have recess anymore. Recess can help kids in a good way like improving test scores, develop skill, and giving your brain a break.

Most middle schools don’t believe that recess is part of a school day, but in Finland students get 15 minute breaks during class and they can focus after the break. In our middle school, we don’t have recess and only five minutes in between classes. Even during lunch, we have thirty minutes to eat and hang out with friends. There are many reasons for the middle schoolers here to have more recess time.

No Child Left Behind has created a multitude of emotions and high stress situations throughout schools nationwide. Getting students to perform well on standardized tests seems to be the goal at whatever cost it takes to get there. Administrators have turned to slashing teacher prep time and much needed breaks as well as taking away physical activity from those that need it most, our young students. This writing will look at why recess is being taken away and the many benefits children get from recess. Information will be presented about the different benefits children get from recess and connections will be made as to how that may benefit them in future years.

Schools in Orange county Florida have began to reduce or cancel recess all together so that students can spend more time in the classroom. But they are not alone administrators across the US are making similar changes. “In a nation of increasingly obese kids, getting rid of recess makes no sense.” (Caplan & Igel, 2015, para. 1) The reason behind all of removing kids from there minutes of free time and adding class time is due to common core examinations. There was not enough time in the day for teachers to be able to teach what the students needed in order to pass the test while still allowing their recess time.

Do you remember having recess back in elementary school? Do you ever want recess when you are in middle school? I do. I think students in middle school should have short breaks in between class throughout the day. Students would not sleep in class. Students would get more exercise than just sitting in class. Students would not talk in class.

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.

The second reason is after recess kids can focus better. It has been proven kids that have recess have passed a test than kids without recess. Kids can understand better on what the teacher are

It is not beneficial through which it can be difficult to fit in extra activities some students have to do by cutting out part of the school day with playful exercise. The article “Do You Need Recess?” states, “For middle schoolers who juggle extracurriculars, homework, and family

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.

Having recess in the school system would benefit students, despite popular belief that it would hurt students. According to Robert Murray, “Having a break can help facilitate learning. With no break between classes students brains can get overwhelmed which can hurt learning.” I believe that recess is needed to help students learn.

I would like to thank you for reading my discussion question post. That’s some story that you told. I truly believe that the boy from your class just need activities and some free time to release some of that energy that you mentioned he has. At the school I work at we do have recess and we have extracurricular activities and the kids really seem to enjoy this. However, when it is bad weather outside the students are forced to stay indoors and watch a movie. I see the difference when they do not get the chance to get some fresh air to run around. When they come back to the classroom after the movie they have a lot of energy inside of them and it’s sometimes hard for them to focus.