|
Right to Recess Campaign
Experts agree that playtime can be just as vital as classroom time to
a child’s social, emotional and educational development.
Despite mounting evidence that kids need an outlet to blow off steam,
learn to interact with others and get the exercise they need, nearly 40
percent of American elementary schools have either eliminated or are considering
eliminating recess.
Due to school budget cuts and an increased focus on academic standards,
millions of American schoolchildren may miss out on unstructured play with
their peers including hopscotch, tag, kickball or jump rope.
Recess also functions successfully as an established school-based activity
and should be carefully considered as part of any school health and wellness
policy.
A survey conducted by the PTA showed that nine out of 10 teachers say
recess and the free time spent with peers is an important part of the school
day and is crucial to a child’s social and emotional development.
Studies have shown that kids who are given the
opportunity to take a break from their hectic academic schedules
actually develop and perform better than those who go without.
Peaceful Playgrounds is a great resource for parents, educators and school administrators. - Darell Hammond, CEO, KaBOOM! - Huffington Post
Free Campaign Toolbox Package
You can have the Peaceful Playgrounds Right to Recess Campaign Toolbox
sent directly to your email box. The campaign toolbox contains a full PowerPoint
presentation and speakers notes along with all research and documents to
support daily, unstructured physical activity during school hours.
Let your community know that children have the Right to Recess!
Every decade or so educators stumble upon a really bad idea. The elimination
of recess is one such current example.
After hearing about coach potatoes, sedentary kids, youth obesity, video
game - playing zombies for the last ten years - take away recess? It simply
doesn't make any sense.
If your school is showing any of these trends, take note - children need
to jump, play, laugh, throw balls, and enjoy themselves outdoors. And if
your child is showing low grades and signs of restlessness, new studies
show daily fitness equals better report cards and more-focused children.
It is a widely held view that unstructured physical play is a developmentally
appropriate outlet for reducing stress in children’s lives, and research
shows that physical activity improves children’s attentiveness and decreases
restlessness.
Talk to your school, district, or state education office to get P.E.
and recess back into your school. Here are some resources to get you going.
Alternatives to Withholding Recess
Given the value of recess in a student’s physical and social development, and the need for periodic breaks from classroom instruction, using recess as punishment is inappropriate.
Consider our popular list of 60 alternatives to withholding recess.
These additional suggestions also focus on the child taking responsibility for
his/her actions and on being successful in the future.
 Recess
in Elementary Schools - COPEC position paper states that recess,
while separate and distinct from physical education, is an essential
component of the total educational experience for elementary aged
children. |
|
Play
Associations - A comprehensive list of organizations with a
focus on play and playgrounds and information on companies to which
Play matters. Includes company names and service descriptions. |
|
Recess
and The Importance of Play - A Position Statement on Young Children
and Recess from The National Association of Early Childhood Specialists
in State Departments of Education. |
|
School
Recess Position Statement - SC Governor's Council on Physical
Fitness states that the involvement of children in daily, unstructured
physical activity during school hours is critical for their current
and future health. |
|
The
Case for Recess - The Board of Directors of the American Association
for the Child's Right to Play believe that recess is vital to the
child's overall healthy development. This information supports the
need for elementary school recess. |
|
The
Value of Recess and Play - The National Association for the
Education of Young Children. Why school administrators should carefully
consider the benefits of outdoor play before eliminating recess
from their curriculum. |
Instead of working off stress by running around the playground
with their friends midway through the school day, millions of children are
confined to classrooms by policies that have cut or eliminated recess to
expand prep time for standardized tests.
|
Creative
Play Makes for Kids In Control - For most of human history,
children played by roaming near or far in packs large and small.
Younger children were supervised by older children and engaged in
freewheeling imaginative play. |
|
Children
Suffer Due to Lack of Unstructured Fun - Child development experts
are alarmed by the lack of time and interest devoted to unstructured
child's play in modern American culture. |
|
Recess
and P.E. Critical to Success - Not only adults but also children
need physical activity in order to stay happy, healthy, and focused.
If you have children of your own, this won’t come as a surprise. |
|
Effects
of Recess on Behavior - This study evaluates the effects of
a recess, break, and continuous classroom schedule on the subsequent
classroom behavior of children with a diagnosis of ADHD. |
|
Taking
Play Seriously - Scientists are developing a consensus view
that play is something more than a way for restless kids to work
off steam; more than a way for chubby kids to burn off calories;
more than a frivolous luxury. |
|
The State
of Play - A Gallup survey of principals on school recess finds
that the most unexpected opportunity to boost learning lies outside
the classroom: on the playground at recess. |
|
California
Physical Fitness Test - A Study prepared by the California Department
of Education of the Relationship Between Physical Fitness and Academic
Achievement in California Using 2004 Test Results. |
|
Physical
Fitness And Academic Achievement - The purpose of this study
was to evaluate the relationship between physical fitness and academic
achievement. To do so, scores of a physical fitness test were compared
to SAT tests. |
|
Active Education - A summary of peer-reviewed research prepared by Active Living Research on the relationship between physical activity and academic performance among children and adolescents. |
|
A
Plan for Playground Games - Peaceful Playgrounds includes a
component to teach children conflict resolution skills to reduce
discipline problems. School staff members receive training and then
teach students the new school wide rules. |
"We've seen fantastic results. Recess used to be something
we all dreaded. Now the kids and adults look forward to it. It's really
fun." - Counselor Rhondalyn Mock -
Jackson Elementary
School
|
Play ball! Recess
mandated now at DeKalb County schools - The Board of
Education supports supervised, unstructured break times as an
integral component of a child’s physical, social, and academic
development. |
|
Recess
Returns for Kindergartners - Many parents had voiced concern after their kindergartners returned home
from school with sad faces, reporting that the only time they spent on the playground was before
the first bell. |
|
Recess
is at Risk - Survey shows PTA members don't want recess eliminated.
The National PTA, Leading Education Organizations and Cartoon Network
Launch Rescuing Recess Campaign. |
|
Out
of Play - Florida school kids can name the presidents, speak
foreign languages and studiously practice the State Comprehensive
Assessment Test. But they don't know what recess is. |
|
PTA
Recess Survey - A new survey recently conducted by the PTA showed
that nine out of 10 teachers say recess and the free time is an
important part of the school day and is crucial to a child’s social
and emotional development. |
|
Recess
Backlash: Parents Say it Pays to Play - The playground is now
also a battleground for parents, educators, and policymakers - with
many struggling to defend the tradition of recess against the incursion
of tight budgets. |
|
Recess
Is 'In Recess' As Schools Cut Child's Play - A survey by the
Association for the Child's Right to Play shows that about 40% of
public schools have cut, or are planning to cut, at least one recess
period from the school day. |
|
Cartoon
Network - Rescuing Recess - Due to budget cuts and increased
academic pressures, only 8 state school boards of education have
a written policy to protect recess in elementary schools. |
|
Rescuing
Recess Fact Sheet - The experts agree that reading, writing,
and math skills are essential to a child’s education – but what
about recess? Teachers also think taking a break is a vital part
of a child’s school day. |
|
What
You Can Do to Bring Back Recess - When parents band together,
they have the power to make changes. It can start with the simple
step of asking your school's PTA to lobby for more physical activity
for kids. |
The curriculum for every child’s preschool through high
school experience should include the opportunity to participate in physical
education. Every child should have the opportunity to maximize his or her
own health through the knowledge and skills that are taught in these critical
subject areas.
|
The
Educational Significance of Recess - Breaks, or play, actually encourage academic achievement. Youngsters learn valuable social skills by interacting with peers at
recess and these social skills help them to adjust to school. |
|
Physical
Activity Create Healthy Brains - Rich, complex experiences are necessary for the development
of sound brain architecture, particularly during early childhood, but also
throughout the life span. |
|
Recess - It's Indispensable! - We found no research to support administrators' assumptions
that test scores required by No Child Left Behind could be
improved by keeping children in the classroom all day. |
|
Recess in Elementary School: What Does
Research Say? - Research on recess and its relationship to learning, social
development, and child health, as well as research on related topics
that have implications for recess policy. |
|
Physical Activity Used as
Punishment - This position statement addresses the inappropriate use of or withdrawal from physical activity
as a disciplinary consequence, both within and outside of the school environment. |
|
Arizona
HB2037 - Minimum Recess and Lunch Periods - Requires school
districts to provide 30 minutes of recess daily in addition to a
minimum 20 minute lunch period to each pupil in grades one through
six. |
|
Michigan
Board of Education Learning Policy - Public schools should offer
daily recess periods of physical activity for all elementary and
middle school students and offer PE programs that promote physical
activities for all students. |
|
New
Recess Legislation Enacted in 2005-2007 - Summary of recess
legislation in Oklahoma and Arkansas, and legislation considered
in Connecticut, Illinois, Kentucky, Massachusetts, New York, South
Carolina, Texas and Virginia. |
|
States
That Require or Recommend Regularly Scheduled Recess - State
Physical Education Questionnaire "Does your state education agency
require or recommend that elementary schools provide regularly scheduled
recess?" |
|
Tacoma
School District Recess Policy - Encourages that in addition
to required health, nutrition and fitness education, consideration
should be given to a 15-minute recess in addition to the lunch recess. |
Free Monthly Newsletter!
The monthly Play Nice! Newsletter is full of tips and techniques for
managing a Peaceful Playground. Each month subscribers receive links to valuable
resources for free playground grants and updated product information on the
award winning playground safety program from Dr. Melinda Bossenmeyer. Add
your email address today!
|
The
Right to Recess On Demand Webinar
The
Right to Recess
Right
to Recess Speakers Guide