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Essays on the importance of recess
The importance of recess in elementary school
Benefits of recess
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“In the education of the American people, I am recess” - Garry Marshall. To begin, recess is a good factor in schools is it can increase the capability of children to become friendly and have more sociable skills. Recess in middle schools can also cause students to learn better when the efforts are distributed. This means that students need a breather between their education, so the mind can gather all the intel and not forget it. However, critics may say that recess is not a necessity in schools due to the amount of money that has to be put for outside equipment. To include, recess is not beneficial in schools because children already get a period to exercise, social, and stay healthy. It is significant to hear out both of each side because …show more content…
Recess gives students opportunities and social and emotional increases that they can't get in a classroom when the teacher is leading the class and the students are participating. It also provides a chance for kids to the run the show and does what they wish to. Scientists researched that more friendly actions were showed throughout the day due to a fact of schools adding recess. However, recess is not a necessity in schools due to a number of injuries that occur. For instance, “each year more than 200,000 children from ages fourteen and younger get injured in playground-related activities.”( Although there may be cases where children get hurt, paying attention and playing respectfully will reduce those injuries. In effect, recess also provides children to be more successful in their …show more content…
For instance, ¨¨Increased physical activity stimulates the brain and increases the number and capacity of blood vessels in the brain. This results in increased supply of oxygen, water, and glucose to the brain which in turn optimizes the performance of the brain.¨(NewKidsCenter) Children need to have a healthy life, so they can stay safe from any health disorders such as diabetes. However, drawbacks are also included in the idea of adding recess. A class called physical education is provided for students to already get their mind out of stress and to stay healthy in the meantime. “Several models and examples demonstrate that physical education scheduled during the school day is feasible on a daily basis.”(NCBI) This study was shown from researchers that physical education is easy and fun to do. To include, physical education also counts as a working period where students still have to pay attention to the teacher. However, students do not get to freely relax in physical education which won't do a difference from the rest of the
With an increasing demand for higher standardized testing scores, schools are finding themselves in a tough position. The huge question being asked is how do we create more time for students to learn common core. The simple answer is, we don’t! Incorporating more time for recess is the key to success for students everywhere. Many researchers and educators alike agree that participating in recess increases students’ cognitive, academic, and social skills. The amount of time allotted for recess should be increased for students of all ages. A child’s well-being encompasses more than just academia. Children spend almost eight hours a day at school, sometimes more. The school system and
Some people might say that middle schoolers shouldn’t have recess, but, middle schooler don’t always have gym, and they don’t get enough exercise, so recess would be beneficial to middle schoolers.
In the “The Crucial Role of Recess in School” (2012) article it explains, many schools are beginning to replace physical activity, like recess, with more attention to academic subjects. What these schools are forgetting is that well-supervised recess also has benefits that surpass academics. They help make a well rounded student because recess offers cognitive, social, emotional, and physical benefits to the student when they are young that they carry with them into adulthood.
In 4th grade we were allowed 3 recesses a day. We played a variety of games including football, basketball, and baseball. We liked playing football the most and we played it pretty much everyday. At the end of the day, on our last recess, we were all worn out from the long day but we still started up a game of football. When the bell rang we went out on the field and started making team captains and picking teams. We would designate a quarterback on each team then everyone else would be wide receivers.Just imagine a bunch of 10 year olds throwing footballs as far as we could while the rest of us tried to run under it and catch it. Once or twice in a game we would throw a running back in the formation and run a toss, but not very often.
In her Huffington Post blog article titled Here’s One Way to Wreck a Child’s Education: Take Away Recess, Haley Krischer takes an emboldened stand against the practice of eliminating recess; which is often done as a punishment or to make more time for instructional learning. I stand in agreement with Krischer. I do not agree with schools taking away recess for any reason with the exception of dangerous weather or environmental circumstances. Yet, research indicates how common the 86-ing of recess is occurring in schools. A study by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (2010) revealed 77% of school Principals reported taking away recess as a punishment, and 81.5% of schools allow students to be excluded from recess. Krischer begins the article by introducing her 9 year old son and his affinity for recess: “the only subject he will talk about”. She gives examples of how recess benefits her son such as other students who help him troubleshoot technology issues and challenging him to improve his sports skills. Indeed, the unstructured playtime allows children to explore their environment and develop new ideas and understandings of it and those within it (American Pediatric Association, 2013). Kischer also expressed that children need active play to combat restlessness and that this is especially important for children who may suffer from ADHD, noting that taking away recess as a punishment for misbehavior may be counterproductive and result in increased behavioral problems. A longitudinal study that followed over 10,000 students between the ages of 8 and 9 concluded that student recess of at least 15 minutes resulted in better behavior as rated by teachers (Samuels, 2009).
Physical activity helps boost cognitive abilities in children. Recess generally involves a lot of running, playing, and games involving exercise. In fact, recent research has found a direct correlation between intelligence and physical fitness, especially in children under 16 years old and elderly persons (Pica 64). In a study conducted by F. L. Martens, academic scores, attitudes, and fitness were improved when a third of the school day was dedicated to recess. Another study study found that at least five hours of physical activity resulted in substantially higher academic achievement in the core subjects (Pica 63).
According to NCBI: “Physical Activity, Fitness, and Physical Education: Effects on Academic Performance” it states, “A single bout of moderate-intensity physical activity has been found to increase… attention to a specific cognitive task.” The given evidence supports the fact that physical activity- such as recess -has a direct effect on how attentive kids are in class. In addition, the higher the attentiveness level a kid has in class, the more information they will gain and comprehend. To add to this, The Atlantic: “Why Kids Need Recess” states, “... an analysis of studies... found positive associations between physical activity and the ability to concentrate in class.” This shows that even if a kid has a small amount of physical activity between classes, they will be able to concentrate better on what they are learning in class and will be able to comprehend it better. If kids comprehend the subject moree, more than likely, their grades will go up. Overall, their mental function improves with regular fitness from
Movement and physical exercise is key to a child’s life, especially in developing necessary skills to function throughout their whole life. Recess can be a time where children are able to explore how their bodies can function. Student’s can learn and apply skills like bouncing, throwing, catching, running, skipping, and the list may keep going on. Research has even shown that children who are more physically active in school are more likely to be physically active at home. Children who don’t have the opportunity to be active during the school day don’t usually compensate during after-school hours.
Keeping recess in schools has both its pros and cons. Along with the positive things presented by keeping recess there are also the things that prove to be negatives. One problem presented by keeping recess is that class time is cut shorter. Instructors are pressed to teach the lessons in a shorter amount of time. "Schools began cutting back recess in the late 1980's to allow more instructional time" (Jarret). Shorter instruction time means less time for the teachers to reiterate what has been taught that day. Another problem with recess is that if not properly supervised children can injure themselves or one another. Also, some children get bullied while on the playground.
Are teachers enforcing discipline mechanisms in a healthy way for children? Researchers would answer no to this question because of one major factor: removing recess from a child’s school day. In Jessica Lahey’s article, “Students Who Lose Recess Are the Ones Who Need It Most”, she states that “schools continue to take away recess privileges as a penalty for academic or behavioral transgressions”. Many teachers follow this procedure because they assume that they are teaching the child how to act with appropriate behaviors. However, it is a proven fact that eliminating a student’s recess results in a negative outcome. Therefore, recess should not be removed from a child’s school day because this recreation plays a role in their physical health,
Did you know that 147 kids DIED because of playground related injuries between nineteen ninety nine and two-thousand and one? Recess isn't a priority and shouldn’t be. Most schools can't afford a monitor to watch the kids , kids get injuries , and seventy percent of kids play sports or do other athletic activities like dance or cheerleading after school.
“More than 40 percent of school districts across the country, … have done away with recess or are considering it” (Mulrine). This is a ridiculously high number when considering all the benefits that recess has on young children. Children develop and improve so many basic skills, as well as just simply getting a brain break. Educators, however, believe they need more time in the classroom in order to learn more information. What they need may be just the opposite. Researchers of Albert Einstein College of Medicine have found, “ ‘Recess may play an important role in the learning, social development, and the health of children’ “ (“Let Them Play”). Specifically, fourth grade students and younger should be required
However, despite the unquestionable link to a brighter future for the children who engage in it, less and less time is being allotted for play in the classrooms. As standards for what children are expected to know at younger and younger ages continues to rise along with the demand for standardized testing from the state, time for play is being sacrificed. Adults are choosing to get rid of time for unstructured play and recess to make time for this new testing interfering with the time allotted for children to learn independently through play. Cutting play and recess is a mistake, and here is why: “recess gives students time for social interactions: for students must be able to initiate, negotiate, cooperate, share, and build relationships with one another--skills that are highly valued in the adult world but that often are quite different from work or play under adult supervision and control” (Chang). Those skills learned through play, are often not the sole purpose of a classroom lesson and could potentially be the only place they learn those needed skills. Play is an affective measurement in the classroom as well as outside of the classroom and children can learn so much from it if only given the chance
...n, B., (2012) Yay for Recess: Pediatricians Say It’s as Important as Math or Reading, Available at: http://healthland.time.com/2012/12/31/yay-for-recess-pediatricians-say-its-as-important-as-math-or-reading/, (accessed: 05/01/14)
Physical education has been taught in the United Sates since the nineteenth century, though some believe that physical education should not be mandated in a student’s education. Physical education is how schools teach students on the proper ways to stay physically fit, and forces students to get active during the school day. There are many academic benefits to students staying active during the school day. Physical education also helps students with far more than just staying in shape. It also helps promote a person’s general wellness. With that being said physical education is helping to create more well-rounded individuals. Some believe that physical education classes are not beneficial and students are better off learning