Recess

Education news, analysis, and opinion about breaks from the structured school day for games, play, or socializing

Explainer

Madison Elementary School fifth graders, along with principal Tim Callahan, play a game of gaga ball during recess in 2015, in Wheaton, Ill. The game is a "kinder, gentler" version of dodgeball.
7 Things to Know About School Recess
Why is recess important? Here are 7 findings about recess, the role it plays in the development of children, and how it's evolved over time.
View Explainer
School Climate & Safety Opinion The Importance of Play, Recess, Mindfulness and Leadership
Common sense and a plethora of research demands we think and act differently in order to stop the growing stressors on our children and we must learn how to help them deal with this environment more effectively.
Jill Berkowicz & Ann Myers, October 22, 2017
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4 min read
School Climate & Safety News in Brief Florida Educators Told Indoor Recess Permissible Under New State Law
Florida schools can comply with the state's new recess mandate without having to take children outside.
The Associated Press, August 22, 2017
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1 min read
Education Opinion Recess Is Not a Frill
Playtime enhances academic learning while building social skills.
Walt Gardner, June 16, 2017
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1 min read
Teaching Rethinking Recess (Video)
Playworks, a nonprofit working in 21 states, promotes structured recess, complete with designated staff that runs games and promotes leadership and conflict resolution for students.
Carmen Rojas, May 15, 2017
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1 min read
Student Well-Being Video Rethinking Recess
Schools have sometimes trimmed recess to make more time for instruction, or withheld the daily break as punishment for misbehavior. Yet research shows this time can be used to reinforce a positive school culture. Playworks is a national nonprofit that promotes organized, intentional recess. A study of the model shows that children learn and practice conflict resolution, compromise, and self-regulation, as well as leadership and physical activity. Essential components of this model include treating recess with the same intentionality as academic lesson plans, having dedicated staff to organize and model games, establish common rules, use simple tools to resolve disagreements such as rock-paper-scissors, and foster positive language.
April 25, 2017
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2:15
School & District Management CDC, SHAPE America Provide Schools Strategies for Successful Recess
The CDC and SHAPE America have produced 19 evidence-based strategies to help schools develop a recess plan that would meet the recommended 20 minutes of daily recess for students.
Marva Hinton, March 30, 2017
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2 min read
School & District Management New Research Brief Supports Recess for All Elementary School Students
Researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz evaluated the Playworks recess model and called on states and districts around the country to implement some of the program's policies.
Marva Hinton, March 3, 2017
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3 min read
Education Opinion Whole-Child Journey: Why We Bumped Recess Up to 40 Minutes a Day
Our students need more...not less. And when we say more...we mean mindfulness and recess.
Peter DeWitt, November 10, 2016
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4 min read
School & District Management A Texas School District Plans to Mandate Daily Recess for Elementary Students
An administrator with the Austin Independent School District said providing 30 minutes of daily recess is a part of educating the whole child.
Marva Hinton, September 13, 2016
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2 min read
School & District Management New Rhode Island Law Mandates Daily School Recess, Calls It a Student's Right
The law passed after parent groups lobbied for it and will require schools to provide 20 consecutive minutes of recess daily for students in kindergarten through 6th grade.
Marva Hinton, July 8, 2016
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2 min read
Education Opinion Florida Senate Denies Parent Request for Required Recess
A group of Florida parents pushing for required recess in public elementary schools did not get a chance to present the request to the state Senate.
Matthew Lynch, March 8, 2016
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1 min read
School & District Management This Florida Mom Wants Legislators to Pass a Law Mandating School Recess
A group of self-described 'recess moms' is behind a bill that would mandate that students in Florida elementary schools have 20 minutes of unstructured play time each school day.
Marva Hinton, February 4, 2016
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4 min read
Students swing during recess at Patterson International Elementary School in Lakewood, Colo., earlier this month. More schools are banning or limiting the use of withholding recess for punitive reasons as research shows the benefits of playtime for students.
Students swing during recess at Patterson International Elementary School in Lakewood, Colo., earlier this month. More schools are banning or limiting the use of withholding recess for punitive reasons as research shows the benefits of playtime for students.
Nathan W. Armes for Education Week
Student Well-Being Withholding Recess as a Punishment Declines
With research showing benefits of playtime, more schools limit or ban the use of taking away recess to discipline misbehaving students.
Evie Blad, April 14, 2015
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7 min read
Student Well-Being Va. Legislature Weighing Physical Activity Mandate for K-5 Students
The Virginia General Assembly is currently considering a bill that would require 20 minutes of daily physical activity for students between kindergarten and fifth grade.
Bryan Toporek, February 20, 2015
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2 min read
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