Recess For All

By: Ryan Gauss

Recess isn't considered a vital part of the school day, as if it doesn’t matter. However, it is probably more vital than you think. The average kid sits for about eight and a half hours every day. Studies have shown that more aerobically fit children do better in school. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommends recess for kids in elementary, middle and high school..

        Sitting for eight and a half hours a day is working in the opposite direction of physical activity. Five and a half of these hours are from sitting in a classroom. Recess would help counteract these long hours by giving kids more physical activity. Children sitting for this long has been a factor of childhood obesity more than tripling since the 1970s. It has been shown that 20 minutes of recess daily combined with 150 minutes of PE weekly has made a noticeable difference in calories burned. An example of this is that walking for just 30 minutes can burn a whole 280 calories.

Studies have shown that more aerobically fit children have had better grades in school. A Brain and Cognition study from 2014 said, "Physical activity can boost children's ELA skills." Dr. Scott McGinnis, who is an instructor in neurology at Harvard Medical School, stated, "Parts of the brain that control memory and thinking are larger in people who exercise regularly." These two studies could prove why recess and physical activity are important for kids' development and learning.

        It is recommended that kids ages 6 to17 have one hour of physical activity per day; this is in line with the CDC recommendations. States have started to require recess daily. For example, students in Florida are now guaranteed 20 minutes of recess every day. Likewise, eight other states have also started requiring recess. Debbie Rhea, a professor at Texas Christian University, stated, “Ideally, children should get four fifteen minute recesses every day.” These states have taken the lead for giving their students the appropriate amount of recess, hoping that other states will follow in their path. 

Recess is a long debated topic between students, parents, and teachers. There is lots of research in support of the fact that recess is very important. Once recess is eliminated from school most kids lose their love of learning because they have no time to process all the information they take in. Processing is quicker when your blood is moving because it gets more oxygen to the brain. This increases neural connectivity and nerve cell growth, which can increase memory capacity and improve attention span. When there is a vote or a chance to promote recess in your local school, try to stand up for it. Don’t just sit around and let recess fade away like one of your earliest memories, never to be seen again.