Recess
Education news, analysis, and opinion about breaks from the structured school day for games, play, or socializing
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.
School & District Management
Polluted Skies and High Heat Expose School Facility Issues, Threaten Students' Health
Growing threats from climate change place a heavy burden on schools.
School & District Management
There Are Smart Ways to Use Time to Aid Learning. Why Do So Many Schools Ignore Them?
While a growing body of research offers best practices for using time wisely in schools, a range of barriers often get in the way.
Student Well-Being
Doubling Recess Time to Put Play Back in the School Day
The Virginia Beach City schools decided to make a big change, doubling the amount of recess the district offered.
Teaching
How Schools Can Spend Time More Wisely: 4 Big Tips From Daniel Pink
Move heavy thinking to the beginning of the day, make recess sacred, let higher schoolers sleep in, and mandate choir, says the author.
School Climate & Safety
Report Roundup
Recess
Longer recess and more adult involvement are a recipe for getting students more active during recess, finds a new study in the journal Preventative Medicine Reports.
Student Well-Being
The Secret to a More Active Recess? Get the Adults Involved, Research Says
Extending recess may encourage students to be more physically active throughout the period, a new study finds.
Professional Development
A Multimillion Grant to Repurpose Recess
Thanks to a $4.5 million grant, the nonprofit Playworks will expand opportunities for purposeful play to more than 130,000 kids in 350 schools in southeast Michigan and western New York.
Student Well-Being
Opinion
Kids Need Play and Recess. Their Mental Health May Depend on It
Superintendent Michael J. Hynes provides insights on how his district is responding to the decline of free play and recess.
Student Well-Being
Opinion
5 Things You Might Not Know About Play And SEL
Like social and emotional learning, play can happen anywhere—and it can be just as important.
Student Well-Being
Want to Build a Better Recess? Researchers Have a Framework for You
Amid mounting evidence that recess can help support student learning, health, and social skills, researchers are taking a closer look at what a "high quality" recess looks like.
School & District Management
News in Brief
Arizona Gov. Ducey Signs Law Requiring Recess Time for Students
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey last week signed a proposal that requires schools to expand recess for young students, a measure that aims to give kids more time for unstructured play.
Student Well-Being
Watch: Parents Push for (and Win) More School Recess Time
Why a pair of moms set out on a mission to ensure that every elementary school in their state offered recess.
Families & the Community
Video
Parent Changemaker: Fighting for School Recess
“We were upset that our children weren't getting what they needed. We were determined to get to the bottom of it and to change it,” said Florida parent Angela Browning. Browning became alarmed when her 8-year old twins came home from 2nd grade stressed and crying. A little investigation uncovered that their school had dropped recess, meaning students often had little open time during the day. To Browning, that was not acceptable. She and fellow parent Amy Narvaez began an effort to bring back recess, never imagining it would take them three years and hours of advocating both at the local and state level.
Narvaez and Browning are featured as part of a series we are calling Parent Changemakers - parents who became troubled about a school issue and tackled it head on.
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.