The Importance Of Recess In Urban Schools

As a child, I remember recess being my favorite part of the day. It was a time to relax from schoolwork, socialize, and play with friends. As a child I could not imagine a day without it. However, the world of education is changing. With the pressure on schools to raise their standardized test scores, more and more schools are reallocating time in the school day to meet these academic concerns; hence, putting recess at risk. Despite these concerns, it is important for children to have recess in their daily schedule in order to promote the whole development of the child; mentally, physically, and socially.
Numerous surveys conducted by the Center on Education Policy found that 20% of school districts across the United States have reduced recess …show more content…
Energy builds up in children and they need free play to blow it off. Students who have an uninterrupted instructional time think less and work less efficiently. Therefore, a break is needed. Olga Jarrett and her co-workers have done a study that proves recess helps increase focus. In the study, they visited an urban school where recess is not allowed and is replaced with more instructional time. They took two, fourth grade classes and randomly gave them a recess once a week and compared their behaviors to the days without recess. The research showed that a majority of the students settled down after recess, were less fidgety in that day, and stayed on-task longer. The recess break was a time for the students to be renewed, release stress, and take their mind of structured work. …show more content…
Bullying can be a huge issue at the playground if children are left unsupervised. When children grow up to be job seeking adults, one important thing employers look for is how well a person can get along and interact with other people, such as co-workers or customers. In the adult world, people who act appropriately and have good manners are looked up to for higher standards. Supervised recess is a good way to aid children in developing appropriate social skills. If the funds are there for the children, they should be put into a well kept playground and well trained supervisors. Schools that have trained supervisors that stick to the rules turn out to have a better recess then the schools that slack on supervision. Schools should require supervisors to set rules in all classrooms for recess. Most schools restrict students from being social during class time, so recess may be the only time they get for social hours. Recess should be a time for children to interact positively with each other. Through that, children learn valuable self-control and communication skills, such as negotiation, cooperation, sharing, and problem solving. (Ramstetter