A wonderful blog to link to from this one is Rae Pica’s “The Pica Perspective.” Just click on the blog’s name to the right, under “Blogs I Like,” and find her February 27, 2009, entry. In it, she notes the flurry of research and press about the positive influence of recess on school behavior and performance. Of special note is the study recently published in the journal Pediatrics, to which she has provided a convenient link.
Of course, the Responsive Classroom® approach has long advocated the value of recess, not only for the physical activity involved, but also for the social context of learning. At recess, social and cognitive skills can be taught through “structured play” as well as during time allotted for open or free play. You’ll find many useful articles on “teaching recess” in the newsletter archives at the Responsive Classroom website.
I’m gratified to see that more and more school districts and also some state departments of education are recommending something I’ve long advocated: scheduling recess before lunch wherever possible. For example, take a look at Wyoming’s recommendation sheet. Their page also offers some useful links to other resources. I know of many schools that have found ways to implement this recommendation and have, as a result, seen many benefits as noted in the Wyoming literature.
What’s going in with recess issues in your schools and communities? Teachers and parents, share your thoughts!
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Chip, thanks so much for directing your readers to The Pica Perspective!
And, Tina, what a great testimonial — not only for recess before lunch but for the concept of “teaching recess!” Too often, behavioral issues are used as an excuse to eliminate recess. But as a colleague of mine points out, if children were having difficulty reading, we wouldn’t eliminate the books from the classroom and consider that a solution!
As someone who has experienced changing our school schedule to not only include recess but also having recess before lunch I can speak to the diffence it had made for our students. Not only was lunch calmer but the amount of students who went to the nurse after recess declined greatly because we took the time to teach recess. We also noticed a decline in the amount of issues that students were bringing back to the classroom from recess because the change in scheduled allowed the classroom teacher the opportunity to be at recess with their students.The students themselves also expressed how much they enjoyed recess more. Personally I found that this also allowed me the opportunity to have fun with my students and they truly enjoyed the opportunity to play with the teachr.