Pediatricians group finds kids of all ages need regular recess for physical and mental health
The updated guidance says recess should be protected and never withheld, citing research that links at least 20 minutes a day to better learning and health.
- On Monday, the American Academy released new guidance in Pediatrics, the first in 13 years, urging schools to protect recess and never withhold breaks for academic or disciplinary reasons.
- Since the mid-2000s, up to 40% of school districts have reduced or eliminated recess, a trend researchers from Springboard and Active Schools attribute partly to the drive for higher test scores.
- Ideally, students should receive a minimum of 20 minutes of daily recess, while Denmark, Japan, and the United Kingdom provide breaks after 45 minutes to 50 minutes of instruction, helping combat obesity affecting about 1 in 5 children.
- Lauren Fiechtner of Mass General Brigham endorsed the recommendations, highlighting the "movement break" program at Medford High School, where principal Marta Cabral reported reduced student absences since implementation.
- Robert Murray stresses that recess remains vital for older children, not just younger ones, because breaks help the brain store information and allow students to de-stress before subsequent classes.
41 Articles
41 Articles
American schools have been quietly killing recess to focus on test scores—and pediatricians are warning it's a mistake
Recess isn’t just a fun break for grade schoolers. It’s crucial to good health and good grades for kids of all ages. That’s the message from a leading pediatricians group, which just released the first new guidance in 13 years about this unstructured time at school and how it needs to be protected. The updated policy statement by the American Academy of Pediatrics comes after years of shrinking recesses and worsening children’s health. The group…
Pediatricians group stands up for kids’ rapidly shrinking recess time: ‘Very powerful benefit’
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Recess may look like downtime, but pediatricians say cutting it could cost kids far more than a few minutes on the playground. The American Academy of Pediatrics released updated guidance for the first time in more than a decade that urges schools to protect recess, highlighting that the unstructured break delivers major benefits for kids’ health, learning and behavior. “It has a very powerful benefit …
Pediatrician Group Says Children Need Regular Recess
Recess is important for children of all ages, a major pediatrician organization said on May 11. “Pediatricians should emphasize the following: A quality recess will reestablish mental equilibrium and focus, a need of every student, kindergarten through 12th grade, every day,” the American Academy of Pediatrics said in an updated policy statement. “As such, recess should be a protected block in the daily schedule and be considered a student’s per…
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