Recess during school offers children cognitive, social, emotional, and physical benefits they don't get through academics alone, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) wrote in a policy statement.
The policy statement emphasized that recess is "a necessary break in the day" and that it "should be considered a child's personal time, and it should not be withheld for academic or punitive reasons," according to Robert Murray, MD, of Ohio State University School of Medicine in Columbus, and Catherine Ramstetter, PhD, of the University of Cincinnati, and colleagues.
The policy authors noted that recess allows a space between classes outside of concentrated classroom work, which aids cognitive processing and academic performance. The frequency and length of these breaks should be "sufficient to allow the student to mentally decompress," they wrote online in Pediatrics.
These cognitive benefits also come in the form of diminished stress and exploration of an unstructured social environment, which "promotes social and emotional learning and development for children by offering them a time to engage in peer interactions in which they practice and role play essential social skills," they added.
Children's play during recess offers benefits that are "unique from, and a complement to, physical education -- not a substitute for it." Physical education classes "is an academic discipline," while recess periods allow a child creative, social, and emotional outlets for physical activity.
Recess also adds to the recommended 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity daily, which can help offset risks to overweight and obesity.
The AAP noted that many schools have been cautious of recess due to safety issues, but the group countered that there are a number of steps school faculty can take to protect children while still giving them the play period, including:
- Providing safe spaces and facilities
- Maintaining and regularly inspecting equipment
- Setting up and enforcing safety rules
- Teaching games, rules, and conflict resolution in physical education classes
- Establishing a school-wide and clear policy on bullying and/or aggressive behavior
- Ensuring qualified supervisors watch children during recess and intervene if a child's physical or emotional safety is at risk
The authors acknowledged the emergence of a "structured recess," which they noted goes against the notion of unstructured free time. However, they also noted a number of benefits to a structured recess, including:
- Total class inclusion in activities among older elementary school students
- Coaching for building interpersonal and conflict resolution skills
- Improved behavior and attention following vigorous structured recess
Practitioners of structured recess should ensure "school personnel receive adequate training so that they are able to address and encourage the diverse needs of all students," particularly in building social relationships and inclusion in games. The authors added that there are ways to develop these skills without a strictly structured setting, though some level of structure may help reinforce these skills.
They concluded that, through recess, "the lifelong skills acquired for communication, negotiation, cooperation, sharing, problem solving, and coping are not only foundations for health development but also fundamental measures of the school experience."
Any conflicts of interest were resolved through a process approved by the AAP board of directors.
All AAP policy statements expire 5 years after publication unless reafﬁrmed, revised, or retired at or before that time.
- Reviewed by Robert Jasmer, MD Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco and Dorothy Caputo, MA, BSN, RN, Nurse Planner