The Benefits of Recess

In case you are still wondering about what you can tell the authorities about why kids should have recess (given how far from childhood they've let themselves become), here's "A Position Statement on Young Children and Recess" from the National Association of Early Childhood Specialists in State Departments of Education.

"Recess contributes significantly to the physical, social, emotional, and cognitive (intellectual) development of the young child (Clements, 2001). Recess is one of the few places and times during the day when all these developmental domains are utilized in a context that children view as meaningful. Children must function in all the developmental domains if they are to successfully adapt to school and societal norms. The domains are empirically related and should be considered intertwined. For example, social interaction and physical activity facilitate cognition; recess (indoor and outside) offers the opportunity for this development. On the playground, children can be observed actively practicing the learning and cognitive skills acquired in the classroom."

And that's only a sample paragraph from this sadly much-needed plea for playtime.