Recess has begun disappearing in states all around the country. The reason is the increasing emphasis on "academics" and the mistaken belief that recess detracts from time that could be better spent studying. According to some estimates, 40% of schools have already eliminated recess or are considering the idea. Some cities have abolished recess completely and are building new elementary schools without playgrounds!
But does recess detract from children's studies? What does the research say?
Recess and Academics
Language arts (comprised of listening, speaking, reading, and writing), mathematics, science, and social studies are often considered the "essential" content areas in a typical curriculum. Although it may not be immediately obvious, recess can have an impact on all of these subjects.
For example, when children speak and listen to one another, they're using and expanding their vocabularies and learning important lessons in communication. When they move over, under, around, and through pieces of equipment, these prepositions take on meaning and relevance to them because children need to experience concepts to understand them fully. When children invent stories to act out, they develop skills essential to writing. These are some of the ways in which the language arts are addressed on the playground.
When children keep score, they're dealing with important mathematics concepts: counting, quantitative ideas (which number is bigger?; which score is highest?), and simple computation. When they decide on and act out a series of events, they're tackling the mathematics concept of sequencing. When they play hopscotch and jump rope, math is involved.
Throughout it all, the children are working together, interacting in numerous and varied ways and thereby learning valuable lessons in social studies. As children learn about themselves and about each other, they discover how they're alike and different. They explore feelings and rules for living, make decisions, and solve problems. Learned, too, is the ability to deal with conflict. In other words, children learn how to be part of and work together in a community.
Additionally, much of the learning that takes place outside is related to science. Classroom themes typically falling into the science category include the human body and such nature-related topics as the seasons, weather, plants, and animals. Where better to experience these subjects than in the outdoors?
Consider, too, such scientific concepts as evaporation (learned when children "paint" the sidewalk or side of the school with water), flotation (easily demonstrated with a bottle of bubbles and a wand), balance and stability (the lesson of the seesaw), gravity (why doesn't the ball stay in the air no matter how hard we throw it?), and action and reaction (obvious during a game of tug-of-war).
Of course, we can "teach" children these concepts through the use of lectures, books, and/or demonstrations. Or we can let children really learn them ? in such a way that the lessons remain with them for a lifetime. The research shows that, for the majority of individuals, learning by doing is the most effective. In fact, the more senses involved in the learning process, the more individuals retain.
What Else the Research Says
Recess also contributes more indirectly to the learning of academics. As far back as 1885 and 1901, the research showed that both children and adults learn better and more quickly when their efforts are distributed (breaks are included) than when concentrated (work is conducted in longer periods). In fact, because young children don't process most information as effectively as older individuals (due to the immaturity of their nervous systems and their lack of experience), they can especially benefit from breaks.
We also have to consider the value of the outdoors. The outside light stimulates the pineal gland, which is the part of the brain that helps regulate our biological clock, is vital to the immune system, and simply makes us feel happier. Outside light triggers the synthesis of vitamin D. And a number of studies have demonstrated that it increases academic learning and productivity.
Young children learn much through their senses, and the outdoors is a virtual wonderland for the senses. There are different and incredible things for the children to see (insects, clouds, and shadows), to hear (traffic sounds, birdsongs, leaves rustling in the wind), to smell (flowers and the rain-soaked ground), to touch (a fuzzy caterpillar or the bark of a tree), and even to taste (newly fallen snow, a raindrop, or a freshly picked blueberry). Children who spend much of their time acquiring experiences through television, computers, and even books are using only two senses (hearing and sight), and this can seriously affect their perceptual abilities.
Then, too, there's the aesthetic value of the outdoors. Because the natural world is filled with amazing sights, sounds, and textures, it's the perfect resource for the development of aesthetics in young children. Since aesthetic awareness means a heightened sensitivity to the beauty around us, it's something that can serve children well at those times when, as adolescents and adults, the world seems less than beautiful.
Rae Pica is a children's physical activity specialist and the author of Your Active Child: How to Boost Physical, Emotional, and Cognitive Development through Age-Appropriate Activity (McGraw-Hill, 2003). Rae speaks to parent and education groups throughout North America. Visit her and read more articles at http://www.movingandlearning.com.
licensed cleaning services Park Ridge ..In school, kids are encouraged to create, draw, color, paint... Read More
There are many parenting styles. Yours may be very different... Read More
Grandparents, what better way to stay close to your grown... Read More
1. Encourage your babysitter by keeping their favorite foods/snacks on... Read More
Non-compliance is the family therapist's big word for your child... Read More
"I took care of Callie," my three-year-old announced.Callie had been... Read More
In the wonderment of childhood, it is easier for a... Read More
Even as a busy parent, I'm sure you've seen a... Read More
We know that ancient cultures and Indians and the like... Read More
The internet is a dangerous place for your children. Don't... Read More
Are men to blame for the divorce problem in this... Read More
Does your child pout, blame and brood? Does he gripe,... Read More
Just a couple of years ago Annie helped her parents... Read More
This article on parenting is by a practicing relationship counsellor/therapist,... Read More
1 - Forgive even if you will never be able... Read More
Life is funny.My twenty-year-old daughter, Melanie, has a her new... Read More
Q. What is the best way to teach safety awareness... Read More
It happens every year. Just when you are settled in... Read More
Chaim Ginott was a schoolteacher whose ideas and observations helped... Read More
When a couple steps forth with a baby in tow... Read More
1. Tell me something you like about yourself? Help your... Read More
Parents are losing their self-control to anger. A friend called... Read More
Parents play a critical role in their child's success. These... Read More
Many of us have grown up drinking caffeinated diet sodas... Read More
Despite the potentially dangerous side-effects of Ritalin, public school authorities... Read More
on demand house cleaning Arlington Heights ..1. They are leaders as well as parents. They don't... Read More
Giving advice to a teenager is very easy; getting a... Read More
Information is gold when you are adopted. Every tiny piece... Read More
Childhood friendships are as special as they are a necessary... Read More
How can two or three children in the same family... Read More
IntroductionChildren are the gifts of God to parents. That young... Read More
Whenever parents discuss how to deal with bed wetting, the... Read More
I recall somewhere in the recesses of my aging brain... Read More
This is one of the most common questions asked of... Read More
The biggest trick some child predators' are using these days... Read More
Coping with a child's bad behavior, perhaps more than any... Read More
It is human nature to feel competitive and envious toward... Read More
Ok. So you're a dad to be. If you're like... Read More
When my daughter was born, I must admit there was... Read More
How bad is the illegal drug problem here in the... Read More
Many families today are blending members from past relationships. It... Read More
Are you looking for the Ultimate Airplane Themed Party Games... Read More
Ritalin is a good medication with a bad reputation. Its... Read More
Self-reliance and potential are two very important values that I'd... Read More
What is Happening in the brain of children, teens, and... Read More
Teens can freely access the Internet from computers at school,... Read More
When my oldest daughter was born, I walked the floor... Read More
She slipped her small, soft eight-year-old hand into mine. Her... Read More
We begin forming healthy habits at a young age. With... Read More
Q. What is the best way to teach safety awareness... Read More
Parenting |