15 Reasons Why Children Need Recess

In February 2014, The Learning Network conducted an interesting survey about recess in schools. They asked children in middle school and high school... 13 years old and older... to read an article called The Students Who Lose Recess Are the Ones Who Need It the Most by Jessica Lahley. After reading the article, the children were asked to respond to some questions and give their opinions.  These are their responses in their own words.  Read on to see what these children had to say!

Disclosure: Affiliate links to Amazon are included in this post.

---

After reading The Students Who Lose Recess Are the Ones Who Need It the Most, the children were asked the following questions:

🍎 Do kids need recess? Why?

🍎 Is recess just for elementary school students, or should students in middle school — or even high school — have some form of a recess or unstructured time? Do you still have recess?

🍎 How important was having a recess in your schooling? What did you do during recess? Was it beneficial for you?

At the time of the article,199 children replied. Since then, that number has increased to more than 300.  Overwhelmingly... the children CRAVE recess. They NEED recess. In their own words... and their own spelling... here's why:

• "meet new people and exercise at the same time"
• "Recess helps with many things and is even proven to help with standardized test scores."
•  "It helps kids develop social skills they will need for the workplace in the future. For example, kids that play a game of basketball during recess learn how to work together with associates and when a problem arises, they learn how to solve the problem on their own."
• "humans adults and children need fresh air"
• " it would be beneficial because all of the rowdy students would be allowed to be rowdy and potentiall be less rowdy in class"

• "I think kids need recess because it is a good way to release endorphins and relieve stress."
• " recess can also be seen as a period of creativity for a kid. It can relax their mind so they are not over encumbered by school everyday for however many hours straight."
• "its a break for children and let them get up and exercise."
• ".I think kids need recess because they need exercise, we need time to just be kids,we need to try new things like sports and games."
• "Student need recess it’s a way for them to burn off energy and take their minds off of school for a while."

• "I think kids do need recess because it is a time to have a break from school, which can help relieve stress, and you can also do other things that can benefit you in that time."
•  "kids should have recess because it helps them with their social skills and helps their minds work faster-"
• "Yes teenagers and elementry students need recess its a fact that physical activities pump more blood to the brain allowing you to focus and relax better."
• "i think kids need recess to relieve stress and to give them a break from constantly learning"
•  "I think kids should have recess because they need to get rid of their energy. Because they probably will behave more during class after they have been running around."

This child probably summed it up best...

Kids are calmer and focus better and we get to have fun be kids because we are only kids once so let us have recess!

Did you enjoy reading about the reasons why children need... and crave... recess? If so, check out these posts about related topics:

• Game: How to Play Mumball (Mum-ball)
• Pro Tip: Talking to Children About Race
• Pro Tip: Recognizing Anxiety in Children