The end of recess: Schools continue cutbacks in unstructured play
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By Mark Sommer
Updated: 05/27/08 10:24 AM
Valerie Wales often has energy to spare at home. That=92s because the
first-grader doesn=92t burn enough of it in school.
=93My daughter sometimes gets to the end of the day, and she=92s not ready
for bed until she wrestles with her dad or gets chased around the
house. She hasn=92t run out of energy yet,=94 said Beth Elkins, an
Allentown resident whose daughter attends Bennett Park Montessori
Center.
The reason?
=93Limited playing time=94 at school, Elkins said.
It=92s a common complaint. Recess =97 considered unstructured play time,
as opposed to physical instruction =97 is on the wane for large numbers
of children, at least compared with when Elkins, 36, was growing up,
according to researchers who have studied trends in play.
The decline in school recess slowly began about 30 years ago,
researchers say, when one or two 15-or 20- minute recesses plus an
hour lunch break were still the norm. And the decline continues to
occur despite research showing unstructured play promotes learning
while releasing energy and stress and minimizing disruptive behaviors.
A significant factor in more recent years has been an increased
emphasis on standardized testing in response to demands for greater
academic accountability.
Other factors that have stifled playtime, child play advocates say,
include limited budgets for safe playground equipment, concerns about
lawsuits from playground injuries and fears of bullying.
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