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When I was a child, I used to be so excited for recess. This is mostly because I couldn’t wait to chow down on my favourite snacks prepared by my mother. As I grew older, I realized that recess was more than just a quick time to grab a bite to eat.
Recess had a lot more to offer back when I was young, but I wasn’t able to fully realize it then.
Texas school gives kids four recess breaks a day
One school in Texas made a daring move by giving children four recess breaks a day, and needless to say, the results have been wonderful.
According to an article written for Today.com by A. Pawlowsksi, the Eagle Mountain Elementary in Fort Worth, Texas gave their kindergarten and first grade students two 15-minute breaks every morning and two 15-minute breaks every afternoon to play outside.
Teachers were worried at first that these students would lose valuable classroom time. The children, however, were able to learn more efficiently because they were better able to focus in class without fidgeting. Not only are the children learning better, but they are also following instructions better and attempting to solve problems on their own.
You can read the rest of the article here.
So, does more recess mean better students?
The most important thing that we can take away from this article is that even though classroom time is valuable for our children, there’s still that need for them to interact with other kids. Most children as young as three years old are able to learn through playing and interacting with other children.
Recess allows them to do just that – playing and interacting with other children. Recess also allows children to shift their focus and attention for a few minutes. This helps prevent boredom and fidgeting in the classroom.
As a parent, I would like this implemented in some of our schools or at least experiment with the concept.