Cutting Recess May Be Bad for Kids' Health

Sept. 21, 2004 -- Wekiva Elementary School Principal Michael Pfeiffer claims there just is not enough time in the day to teach the essentials. So the Longwood, Fla., school has cut back on recess.

Starting this school year, third- fourth- and fifth-graders will have recess about every other day, and only on days when they don't have physical education.

Pfeiffer says educators are under pressure nationwide to improve test scores and to help students succeed academically.

"We must have minimal 90 minutes of direct-instruction reading with our teachers a day, plus at least 60 minutes of math. Then you throw in the social studies, science curriculum, throw in any character education, throw in lunch, throw in picture day, you throw in any other activities that are going on at school, and there's an awful lot going on here," Pfeiffer said.

Some parents agree. "There's not enough inherent benefit in recess that it should take precedence over another topic or subject in school," said Jim Palmer, the father of a second-grader.

That does not sit well with Kevin Johnson, a fourth-grader at Wekiva. He said recess is a time when "you get to talk and everything and have fun, and you're not cooped up in a classroom."

Recess Helps Social Development, Academics

Even though an estimated 40 percent of schools nationwide have reduced or considered reducing recess, some experts and parents think it's a bad idea. They believe recess helps children develop socially, and that the break even helps with their academics.

"They come back refreshed," said Kevin's mother, Janice Johnson. "They are more willing to listen to the teacher, they will be more willing to learn what's going on, [and] they've got that mental relaxation in there, so they're ready to learn new stuff."

Olga Jarrett, a professor of early childhood education at Georgia State University, agrees that kids benefit from taking a break.