American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance - AAHPERD

April Theme: Celebrate Recess and Play!

Ask elementary students what their favorite part of school is and the majority will say its "recess."  That is one of the reasons why AAHPERD's Let's Move in School initiative is committed to increasing recess in all schools across the country.  Not only is it great as a physical activity break but it also helps with social interactions, as an outlet for stress and actually improves concentration when it is time to return to the classroom. 

The importance of recess for all elementary school students - NASPE Position Statement

10 ways a PTA/PTO can support recess in school - Find it here!

Safe play guidelines

Each year, approximately 200,000 children are treated in hospital Emergency Rooms for playground-related injuries (Durani, 2011). Avoid injuries caused by unstructured play by following the guidelines below:

• Proper adult supervision: Make sure that there are enough adults present to adequately supervise the unstructured play session.
• Playground design safety: Design playgrounds with safe surfaces that reduce injuries from falls, spacing that is age appropriate for the children using the equipment, and guardrails.
• Maintenance: Playground equipment should be clean and well maintained.
• Educate children on proper playground behavior: Stress the importance of fair play and proper use of the equipment.
• Encourage mindfulness: Use positive guidance to educate children on the importance of taking turns and being aware of their surroundings. Encourage safe, gentle behavior surrounding the playground equipment.
• Appropriate dress: Instruct children to secure dangling strings, untied shoelaces, and loose fitting clothing that might become snagged on playground equipment.
• Incident reporting: Create an atmosphere of trust where children feel comfortable reporting injuries. Carefully record the incident, location and equipment involved to prevent similar injuries from occurring in the future.

Durani, Y. (2011). Playground Safety. Nemours Center for Children's Health Media.

The right to recess

Like physical education and other physical activity opportunities in school, unstructured play in the form of recess has been proven to positively affect classroom behavior and focus. A study by the American Academy of Pediatrics found that three in 10 American children have either no recess during the day or a minimal break of less than 15 minutes (Miller, 2012).

Not only does recess help mollify aggressive classroom behavior, this important time also provides children with a unique social learning opportunity. Unstructured physical play also reduces stress and increases on-task time in the classroom, resulting in fewer distractions (Miller, 2012).

With the epidemic of level of childhood obesity is threatening to shorten the lifespan of American children, it is more important than ever to cultivate opportunities for physical activity in schools. Recess is a valuable component of a Comprehensive School Physical Activity Program (CSPAP) and Let's Move in School that can help combat childhood obesity.

Miller, C. (2012). The Importance of Recess: Study highlights why active play is critical for kids. Harvard Health Publications, Harvard Medical School.

Additional valuable information

• Check out these physical activity break ideas.
• Educate parents about the importance of recess in school.
• Post It! With this month's Let's Move in School Bulletin Board Message.
• Register for the next Let's Move in School Webinar.