AAP emphasizes importance of recess in schools

AAP emphasizes importance of recess in schools
Recess in school serves a necessary and important role in the development of a child's academic, physical, and social well-being, according to an American Academy of Pediatrics policy statement published online Dec. 31 in Pediatrics.

(HealthDay)—Recess in school serves a necessary and important role in the development of a child's academic, physical, and social well-being, according to an American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) policy statement published online Dec. 31 in Pediatrics.

Noting the growing trend toward reallocating time in school to accentuate more academic subjects at the expense of recess, Robert Murray, M.D., and colleagues on the AAP Council on , discuss the benefits of recess in school, and provide recommendations for parents, teachers, school administrators, and policy makers.

According to the report, recess is a necessary break that can optimize social, emotional, physical, and . Recess should be considered personal time and should not be withheld. Regular breaks from concentrated classroom work are necessary for academic performance and cognitive processing; this applies to children of all ages. Recess complements physical education and can promote a as well as provide social, creative, and of play and peer interaction. Recess can offset sedentary time and can contribute to, but not replace, the recommended 60 minutes of activity per day suggested by the AAP to reduce the risk of overweight. Recess should be safe and well supervised.

"On the basis of an abundance of scientific studies, withholding recess for punitive or academic reasons would seem to be counterproductive to the intended outcomes and may have unintended consequences in relation to a child's acquisition of important life skills," the authors write.

More information: Abstract
Full Text

Journal information: Pediatrics

Copyright © 2012 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Citation: AAP emphasizes importance of recess in schools (2013, January 2) retrieved 28 March 2024 from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-aap-emphasizes-importance-recess-schools.html
This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.

Explore further

Experts: Gym gone but not forgotten? Parents want more physical activity at school for kids

 shares

Feedback to editors