By NANCY HILER
"Unstructured, free play time needs to be a part of a child's day because of the many important benefits it offers," said Marie Testa, principal of Jacob Gunther School in the North Bellmore Elementary School District and a former phys. ed. teacher. "Children's work is play."
Pressured to focus more on academics and standardized test scores in recent years, many public schools throughout the country are cutting back on and even eliminating recess. Local elementary school districts, however, continue a longstanding commitment to keeping unstructured playtime for their students.
"Many districts are saying, let's take recess away and see if we can increase instruction time because of [testing] mandates, but we have a very strong and positive recess program in this district," explained Testa. The same can be said of neighboring Bellmore-Merrick elementary districts.
All work, no play?
Increasing evidence points to a national trend toward reducing or eliminating recess in schools in recent years. In 1989, 90 percent of school districts offered some form of recess, usually once or twice a day and lasting 15 to 20 minutes, a survey conducted by the National Association of Elementary School Principals found. A decade later, another survey revealed that only 70 percent of classes had a daily recess break, according to a study on the importance of play published in October by the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Since then, the all-work-no-play philosophy in schools seems to have strengthened its hold. "With the increased pressure from a number of sources to improve achievement, increase test scores and cover an increasingly demanding curriculum, nearly 40 percent of the nation's 16,000 school districts have either modified, deleted or are considering deleting recess from the daily elementary school schedule," the AACRP reports. The group is a non-governmental research and advocacy organization founded on the United Nations' Declaration of the Rights of the Child.
In what it calls "an alarming trend toward the elimination of recess," the National Association of Early Childhood Specialists in State Departments of Education says this is taking place because of today's "increased school accountability and student testing procedures, and the belief that time could be better spent on academics."
An NAECS position paper, ³Recess and the Importance of Play,² continues: "This disturbing phenomenon has no serious research to back it up, and is actually counterproductive to increasing the academic achievements of students."
The need for recess during the school day has become amplified, the pediatrics academy report found, as children have had fewer opportunities for free play owing to a "hurried lifestyle," and being "overscheduled" in academic and other activities after school, many pressured to excel to prepare for a "high-achieving adulthood," particularly in suburban areas.
Still, 99 percent of parents and teachers say recess is important for elementary school students, and 75 percent believe it should be mandatory, according to a survey recently conducted by the National PTA. In fact, major child advocacy and other organizations, including the PTA, have gotten involved in promoting the need for "unstructured break time as an essential element of the school day" through a multi-year, national campaign called "Rescuing Recess."
The program was launched last March, and its other sponsors include the National Education Association, the Cartoon Network, Health Mpowers, the National Association for Sport & Physical Education, and the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. The program provides recess advocacy materials for administrators, teachers and parents.
"I'm a big fan of recess, as a parent and a teacher," said Angela Benevento of North Bellmore, the mother of two Newbridge Road School students who is also an elementary school teacher. "It allows kids to clear their heads and regroup, and become ready to refocus on the task at hand back in the classroom, in addition to its physical and emotional benefits."
Giving kids a break
Locally, the four elementary school districts -- Bellmore, North Bellmore, Merrick and North Merrick -- give students a break during the day when they may engage in free play. Their rationale for keeping recess concurs with those of children's health and education experts, who stress that it is imperative for children's well-being and various aspects of their development.
"Recess really enhances overall learning," said Dr. Joseph Famularo, assistant superintendent for instruction in the Bellmore Elementary School District. "That time contributes to creativity, cooperation and social interaction. At recess, students are free to experience possibly essential elements of social development."
"Some districts are talking about doing away with recess, but it will never happen here," said Tom Biggen, a phys. ed. teacher at Old Mill School in North Merrick and the originator of its after-school "Fitness Fridays" program. "It's not realistic to expect [children] to stay cooped up in a room all day, not take a break and perform well. Research shows there's a direct link between academic performance and physical activity."
"This district believes in it," echoed Testa, referring to North Bellmore schools. "It is an integral part of the child's day."
Reasons for recess
Indicating that there are a number of research studies and surveys reported by the AACRP and other groups that confirm the importance of unstructured play time, Testa said, "Recess allows children to learn how to negotiate, to problem-solve and to interact freely with their classmates. It's important to social development and character development."
"The overriding premise is that [undirected] play is essential to cognitive, physical, social and emotional well-being of children," the Pediatrics study said.
Champions of recess cite more specific benefits, including:
€Allowing children to use their creativity and develop their imaginations.
€Giving children the freedom to choose how they spend their time, which presents opportunities for leadership, negotiating, cooperating (choosing games or sports, taking turns, communicating), socializing or solitary time to collect their thoughts.
€The break from classroom routine and physical exercise serve as outlets for children's emotions, and for relieving stress, anxiety and frustration, which are considered particularly beneficial for those with attention deficit disorders.
€Time spent outdoors in active play pumps fresh oxygen through the bloodstream to revitalize body and brain during what may otherwise be a largely sedentary day, which is important in light of today's soaring childhood obesity rate.
More free time?
Local elementary school districts schedule anywhere from 20 to 30 minutes for recess each day, in line with national averages. Public elementary schools reported that the average number of minutes per day for recess ranged from 27.8 for first grade to 23.8 for sixth grade, the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics in the Institute of Education Sciences reported in May 2005.
"I think they should extend recess," commented Pam Pomeranz, a lunch and recess monitor at Saw Mill Road School and a parent of two children at Newbridge Road School, both of which are in the North Bellmore District. "The children spend so much time focusing, they need a little more time to not focus, to get air and to have a little more of a break so their heads are clear for learning."
Array of activities
Although recess is considered a time for free play in local schools, the children are supervised by adults -- either by phys. ed. teachers or school monitors -- for safety purposes.
In North Bellmore, students are usually taught a variety of games and sports and the rules of fair play in phys. ed. class, which they can then to carry over as self-directed options at recess.
At Jacob Gunther School, for example, phys. ed. teacher Jim Mulvey is putting together a packet of "Gunther Games," choices that include Around the World, beanbag toss, tic-tac-toe using pennies, a roll-the-ball-and-jump game called Human Skittles, as well as more traditional games such as touch football, basketball, tag and hopscotch.
"The kids are given all types of opportunities to be active," Mulvey said, pointing to two "recess carts" overflowing with Frisbees, Hula-Hoops and other sports equipment that he put together for the students. At recess, he says, the children are "self-refereeing, not arguing a call, and being responsible for their actions." Testa believes that because of the focus on good sportsmanship and positive behavior during recess, the school has "low discipline issues" at lunchtime and in the classroom.
"Physical education teachers supervise all of our recess periods," said Bellmore's Famularo. The teachers usually provide the children with some guidance about types of activities they may choose from -- "activities that differ by building according to their age appropriateness," he said. For example, Famularo explained, "The youngest children may rotate activities in stations, while older ones may choose areas of play, and the oldest ones may come up with their own games."
"Just taking part in recess is the important thing," said North Merrick's Biggen. "It's about socializing with each other in a loose setting, free play with friends."
"They need recess," Famularo said, "to feel the wind on their cheeks. They need time for self-paced play."
"They call it recess for a reason. It's downtime," said Testa. Adults even need to take a break, she said. "Even the Supreme Court and Congress take recess."
Next in this series: About pests and pesticides in schools.
Comments about this story? NHiler@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 234.
