Schools across the country have steadily reduced recess during the past two decades, often to make more time for math and reading instruction. A growing body of research suggests that strategy may be backfiring.
In May, the American Academy of Pediatrics issued its first updated guidance on recess in 13 years, citing evidence that recess supports not only children’s physical and emotional well-being, but also their academic success.
Experts at the University of Virginia’s School of Education and Human Development say the science is clear: Giving students time to move, play and recharge helps them learn more effectively.
Associate professor Tanya Evans, a developmental neuroscientist, said brief breaks are known to improve learning.
UVA experts Tanya Evans, left, Jacob Resch, center, and Sara Rimm-Kaufman, right, agree with growing research showing that recess supports children’s learning, physical health and social-emotional development. (Contributed photos)
“Even as adults, there’s only so long that we can attend to one task without needing a break,” she said. “When you give a break of any sort, it allows for a cognitive reset.”
Those pauses give the brain time to process and consolidate new information, Sara Rimm-Kaufman, a professor and child development expert at the Education School, said.
“You need a break from the thinking so that the brain can process the recently learned information, which then results in consolidation of that information into long-term memory,” she said.
The result isn’t just stronger memory. Mental breaks also improve attention, focus and mood, helping students stay engaged and better regulate their behavior when they return to class.
Recess offers another advantage: It gets children moving.
Jacob Resch, an associate professor of kinesiology who teaches a course on the neuroscience of exercise, said decades of research show regular physical activity supports learning by promoting healthy brain development.
During childhood, the brain is rapidly developing, including through myelination – the formation of a protective coating around nerve fibers that allows information to travel more efficiently. Exercise supports that process by increasing blood flow and delivering more oxygen and nutrients to the brain.
“If kids are sitting for eight hours a day, they’re limiting their full potential,” Resch said.
The benefits may be especially significant for children from lower-income communities, who may have fewer opportunities for after-school outdoor play, and for children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, for whom exercise can improve attention and executive function.
