Article By David Kananowitz
Junior Monmouth Academy
Published: Mar 11, 2009
Remember back in grade school when you had recess time? However, what happened if you did not turn in your homework or were not behaving well in class for that day? Most likely, you were asked to stay in during recess to either get your homework done or serve your punishment, due to the bad behavior that led you there. However, recent studies have shown that letting students out for a break, such as during recess, improves a number of different performance traits in the student.
Although, with the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act in 2001, more and more grade schools are being built with the absence of a playground for the students. In addition, because many children are falling under the educational standards of the United States, schools are pressured to decrease recess time, physical education class, and devote that decreased time to additional study halls, additional classes, and standardized testing groups. However, the benefits of physical education class and recess time for grade school students are quite widespread. Below is a list of benefits that both physical education class and recess time create for a typical grade school student, according to Dr. Romina Barros, a researcher at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
1. Physical education class and recess time improve a child's behavior. The reason behind this is because the physical activity allows the child to "work off," or "burn off," excess stress that could cause irritability and mood swings.
2. Physical education class and recess time improve a child's brain. Since recess time is often outside, the student has exposure to fresh air that is more greatly circulated and cleaner than the air inside. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the air inside a building can be up to 10 times more polluted than the air outside the building. Therefore, this fresh air allows the blood to circulate through the brain more effectively, improving the child's ability to focus, think, solve problems, do class work and projects, leading to better grades.
3. Physical education class and recess time improves a child's weight. Since there is physical activity involved in both physical education class and recess, the child has the chance to burn off calories and excess weight that could make the child tired, depressed, and just overall, run down. Therefore, the physical activity will improve a child's weight, while also burning off the stress that puts children in a bad mood, as mentioned above.
Therefore, if you know of anyone who currently attends grade school, or have connections to a grade school, inform their administration of this recent scientific news and the benefits of physical education class and recess time. They may just integrate extra time for both in light of this new information, presented by Dr. Romina Barros, a researcher at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
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