Recess is a necessary activity

Kyle Mulder

29th September 2008

Professor Wayne Francis

Timed essay #1

Everyone remembers having recess as a child. As a child I remember getting about thirty minutes to just run around laughing, screaming and sometimes I would play “kick ball.” Now some schools are trying to eliminate recess and substitute it with more academic study time. I believe that recess is a necessary activity for young children. I think that taking recess out will cause an even higher child obesity rate. Recess gives children a time to gain social skills. It also gives them time out of the stressful environment of a classroom.

In the United States over half of the adult population are considered overweight. Over a quarter of the children in America are overweight. Studies have shown that childhood obesity carries over into adult life. Taking out recess will cause this rate to increase because children need exercise to burn off calories that they consumed throughout the day. Recess for some children is the only form of exercise they acquire throughout the day due to having television and game systems. If anything should be changed about recess it could be introducing a set exercise for the children. The exercise could be something fun that the children did not even realize was to help keep them healthy.

I know that when I was in elementary school we were not allowed to talk in class. Most schools still do not allow talking to keep control of the classroom. But we had half an hour to socialize and meet other kids. A large percent of an individual’s personality is developed during their elementary years, including their social skills. Therefore children need time to talk and communicate, which is recess. Without recess we might have more secluded children that lack much needed social skills.

Children, as well as most adults, need time to let knowledge absorb into their brains. Most elementary schools have at least a six hour day and people of all ages can not absorb information taught to them for a six hour period. Children have a shorter tension span than adults and tend to drift off into their own little world. So as a break for the minds of the children and the teachers recess needs to stay a part of their daily activities.

Recess is one of my greatest memories as a child, and I think that it should still be an activity in elementary school. Children need recess to keep healthy and fit. An exercise during recess could help curve the growing obesity problem in children. People revolve around communication and our communication skills are learned as children during recess. We all need a break from our work and so do children. That is why it is necessary to keep recess in the school system.