Having kids run and play is important to their development and to their health. Last summer, the New York Times posted an article titled Recess: It’s important. Does your child get enough of it? In the article, the writer’s second grade son had 15 minutes of recess every day—and was not happy about the short amount of time. From the article:

Plenty of people agree with him, it turns out, and not just other 7-year-olds. Recess advocates include the American Association for the Child’s Right to Play, the National Association for Sport and Physical Association, even the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics. Besides the opportunity to get exercise, proponents say, recess offers social and emotional benefits as children dream up ideas and resolve conflicts during play.

Recess is important. Not only do students get the chance to be active, recess is also important because it gives students time to socialize and tune out. As adults, we need our lunch break and “water cooler” time. How can we expect children to go theirs? The article goes on to state that students in Finland and Japan get breaks of 10 to 15 minutes each hour. Comparatively, only 22% of American school districts require daily recess.

Research shows that children need 60 minutes of exercise a day. Are your students moving and active enough during the day? The benefits of students being active are clear: students reach higher levels of achievement, they are healthier, and they have an easier time staying on task.
How much time does your school allow for students to move and learn? If you are looking for a way to get students moving in a structured way, try Walkabouts in your classroom. The fun online adventures help pre-k through 2nd grade students move while learning. Walkabouts provide the benefits of physical activity while helping them learn important math and ELA standards.

Ready to try Walkabouts?