Why should recess time be extended

Give that kid a break. In fact, give one to his entire class. Research shows it actually will help them learn better in school.

Recess time has been championed as a way to help combat the nation’s childhood obesity problem. Studies also have shown that the free-play that comes with recess is crucial to a child’s cognitive, social and emotional development.

So parents across the country are decrying a trend where schools slash recess time, or even eliminate it entirely, to devote more classroom minutes to academic subjects and standardized test preparation.

That’s led many to lobby their state lawmakers to require free-play for their school-age children.

In New Jersey, the state legislature unanimously passed a bill earlier this month that would require 20 minutes of recess each day for elementary school students from kindergarten through the fifth grade.

“There are so many other requirements and mandates that schools have to provide during the school day that recess has been squeezed out of the school day,” said Shirley Turner, the New Jersey state senator who sponsored the measure and has championed the effort for several years.