A group of American paediatricians has told school districts that children need breaks and free time during the school day, and it should not even be taken away as punishment.
“We consider it essentially the child’s personal time and don’t feel it should be taken away for academic or punitive reasons,” said Dr Robert Murray, who co-authored the new policy statement for the American Academy of Pediatrics. The statement, published on Monday in the journal Pediatrics, says break or recess is a “crucial and necessary component of a child’s development”.
Recess helps students develop communication skills, such as co-operation and sharing, and helps counteract the time they spend sitting in class, according to the statement. “The cognitive literature indicates that children are exactly as we are as adults. Whenever they’re performing a complicated or complex task, they need time to process the information,” said Dr Murray, a professor at Ohio State University in Columbus.
Previous research, according to the statement’s authors, found children pay closer attention and perform better mentally after recess.
Last January, a review of 14 studies found children who get more exercise tend to do better in school.
Dr Murray said schools in Japan offer children about 10 minutes’ free time after every 50 minute class.