title: The crucial role of recess in school.
abstract: Recess is at the heart of a vigorous debate over the role of schools in promoting the optimal development of the whole child. A growing trend toward reallocating time in school to accentuate the more academic subjects has put this important facet of a child's school day at risk. Recess serves as a necessary break from the rigors of concentrated, academic challenges in the classroom. But equally important is the fact that safe and well-supervised recess offers cognitive, social, emotional, and physical benefits that may not be fully appreciated when a decision is made to diminish it. Recess is unique from, and a complement to, physical education--not a substitute for it. The American Academy of Pediatrics believes that recess is a crucial and necessary component of a child's development and, as such, it should not be withheld for punitive or academic reasons.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Murray
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ramstetter
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D004522:Educational Status; D006801:Humans; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D010806:Physical Education and Training / Q000379:methods*; D012574:Schools; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology