Word: The value of child play

Suzanne Brunelle Vera, Bad Ass Teachers Assn -  To quote one of the biggest advocates of play, Mr. Rogers, “Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning.  But for children, play is serious learning.  Play is really the work of childhood”.  According to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation research done in 2010, “Principals overwhelmingly believe recess has a positive impact not only on the development of students’ social skills, but also on achievement and learning in the classroom.”

According to the U.S. Play Coalition in an article titled “A Research Based Case for Recess”, students require breaks to promote mental alertness.  Brain research on attention suggests that 1) The brain cannot maintain attention for long periods of time and requires contrast to regain focus, 2) for information to be processed, down time is needed to recycle chemicals crucial for long-term memory formation and 3) attention is cyclical, involving 90-110 minute rhythmical patterns throughout the day.  In research with fourth graders, children were less fidgety and more on-task when they had recess.  Also, children with hyperactivity were among those who benefited the most.  These results are consistent with the findings of a meta-analysis of nearly 200 studies on the effect of exercise on cognitive functioning that suggest physical activity supports learning.