Is unstructured (or relatively unstructured) play time valuable for children in schools? This is a topic I don’t spend a lot of time dealing with as a high school teacher, but as a parent it is certainly a large concern of mine.
In a blog post featuring a video by Sir Ken Robinson ( https://rethinkingchildhood.com/2016/04/05/sir-ken-robinson-outdoor-play-dirt-is-good/ ), the author presents and expands on Robinson’s views on the importance of play. Robinson describes play as “a highly beneficial and deeply natural way in which kids learn…”. As a parent of a four year old I have to agree. While my son plays he is introduced to so many new ideas and has a chance to create. Sir Robinson says that play helps children develop social skills, empathy, creativity, and intellectual skills.
I spoke with Devon Webben, a former elementary school teacher and current middle school counselor in Fremont, to get his thoughts on play time in schools. Mr. Webben told me that it is a must in the school day for many of the reasons that Sir Robinson also listed. Mr. Webben also said that he feels two 15 to 20 minute recess periods should be built in to the school day schedule at the elementary level.
It seems that many schools, parents, and educators that are in favor of reducing or eliminating play time in schools are not against the play time itself, but feel that the time could be better spent on other things. According to an article by Tim Daloisio (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/ri-school-eliminates-recess-for-elementary-kids/), one of those options is a more structured physical exercise period. In the article, Daloisio discusses a school in Rhode Island that will be removing its recess period for more time spent focused on physical education. The reasoning behind it is to work to fight childhood obesity and keep children more active during the day. This is certainly a worthwhile cause, but I think as educators we need to find a way to keep kids moving, and also allow them to be creative with their play time. To me it seems that recess should be a part of each school day, but perhaps we could do more to keep kids active in short after school programs and extending the amount of physical education time that students get in a school week.
If you are an elementary school teacher please let me know what your recess and physical education schedules look like for a typical week. Please also let me know if you think it’s enough time or not.
Scott's Education Blog 
It’s worth the time for my middle schoolers! They love recess still. However, with 2:00 dismissals on Wednesdays when we don’t have the time available for a recess, we dismiss them a little early from lunch to go on a walk outside. Teachers walk with them. That may be a possibility for high school students. I don’t see them taking advantage of a recess, but I could see them enjoying a walk. Plenty of adults like to fit in a walk during their work day, so it would help them establish a good habit.
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