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No Excuses! - A Documentary about Quality Physical Education
QUALITY PHYSICAL EDUCATION ADVOCACY
EFFECTIVE TEACHING STRATEGIES
TEACHER RESOURCES

The Importance of Recess, Play, and Active Classrooms

  • The Importance of Recess
  • The Importance of Play
  • The Importance of Active Classrooms
  • Related Pages
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Students who are physically active tend to have better grades, school attendance, classroom behaviors, and cognitive performance. Schools can offer a variety of opportunities for students to be physically active, and one of these opportunities is recess. Recess in schools benefits students by:
  • Increasing their level of physical activity.
  • Improving their memory, attention, and concentration.
  • Helping them stay on-task in the classroom.
  • Reducing disruptive behavior in the classroom.
  • Improving their social and emotional development (e.g., learning how to share and negotiate).
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and SHAPE America—Society of Health and Physical Educators
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articles on the IMPORTANCE OF RECESS
GUIDELINES FOR RECESS
  • Children should accumulate at least 60 minutes, and up to several hours, of age-appropriate physical activity on all, or most days of the week. This daily accumulation should include moderate and vigorous physical activity with the majority of the time being spent in activity that is intermittent in nature.           
  • Children should participate in several bouts of physical activity lasting 15 minutes or more each day.      
  • Children should participate each day in a variety of age-appropriate physical activities designed to achieve optimal health, wellness, fitness, and performance benefits.     
  • Extended periods (periods of two hours or more) of inactivity are discouraged for children, especially during the daytime hours.  
  • Schools should provide all students in grades K-12 with at least one daily period of recess of at least 20 minutes in length.​
  • Recess should not be taken away for punitive reasons.
Strategies for Recess in Schools
Click to Enlarge
RESOURCES FOR RECESS
RESOURCES FOR PLAYGROUNDS
RESOURCES FOR ACTIVE CLASSROOMS ("Brain Boosts/Breaks")

​​"Energizing Brain Breaks are quick 1-2 minute activities for your students. They take virtually no preparation and no extra materials to perform.  Students and audiences of all ages love them. Why do they love them?  Because they are fun and make you laugh.  They also challenge your brain.  Energizing Brain Breaks help you to cross the mid-line of your body which helps both sides of your brain engage.  It is suggested to use an Energizing Brain Break every 30 minutes with your class or audience."

(David Sladkey)
The Relationship Between Physical Activity & Academic Performance - Infographics
Click on Photos to Enlarge and on the Links for Original Source​
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY & ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE - SPARK by Dr. John Ratey
​SPARK: "A groundbreaking exploration of the connection between exercise and the brain’s performance that shows how even moderate exercise will supercharge mental circuits to beat stress, sharpen thinking, enhance memory, and much more."
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY & ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE - ​RESEARCH ARTICLES
​Promoting Quality Physical Education through Advocacy and Free Access to Information and Resources