Recess and Punishment

• Research has demonstrated the importance of recess for all children; however the children who act out at school could especially benefit from free play time. Unfortunately, these children get less recess time than their peers who behave properly at school. Two out of three principals say they take recess away as a punishment for behavior problems, which is counterproductive and further puts these children at a disadvantage. Continuing with the theme of children who need recess most not receiving free play time, only seventy five percent of students scoring below the mean on standardized tests have recess, while eight five percent of students scoring above the mean on standardized tests have recess. Recess should be implemented into the curriculum for all children, but children who have behavior problems or who are falling behind in particular need a recess period.

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