Recess & Free Play

The BPO believes strongly in the value and educational importance of recess and free play. As the research on this issue becomes more and more convincing, we are seeing less and less recess time for our children. Neighboring school districts dedicate more time to recess, and we believe Brookline should do the same!

Free Play! Play Free!

We're happy to have Dr. Peter Gray joining us on Wednesday, November 1st, 6-8pm, at Hunneman Hall, second floor of the Main Branch of the Public Library of Brookline! You can see a talk of his on youtube: ...

Why some schools are sending kids out for recess four times a day

A new program called the LiiNK Project connects play and character development and is designed to bridge academics with the social, emotional and physical well-being of children. The program started in the 2015-2016 school year with four schools in Texas that used the program and ...

The Death of Recess in America

As the imperative to squeeze every last drop of instructional time out of the school day has intensified, we have become increasingly committed to the premise that students learn best when drilled constantly with information. This premise is, of course, ...

Why Recess is important: The role of recess in child development

Children and adolescents need increased opportunities to participate together in both structured and unstructured play. In addition to the classroom-specific benefits, opportunities for play through participation in leisure and recreation activities, including recess, have been linked to more generalized benefits, ...

The Role of Recess in Children’s Cognitive Performance and School Adjustment

The authors suggest that the recess period serves a positive purpose in the primary school curriculum, counter to the current practice of minimizing recess in many schools across North America and the United Kingdom. The authors' position is embedded in ...

The Benefits of Recess in Primary School

Although recess has traditionally been a regular practice in primary school settings, today recess is being reduced or eliminated in an effort to provide more instructional time and increase achievement. However, empirical research does not support the elimination or reduction ...

Study: Children’s classroom behavior is better if they have recess

Recess provides one of the few opportunities for children to engage in free play and physical activity at school and to potentially be outdoors. Barros and colleagues investigated the amount of recess 8- to 9-year-old children have in the U.S ...

Recess: It’s Important!

Recess advocates include the American Association for the Child’s Right to Play, the National Association for Sport and Physical Association, even the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics. Besides the opportunity to get exercise, ...

The Crucial Role of Recess

The American Academy of Pediatrics' (AAP)  position paper on “The Crucial Role of Recess,” describing the numerous benefits recess provides for children. The AAP recommends that all children partake in daily, supervised recess (AAP, 2013). Access to recess is important ...

How Kids Learn Better By Taking Frequent Breaks Throughout The Day

Excerpted from Teach Like Finland: 33 Simple Strategies For Joyful Classrooms (c) 2017 by Timothy D. Walker. Used with permission of the publisher, W. W. Norton.  Like a zombie, Sami—one of my fifth graders—lumbered over to me and hissed, “I think I’m going ...