Play, Policy, and Potential: A Toolkit to Support Advancing Recess in Schools Through State Laws

Physical inactivity is a major contributing factor to chronic disease in the U.S. Regular physical activity offers numerous benefits for children, supporting not only physical health but also academic performance and mental and emotional well-being. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends that children between the ages of 6-17 get at least 60 minutes of physical activity each day. Given that children spend a substantial portion of their weekdays in school, schools have a vital role in ensuring this recommendation is met.

“Play” often involves physical activity; however, not all physical activity is play. Physical activity can be structured and goal-oriented, whereas play is typically unstructured and driven by motivation and fun. For children, active play is a primary way to achieve physical activity goals. Play is essential to children’s healthy development and promotes positive mental health. Benefits of play include improvements in executive functioning, language, early math skills (numerosity and spatial concepts), social development, peer relations, physical development and health, and an enhanced sense of agency, in addition to lower levels of stress.
Children today have less access to play than previous generations. On average, children’s time in school and on homework total to more than 50 hours per week, making academic expectations more rigorous than the 40-hour work week. At the same time, children’s mental health has declined. Some have posited that a primary cause of the rise in mental health disorders among children is a decline in opportunities for play.

One of the most effective strategies for the promotion of physical activity, play, and the associated benefits for school-aged children and adolescents is daily recess- a regularly scheduled period in the school day for physical activity and play, monitored by trained staff or volunteers. Recess supports children’s physical health while also promoting mental wellness, social development, and cognitive function. Recess, which provides intentional opportunities for unstructured breaks during the school day, is associated with greater activity and lower sedentary time and may decrease the risk of obesity and obesity related health conditions. In addition to physical health benefits of recess, there is extensive evidence that recess, specifically, has mental health, behavioral, and academic benefits for youth. Recess is an important time for socialization and peer interaction, allowing the development of essential social skills. Though much of the focus on recess has been on elementary schools, there is emerging evidence that recess is beneficial to adolescents as well. Given that 84% of school-age children in the U.S. attend public school, recess offers an unmatched opportunity to use existing systems to improve the health of our nation’s children.

To ensure children have access to daily recess, an effective approach is to have a state-level recess law in place. Codifying recess into state law is important, as children living in states with recess laws have significantly greater odds of being physically active every day. Ensuring that all elementary and middle school students have access to recess is a necessity to support healthy children. To support the development, passage, and implementation of strong state-level recess laws, we have developed this toolkit for advancing recess in schools through state laws.