NASPE Tells Parents and Elementary School Officials

"Recess is a Must!"

RESTON, VA, July 23, 2003 - "Attention parents and principals: This school year commit to recess being a critical part of the elementary school day!" urges the National
Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE). Hoping to gain more academic time, school officials are curtailing recess and physical education in elementary schools. The availability of recess in many schools across the country is often based on preset allocations for teachers' free and planning times as well as state requirements for student time in the classroom.

 

"Parents need to know that the elimination of recess and physical education may be detrimental to their children's overall health and learning," said NASPE Executive Director Judith C. Young, Ph.D. "With soaring obesity rates and increased interest in sedentary activities, a six-hour or longer school day is too long for children to go without breaks and without opportunities for substantive physical activity."

 

To assist parents in supporting this effort, NASPE has a position paper called "Recess in Elementary Schools." Free copies of the document are available by emailing naspe@aahperd.org.

 

"Time for recess during the day may enhance overall learning in the classroom," she added. "In addition to providing opportunities for needed physical activity, unstructured time contributes to creativity, cooperation, and learning about social interaction. Children learn how to cooperate, compete constructively, assume leader/follower roles and resolve conflicts by interacting in play. Play is an essential element of children's social development."

 

Young pointed out "adults do not focus on work or sit in meetings for more than two hours at a time without breaks. Children certainly need similar breaks in their routine."

 

While recess is unstructured time, physical education is a planned instructional program with specific objectives. An essential part of the total curriculum, it is the role of quality physical education programs to increase the physical competence, health-related fitness, self-responsibility and enjoyment of physical activity for all students so that they can be physically active for a lifetime.

 

"In fact, extended periods of inactivity are not appropriate for normal, healthy children or adults," Dr. Young said. "NASPE guidelines recommend that children ages 6 to 11 accumulate at least one hour and up to several hours of physical activity each day. This may occur appropriately in multiple periods of moderate to vigorous activity lasting 10 minutes or more."

 

Children must be provided with appropriate physical activity options and taught how to make positive choices. If children do not establish physical activity habits when they are young, they are more likely to experience the negative impact of inactivity as adults.

 

Learn more about the importance of physical activity and the components of a quality physical education program by visiting the National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) at www.aahperd.org, the web site of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation & Dance (AAHPERD). NASPE is the largest of AAHPERD's six national associations. A nonprofit membership organization of over 25,000 professionals in the fitness and physical activity fields, NASPE is the only national association dedicated to strengthening basic knowledge about sport and physical education among professionals and the general public. Putting that knowledge into action in schools and communities across the nation is critical to improved academic performance, social reform and the health of individuals.

From:
Paula Keyes Kun
Director of Communications
National Association for Sport and Physical Education
1900 Association Drive, Reston, VA 20191
Phone: 703-476-3461 Fax: 703-476-8316