Are Kids Getting Enough Time for Recess?

By Samantha Neudorf January 10, 2017

New guidelines have been released for schools to follow to optimize recess for students in grades K-12.

Kids are encouraged to have 60 minutes of physical activity daily. But not all schools follow the recommendations, even though research has shown physical activity can contribute to academic success.

SHAPE America, a nonprofit dedicated to ensuring children are leading healthy and physically active lives, created guidelines to specify strategies for schools to use during recess. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released these documents on Jan. 10, according to a press release.

The first document is called “Strategies for Recess in Schools,” and points out 19 evidence-based methods schools can use to help students achieve academic success through increased physical activity.

The second document is called “Recess Planning in Schools: A Guide to Putting Strategies for Recess Into Practice” that includes a customizable Recess Planning Template for schools to follow and use.

"Schools can create recess environments that are supportive of physical activity and positively impact student learning, where all students have the opportunity to choose the physical activities they’d like to engage in," Holly Hunt, chief of the CDC's School Health Branch, said in a statement.

These resources can be downloaded from the CDC’s Healthy Schools website and will be featured at a program session called “Strategies for Recess in Schools” at the SHAPE American National Convention in Boston this March.

How Can I Keep My Child Physically Active During the School Year?