How 30 minutes of recess could change how your child learns

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At 10:30 a.m., the bell rings through the halls of William F.Prisk Elementary School in Long Beach, sending students racing onto the playground, throwing basketballs, doing cartwheels, gliding down slides.

Recess could very well be the most important 30 minutes of their school day for learning — and it has become a contested period for the nation’s youngest students.Teachers use it as a behavioral bargaining chip, administrators weigh playtime against sagging test scores and researchers argue over how best to structure the minutes.The debate over recess has grown so confusing that recently the American Academy of Pediatrics stepped in and updated its policy statement.

Play is not a reward, a privilege or wasted learning time.It is a developmental necessity.California made recess the law beginning in the 2023-24 school year, requiring at least 30 minutes of playtime daily for K-6 students and banning teachers and staff from taking it away as punishment.

However researchers say there is not a process to evaluate whether schools are fully adhering to the mandate.Engage with our community-funded journalism as we delve into child care, transitional kindergarten, health and other issues affecting children from birth through age 5.Under the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, schools faced mounting pressure to raise test scores, creating a fundamental tension between learning time and and play time.

Up to 40% of U.S.school districts reduced or eliminated recess during that era to free up more time for core academics, according to a national study published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the group Springboard to Active Schools.On one side of that tension, educators say their job is to prepare students academically for a complex, technology-driven society, according to the pediatrics association.

On the other, educators point out that schools are respon...