High School Recess: Why Can't Teenagers Play Too?

Across America, one common goal for large and small communities alike is to improve performance in our nation's high school students. Many studies have been conducted and pilot programs of all kinds initiated to this end. I have developed a plan for one such program. As far as I know, it has not yet been tried. This innovative idea? Recess!

Last year, a child's train table was donated to my preschool classroom and my two teenaged sons came to assemble it for me one Saturday. Two hours and three track arrangements later, I knew that while every preschool does not need a train table, every high school most certainly does.

In the last decade or two, many school districts felt that in order to provide more instructional time, it was necessary to eliminate recess from the school day. Some districts went so far as to build new elementary schools without playgrounds. Not only did this not improve academic performance, but it is believed that it was a contributing factor in the current childhood obesity epidemic. The pendulum is now swinging back the other way and elementary school children are once again playing on the swings at recess.

High school is another story, however. Why should teenagers need recess? I say, they need it as much or more than their younger siblings. Teenagers have more difficult subjects to learn, are under more social stresses, and often have multiple extra-curricular commitments. If we do not provide an acceptable outlet for them to relax and unwind, they will find unacceptable ways to do so.

In my pilot program, high schools would have groups of 50 to 100 students in a "playroom" or gym for recess. I would want to see an option for physical play and one for relaxing with games, toys, puzzles, or a train set. Students could opt for one of several recess rooms each quarter so as to have a variety available. We know that CEO's and other executives benefit from down time. The "work-aholic" is no longer the ideal employee. We know that elementary school children benefit from a play break in their school day. Surely it is not such a stretch to accord that same need to teenagers.