Children Need Recess- Researchers have found that 8- to 9-year-old children, having
1 daily recess period of 15 minutes in length was associated with better teacher’s rating of
class behavior scores. This study suggests that schoolchildren in this age group should
be provided with daily recess. Pediatrics 2009;123:431–436
Turning Physical Fitness into Fun for Life --My four high school boys, all on the
autism spectrum, bound into the “sports” room for our session in a weekly recreation
program. The staff members call it “sports”, but, it is a misnomer that I let slide simply
because I choose to take a “call-it-whatever-you-want” approach to some things. Chris,
Ron, Kyle, and John vary a great deal in their abilities. For thirty-five minutes we work on
mobility, coordination, strength, and stability while managing to have fun in the process.
The boys are proud of themselves, seeking high-fives and eagerly awaiting commentary
on how well they’ve done in between medicine ball throws, Sandbell lifts, and swinging a
fire hose in high arcs in the corner of the room. Redefining fitness and physical education
are crucial for optimal development in all populations. For young individuals with autism
and developmental disorders, physical activity is a gateway towards achievement in all
areas of life. By Eric Chessen reprinted from Parentingspecialneeds.org January
2010
The 3 R’s? A Fourth Is Crucial, Too: Recess--New research suggests that play and
down time may be as important to a child’s academic experience as reading, science and
math, and that regular recess, fitness or nature time can influence behavior, concentration
and even grades. From The New York Times, February 2009
Let's Play With his new book, “Play,” Stuart Brown, Founder of the National Institute for
Play has thrust playtime back into the national spotlight. But why is it so important? To find
out, we sought out IU experts to talk about the benefits of a playful life at every age. From
INside, A quarterly publication by Indiana University Student Media April 13, 2009
Cuts to parks and playgrounds are damaging to kids, adults Just when we most
need an escape from the pressures of life in 2009, Atlanta’s parks are getting hammered
with budget cuts. Recreation centers and programs are being shut down, maintenance
programs that directly affect park safety are being cut back, much-needed playgrounds
aren’t getting built and our children and families will suffer because of it all. People
wrongly think that play is a luxury and a low priority in times like these. It must be that old
Puritan work ethic. But, the truth is that in this time of enormous stress, the opportunity to
play in and make full use of our city’s limited park space is more important than ever. It’s
as simple as this: parks + play = healthier children (and grownups, too). Op-Ed Piece
From Atlanta Journal April 10, 2009
Boulder fifth-graders explore how to make playground more friendly for disabled
Fifth-grader Brendan Bauer on Friday test-drove a wheelchair -- maneuvering around a
tight classroom corner, down a narrow ramp and into his school's cafeteria where he
simulated getting lunch from the salad bar. He discovered several obstacles along the
way. Mesa Elementary School students spent the afternoon exploring their school in a
way they never had before. They used blindfolds, walkers, ear plugs and wheelchairs to
complete everyday tasks in their classroom and library, and while playing outside. The
exercise is intended to teach them empathy and help them understand how the school,
and its playground, could be more inclusive. From Boulder County's Daily Camera
April 10, 2009
10 Reasons Play Can Make You Healthy, Happy, and More Productive Recess
helps kids do better in school From US News and World Report March 9, 2009
Play is not trivial; it's a basic biological drive as critical to our health as sleep or food.
That's the word from Stuart Brown, author of the new book Play: How It Shapes the Brain,
Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul (Avery, $24.95). Here are 10 ways that
play makes life better:
1 daily recess period of 15 minutes in length was associated with better teacher’s rating of
class behavior scores. This study suggests that schoolchildren in this age group should
be provided with daily recess. Pediatrics 2009;123:431–436
Turning Physical Fitness into Fun for Life --My four high school boys, all on the
autism spectrum, bound into the “sports” room for our session in a weekly recreation
program. The staff members call it “sports”, but, it is a misnomer that I let slide simply
because I choose to take a “call-it-whatever-you-want” approach to some things. Chris,
Ron, Kyle, and John vary a great deal in their abilities. For thirty-five minutes we work on
mobility, coordination, strength, and stability while managing to have fun in the process.
The boys are proud of themselves, seeking high-fives and eagerly awaiting commentary
on how well they’ve done in between medicine ball throws, Sandbell lifts, and swinging a
fire hose in high arcs in the corner of the room. Redefining fitness and physical education
are crucial for optimal development in all populations. For young individuals with autism
and developmental disorders, physical activity is a gateway towards achievement in all
areas of life. By Eric Chessen reprinted from Parentingspecialneeds.org January
2010
The 3 R’s? A Fourth Is Crucial, Too: Recess--New research suggests that play and
down time may be as important to a child’s academic experience as reading, science and
math, and that regular recess, fitness or nature time can influence behavior, concentration
and even grades. From The New York Times, February 2009
Let's Play With his new book, “Play,” Stuart Brown, Founder of the National Institute for
Play has thrust playtime back into the national spotlight. But why is it so important? To find
out, we sought out IU experts to talk about the benefits of a playful life at every age. From
INside, A quarterly publication by Indiana University Student Media April 13, 2009
Cuts to parks and playgrounds are damaging to kids, adults Just when we most
need an escape from the pressures of life in 2009, Atlanta’s parks are getting hammered
with budget cuts. Recreation centers and programs are being shut down, maintenance
programs that directly affect park safety are being cut back, much-needed playgrounds
aren’t getting built and our children and families will suffer because of it all. People
wrongly think that play is a luxury and a low priority in times like these. It must be that old
Puritan work ethic. But, the truth is that in this time of enormous stress, the opportunity to
play in and make full use of our city’s limited park space is more important than ever. It’s
as simple as this: parks + play = healthier children (and grownups, too). Op-Ed Piece
From Atlanta Journal April 10, 2009
Boulder fifth-graders explore how to make playground more friendly for disabled
Fifth-grader Brendan Bauer on Friday test-drove a wheelchair -- maneuvering around a
tight classroom corner, down a narrow ramp and into his school's cafeteria where he
simulated getting lunch from the salad bar. He discovered several obstacles along the
way. Mesa Elementary School students spent the afternoon exploring their school in a
way they never had before. They used blindfolds, walkers, ear plugs and wheelchairs to
complete everyday tasks in their classroom and library, and while playing outside. The
exercise is intended to teach them empathy and help them understand how the school,
and its playground, could be more inclusive. From Boulder County's Daily Camera
April 10, 2009
10 Reasons Play Can Make You Healthy, Happy, and More Productive Recess
helps kids do better in school From US News and World Report March 9, 2009
Play is not trivial; it's a basic biological drive as critical to our health as sleep or food.
That's the word from Stuart Brown, author of the new book Play: How It Shapes the Brain,
Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul (Avery, $24.95). Here are 10 ways that
play makes life better:
Play In the News
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TOYS"R"US AND BABIES"R"US LAUNCH IN-STORE FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN TO BENEFIT AUTISM SPEAKS
This weekend, Toys"R"Us and Babies"R"Us stores nationwide will kick off a nine-week in-store fundraising campaign to
disorders; funding research into the causes, prevention and treatments for autism; and advocating for the needs of
company's more than 260 Babies"R"Us stores also will participate in the program. From Sunday, March 1 through
Friday, May 1, donations will be collected in more than 800 "R"Us stores across the country and online at www.Toysrus.
com/AutismSpeaks to coincide with Autism Awareness Month in April.
Research Shows a Walk in the Park Improves Attention in Children with ADHD From University of Illinois
October 2008 For children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) tasks that require concentration such
as doing homework or taking a test can be very difficult. A simple, inexpensive remedy may be a "dose of nature."
The 3 R’s? A Fourth Is Crucial, Too: Recess From New York Times, Feb. 24, 2009. The best way to improve
children’s performance in the classroom may be to take them out of it.New research suggests that play and down time
may be as important to a child’s academic experience as reading, science and math, and that regular recess, fitness or
nature time can influence behavior, concentration and even grades. Read more...
Recess Makes for Better Students From the Washington Post MONDAY, Jan. 26 (HealthDay News) -- As a
pediatric resident in a hospital in Brooklyn, N.Y., Dr. Romina M. Barros sat in on a regular first-grade class at a local
elementary school. Classes started at 8:30 in the morning, lasting till noon, with one 10-minute break during which
children were not allowed to talk or move from their chairs. Read more...Playing It Smart! Research shows that
outdoor play is not only fun but essential to child growth and development. From Land and People Winter
2008 Twelve-year-old Izzy Miller spends three hours every Saturday volunteering for a native-plant restoration
program in San Francisco's Presidio National Park. One of his favorite things about this activity is watching the lizards
that inhabit one of the work sites. "It's funny to be planting and see the lizards scuttle around when you pull out a plant
they were hiding under," he says.
Old-Fashioned Play Builds Serious Skills From NPR February 21, 2008 On October 3, 1955, the Mickey Mouse
Club debuted on television. As we all now know, the show quickly became a cultural icon, one of those phenomena that
helped define an era.
Taking Play Seriously From New York Times Magazine, February 2008 On a drizzly Tuesday night in late
January, 200 people came out to hear a psychiatrist talk rhapsodically about play — not just the intense, joyous play of
children, but play for all people, at all ages, at all times. (All species too; the lecture featured touching photos of a polar
bear and a husky engaging playfully at a snowy outpost in northern Canada.) Stuart Brown, president of the National
Institute for Play, was speaking at the New York Public Library’s main branch on 42nd Street. He created the institute in
1996, after more than 20 years of psychiatric practice and research persuaded him of the dangerous long-term
consequences of play deprivation. In a sold-out talk at the library, he and Krista Tippett, host of the public-radio
program ‘‘Speaking of Faith,’’ discussed the biological and spiritual underpinnings of play. Brown called play part of
the ‘‘developmental sequencing of becoming a human primate. If you look at what produces learning and memory and
well-being, play is as fundamental as any other aspect of life, including sleep and dreams.’’
The end of playtime? Play time is over for children, with up to half of youngsters banned from climbing trees, playing
conkers or riding their bikes by over-protective parents who are terrified that they might get hurt. Read more...
You kids, get outside! Haley practices marbles at the museum most Saturdays, but then she's got to play soccer on
a team coached by her dad, David Calhoun. She also goes to Girl Scout meetings, and admits to spending way too
much time visiting the Webkinz and Club Penguin Web sites. "If you didn't tell her, she'd stay indoors," her dad said.
"You've gotta kick her out to play." Read more...
Exercise builds strong brains, too Kids who play hard every day may be making their brains, as well as their
bodies, stronger.A new study reports that children who play vigorously for 20 to 40 minutes a day may be better able to
organize schoolwork, do class projects and learn mathematics. Read more...
Let our Children Roam Free Fear of traffic risks and ‘stranger danger’ are holding our children captive indoors. For
the sake of their health and development, and for the environment they will one day need to protect, we have to find
ways of getting them into the wild. Read more..
Are You Allowing Your Children the Freedom to Play? Play is a world of adventure full of discovery. Play is your
child’s way of exploring the world. It is their first discovery of sensation, movement, language and their surroundings
and is an essential part of a child’s development. Being able to play freely enables them to learn invaluable skills that
will set them up for life. Read more...
This weekend, Toys"R"Us and Babies"R"Us stores nationwide will kick off a nine-week in-store fundraising campaign to
disorders; funding research into the causes, prevention and treatments for autism; and advocating for the needs of
company's more than 260 Babies"R"Us stores also will participate in the program. From Sunday, March 1 through
Friday, May 1, donations will be collected in more than 800 "R"Us stores across the country and online at www.Toysrus.
com/AutismSpeaks to coincide with Autism Awareness Month in April.
Research Shows a Walk in the Park Improves Attention in Children with ADHD From University of Illinois
October 2008 For children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) tasks that require concentration such
as doing homework or taking a test can be very difficult. A simple, inexpensive remedy may be a "dose of nature."
The 3 R’s? A Fourth Is Crucial, Too: Recess From New York Times, Feb. 24, 2009. The best way to improve
children’s performance in the classroom may be to take them out of it.New research suggests that play and down time
may be as important to a child’s academic experience as reading, science and math, and that regular recess, fitness or
nature time can influence behavior, concentration and even grades. Read more...
Recess Makes for Better Students From the Washington Post MONDAY, Jan. 26 (HealthDay News) -- As a
pediatric resident in a hospital in Brooklyn, N.Y., Dr. Romina M. Barros sat in on a regular first-grade class at a local
elementary school. Classes started at 8:30 in the morning, lasting till noon, with one 10-minute break during which
children were not allowed to talk or move from their chairs. Read more...Playing It Smart! Research shows that
outdoor play is not only fun but essential to child growth and development. From Land and People Winter
2008 Twelve-year-old Izzy Miller spends three hours every Saturday volunteering for a native-plant restoration
program in San Francisco's Presidio National Park. One of his favorite things about this activity is watching the lizards
that inhabit one of the work sites. "It's funny to be planting and see the lizards scuttle around when you pull out a plant
they were hiding under," he says.
Old-Fashioned Play Builds Serious Skills From NPR February 21, 2008 On October 3, 1955, the Mickey Mouse
Club debuted on television. As we all now know, the show quickly became a cultural icon, one of those phenomena that
helped define an era.
Taking Play Seriously From New York Times Magazine, February 2008 On a drizzly Tuesday night in late
January, 200 people came out to hear a psychiatrist talk rhapsodically about play — not just the intense, joyous play of
children, but play for all people, at all ages, at all times. (All species too; the lecture featured touching photos of a polar
bear and a husky engaging playfully at a snowy outpost in northern Canada.) Stuart Brown, president of the National
Institute for Play, was speaking at the New York Public Library’s main branch on 42nd Street. He created the institute in
1996, after more than 20 years of psychiatric practice and research persuaded him of the dangerous long-term
consequences of play deprivation. In a sold-out talk at the library, he and Krista Tippett, host of the public-radio
program ‘‘Speaking of Faith,’’ discussed the biological and spiritual underpinnings of play. Brown called play part of
the ‘‘developmental sequencing of becoming a human primate. If you look at what produces learning and memory and
well-being, play is as fundamental as any other aspect of life, including sleep and dreams.’’
The end of playtime? Play time is over for children, with up to half of youngsters banned from climbing trees, playing
conkers or riding their bikes by over-protective parents who are terrified that they might get hurt. Read more...
You kids, get outside! Haley practices marbles at the museum most Saturdays, but then she's got to play soccer on
a team coached by her dad, David Calhoun. She also goes to Girl Scout meetings, and admits to spending way too
much time visiting the Webkinz and Club Penguin Web sites. "If you didn't tell her, she'd stay indoors," her dad said.
"You've gotta kick her out to play." Read more...
Exercise builds strong brains, too Kids who play hard every day may be making their brains, as well as their
bodies, stronger.A new study reports that children who play vigorously for 20 to 40 minutes a day may be better able to
organize schoolwork, do class projects and learn mathematics. Read more...
Let our Children Roam Free Fear of traffic risks and ‘stranger danger’ are holding our children captive indoors. For
the sake of their health and development, and for the environment they will one day need to protect, we have to find
ways of getting them into the wild. Read more..
Are You Allowing Your Children the Freedom to Play? Play is a world of adventure full of discovery. Play is your
child’s way of exploring the world. It is their first discovery of sensation, movement, language and their surroundings
and is an essential part of a child’s development. Being able to play freely enables them to learn invaluable skills that
will set them up for life. Read more...
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