The American Academy of Pediatrics on Monday issued its first updated guidance on school recess in 13 years, warning that the steady erosion of unstructured play time is undercutting children’s academic performance and physical health at a moment when roughly 1 in 5 U.S. children and teens are affected by obesity. The policy statement, published in the journal Pediatrics, calls on schools to provide at least 20 minutes of daily recess with multiple breaks and to stop the practice of withholding break time as punishment — a practice the group said disproportionately hurts the students who need recess most.
“Recess has always supported play — free play for kids — but it’s been increasingly threatened over time,” said Dr. Robert Murray, a lead author of the guidance, citing pressure to raise standardized test scores as one driver of the decline. “It has a very powerful benefit if it’s used to the fullest.”
Since the mid-2000s, up to 40% of school districts nationally have reduced or eliminated recess, according to data from Springboard to Active Schools in collaboration with the CDC. The duration of recess now varies widely across U.S. schools, ranging from less than 10 minutes to more than an hour per day, with older students generally receiving less time than younger ones. In countries such as Denmark, Japan, and the United Kingdom, students receive breaks after every 45 to 50 minutes of classroom instruction.
Murray and his colleagues emphasized that new research shows the brain needs pauses between concentrated bouts of learning to hold and store information. Recess also gives children a chance to navigate relationships and build confidence — skills the researchers said are just as important for middle and high school students as for elementary-age children.
The guidance specifically recommends that recess never be withheld for academic or disciplinary reasons, a common practice Murray said often targets the very students who need the break most. “If the child is disruptive or rude and disrespectful, recess is one of the things that teachers use to punish kids,” Murray said. “Students struggling with behavioral issues or grades are often the ones who need recess most.”
Dr. Lauren Fiechtner, a childhood obesity expert at Mass General Brigham for Children in Boston who was not involved in creating the guidance, endorsed the recommendations. She recalled how her 8-year-old son learned to play basketball at recess and now loves the game. Fiechtner said she agrees that older students need recess as well.
“As kids get older, they’re more on their screens. So it’s really helpful, I think, for outdoor activity and recess to be happening,” she said. “Recess is great. We all kind of need recess.”