Recess on the Rise

Today's post written by YV Intern Jason Harrison.

Last Friday I found myself in a taxi headed toward American University for an unexpected game of kickball. Playworks was hosting their annual Corporate Kickball Tournament and one of the teams cancelled at the last minute. So there I found myself—playing kickball with Americorps members, lawyers, business people, and leaders from the non-profit community. They had come together to support Playworks mission: To improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play.

As David Borntstein recently reported in the New York Times, "there is strong evidence that school-based physical activity improves children's cognitive skills, concentration and behavior." Then why, in recent years, has recess been reduced or eliminated completely in schools across the country? Some cite the No Child Left Behind Act, which can pressure teachers to focus on academics and eliminate playtime. Administrators are also persuaded by another important factor: “Close to 90 percent of disciplinary problems occur during recess or lunch or the transitions before and after,” (Bornstein). Ironically, the solution to behavior problems at recess may be more recess.

Ashoka Fellow and Playworks founder Jill Vialet believes that if kids don’t know how to play, we should teach them. This is why Playworks enlists the help of trained, full-time coaches in low-income and urban schools to transform recess and play into a positive experience. Other efforts like KaBOOM!, which builds community playgrounds, have sprung up to address this social problem in an innovative way.

Several fellow of Ashoka’s Youth Venture have also recognized the importance of playtime. Take Gracie Firestone for example. At the age of 15, she started Let The Kids Play to raise money and donations for sports equipment for disadvantaged youth in Africa. After seeing the success of her venture, Gracie and her team took their program to every high school within her regional sports conference in the Wilmington, Delaware area.

Another example started two years ago when five 5th graders decided to do something about the shortage and bad condition of recess equipment at their school in Marlborough, Massachusetts. With seed funding from Youth Venture and United Way, they launched Recess For All. By mobilizing their peers for fundraising and outreach, they were able to purchase enough equipment and increase physical activity at recess.

I am impressed at how changemakers of all ages are responding to address the problems of our day. It’s innovative. It’s entrepreneurial. And it’s fun!

Photo credit: Jason Harrison