The best way to get kids to learn, as it turns out, might be to give them more time for unstructured free play. A school in Fort Worth, Texas, discovered in 2016 that giving children in first grade and kindergarten more scheduled breaks has increased their ability to focus on their lessons. After implementing four 15-minute breaks for the kids to go outside and play, two in the morning and then two more in the afternoon, children have been learning more than they were with only one 15-minute recess per day.
Initially, teachers at the school were concerned they wouldn’t be able to make up the lost time, since the breaks went from just 15 minutes to an hour of playtime per day. “There was a part of me that was very nervous about it,” said Donna McBride, a first-grade teacher at Eagle Mountain Elementary. “I was trying to wrap my head around my class going outside four times a day and still being able to teach those children all the things they needed to learn.” But ultimately, McBride came around.
Texas school added more recess to the day, and teachers immediately noticed a difference in the kids:
1. More recess led to better scholastic results
Even months after the school implemented the new break procedures, McBride and other teachers noticed that the students were actually sitting still, paying more attention, and even following directions better. Disciplinary action was down as well. “We’re seeing really good results,” she said…