The Recess Project: A Recess Revolution

Previously published in Volume 83, Issue 4

Calling the Recess Project 'just a program' would be like calling Cricket a 'simple playground game.' Since 2011, researcher Dr. Lauren McNamara has been completely focused on recess and the impact it has on kids. Her research reveals what most of us know intuitively: that recess is more Lord of the Flies than we care to admit. It is a major headache for teachers, principals and parents and often a source of fear for many children. By working closely with her university students, who were full of fresh, inspiring ideas, the Recess Project was born.

The Recess Project is an award-winning, evidence-based, high-demand project that creates great play environments in high priority schools. The project aims to radically revolutionize recess by ensuring all schools have the necessary support to ensure playspaces are fully inclusive and accessible and that all Canadian children have daily opportunities for meaningful, active play. In partnership with PHE Canada, the Recess Project will scale up its implementation to a National scope, support local, regional, provincial and national policy development, with the overall vision to provide children the opportunity to engage in safe, inclusive and fun recess experiences.

Q: You are trained in educational psychology. What sparked your interest in recess, and in changing or improving the way recess plays out at many schools?

A few things. In 1998, I was doing graduate research in Chicago public schools when I noticed the children did not have a recess or outdoor playtime; they didn’t even have a playground. I found out that all of the schools in the Chicago public board were the same, but even more surprising was that upwards of 30% of schools had reduced or eliminated recess altogether. There was little scholarly research on recess at the time, but I read an interesting article in the New York Times that had a quote I’ll never forget: "We are intent on improving academic performance…You don't do that by having kids hanging on the monkey bars." (Benjamin Canada, superintendent of schools in Atlanta,  1998). The perspective was that unstructured playtime has no educational value.

Since then, research efforts have built a solid case for recess. Progress was painfully slow, but in the last few years policies have been implemented and recess is part of Chicago's school day again (and some other cities' school days, as wel). The challenge is not just to reinstate recess, but to create an environment that is supportive and designed to help kids thrive. In my research, I’ve noticed many of our Canadian playspaces are mostly barren, minimally supervised, crowded and chaotic with rules so strict they undermine the very benefits of play and friendship.

Q. In your view, what are the problems with recess as it is now?

I think that kids are struggling to connect with their peers. For many kids, recess is the only time of the school day that they can do this. Connecting with peers leads to a sense of belonging, which is an essential need for everyone. When we can’t connect, we are at risk of feeling isolated and excluded and that can manifest as anxiety, depression, risky behavior, drug use and aggression.

Typically, very little funding is allocated towards recess. This often translates to minimal supervision. Minimal supervision leads to little or no equipment being allowed on the yard because of safety issues. No equipment and minimal supervision lead to boredom and discipline issues, and that is when the social conflict starts, and that kind of an environment is difficult to connect in. So we need to determine the right conditions for a good recess. That is what we are working on: figuring out what a good recess looks like.

3. Do the children you've talked to think that there's a problem with recess as it's currently conducted?

Oh, yes. In my research, I decided to bring the voices of the kids to the foreground to really try to understand their experience with recess and ensure their voices get heard. Most kids love recess, in spite of the challenges. Kids are very concrete in their replies. The biggest problem, for them, is not having or being allowed to use any equipment on the playground. The second biggest problem for them is social conflict. The teasing, fighting and bickering—whether they're witnessing it or part of it—is really frustrating for them. They told us, quite eloquently, that yard duty supervisors don’t see most of the bullying that happens and that it is mostly relational and the kids are very sophisticated at masking it. Surprisingly, most of the children asked to have more adult supervision during recess. And having friends, they said, was what kept them  from being victimized.

Q. What about those on yard duty? What do they say?

In my experience, the biggest challenges are getting the kids engaged and playing nicely. But this is difficult when there is nothing for the kids to do. It's a vicious cycle.

Q.  We have heard teachers say that children have "forgotten how to play"? Why do you think this is?

I think they are not learning how to play because there are reduced opportunities for them to play, and hence, learn. We seem to be less and less playful as a culture, and I think we need to find ways to bring that back. We can’t blame the kids. New technologies obviously contribute to the kids being more sedentary. They have no trouble learning to play digital games so I think it is a matter of providing kids with more opportunity to play physically active games. The second is that many families are always rushing to after-school activities that demand time and commitment, and that's time away from free, creative play. The third is lack of playable spaces. Many kids live in congested, urban areas where there are real risks involved in “sending them out to play.” As adults we need to protect and promote playfulness. We need to actively create supportive spaces for this to happen. And the fourth is that, on the whole, we have become a very risk-averse culture. Fear of injury and liability really shape our thinking and behaviors. Kids need to push themselves and test their limits. It is a developmental necessity that is well supported by the scholarly literature. Sterilizing their play environments compromises their physical and mental capacities far more than any 99% of the injuries. At the International Play Conference last year, there was quite a bit of emphasis on the need to change our motto from “As Safe As Possible” to “As Safe As Necessary.”

Q. What could be done to improve recess?

I think that we should really look at recess differently, from the vantage point of helping kids connect with one another. They need guidance, role models and activities that help them connect and maintain their friendships. When kids feel connected and accepted they will engage more effectively with each other, feel better and negotiate play more effectively. We need to help them do this because they're struggling on their own. If we really want to optimize their development we have to give them a range of options to engage in during recess, from free unstructured play to organized activities to structured and guided activities. And they need role models to show them how to engage with each other in compassionate, inclusive ways. For example, we offered Zumba classes every week in some of our schools and the response was overwhelming. We had so many kids signing up that we had to limit it; even the teachers signed up. Everyone was high-fiving after, and that positive energy spilled over to the classroom and then flowed throughout the school.

The biggest request from the older grades is organized games and activities. In one of our schools, Soccer baseball at morning recess with the grade 7 and 8 students got them engaged with each other. They get to know and accept each other. When the older kids are kind and inclusive, the younger kids copy them. And that spills over to the classroom and right out the school doors to the community. For those of us in cold climates, we really need indoor spaces to get the kids to be active during recess; this might involve staggering recess times for the kids.

Q. But who organizes all this? Collective agreements limit teacher supervision time.

Exactly. Schools need a dedicated person or team to be a'master planner for recess. The reason the Recess Project has been so successful is because we have the funds to hire, train and place a Recess Coordinator in each school we work with. We have found university students to be a very effective solution. They need part time jobs, they need work experience in the schools and with children, and they are great role models for the students. To be truly sustainable, however, we need to integrate recess and play more seamlessly into the fabric of the entire school. The reality is we will need permanent, well-educated and well-trained staff to do this. To be a truly healthy learning environment I think we need to hold recess and play right up there with math and literacy and staff it accordingly.

Q. Many parents feel that kids are already over-scheduled and over-programmed. Wouldn’t introducing organization into recess merely add to this problem?

Not at all. Giving kids options on the continuum of unstructured free play to structured games is really smart. I need to emphasize that recess is difficult for kids to negotiate. 500 kids of mixed ages and personalities, no equipment, and nothing to do. Some handle this setting better than others. Some kids really suffer. Children who are bullied indicate that it happens most on the playground so it seems irresponsible to insist they “play” in this type of setting. We need to give them spaces that allow them the protection and freedom to play. I was just reading The Glass Castle again and there is a chapter where Jeannette Walls described how the girls circled around her, shielding her from the teachers, and kicked her relentlessly, daily. And she said nothing. These things are happening on our playgrounds now.

Q. From a systemic change perspective, what do you think needs to happen to enable play and recess to be a more viable part of the school day?

As a system, schools really underestimate the developmental force of play and relationships. We need to amend the Education Acts to protect and promote opportunities for play during the school day, and we need to align policy, collective agreements and liability regulations. We desperately need to address space planning and facilities. And we need to advocate and educate. The links between well-being, health and learning are well established. Healthier kids are better learners and have more successful life trajectories, which makes for a stronger and healthier Canada. It is a great investment.

For more information about the Recess Project contact us at [email protected].