Children have long regarded recess as a highlight of the school
day. Recently, unstructured play breaks got an endorsement from
the American Academy of Pediatrics. The AAP issued a new policy
statement on Dec. 31 saying that recess should not be withheld
from children as punishment; that it should complement — but not
replace — physical education; and that it can benefit children's
cognitive, academic and social development in addition to
contributing to their overall physical fitness. "It's important
to protect recess," said Catherine Ramstetter, who co-authored
the policy statement with Robert Murray. "The fundamental goal
of school is to provide academic and cognitive development, and
recess is part of that." Ramstetter, a member of the committee
on home and school health for the Ohio chapter of the AAP, said
that she and Murray, a member of the AAP's national committee on
home and school health, initially looked into the ways recess
can help prevent childhood obesity. As they researched, though,
they foun