Breaks at school - how often?

[Kanin]

I've been reading a lot of research about kids' attention spans and how exercise helps focus and learning. Some schools are increasing recess time, but some are not. It seems like the pro-recess schools get as good or better results than the non-recess schools. For those of you with kids in school, how much recess/movement do your kids get? Or... how much do you wish they would get? For some reason I'm picturing 30-45 minutes of inside time followed by 15 minutes of recess, rinse, repeat. At my school they get one 30 min recess, with short movement breaks during classes, but there isn't any real serious outdoor time except for the one recess in the middle of the day.

[AimeeM]

While we had other, larger, issues with the private SN school our daughter attended a few years back, one thing they did right, imo, was recess. All of the kids (K-8th grade) had at least a couple hours of outdoor time, movement, and/or recess throughout the day. Classes were held outdoors whenever possible, classes involved movement whenever possible, they had about an hour of dedicated break and recess time besides movement in classes, etc. Classes often incorporated "heavy work/movement" -- building things with actual wood, nails, and equipment outside that applied to their period of history studies, for example.

 

It was absolutely a great thing. One of the reasons I hesitate to put my children in brick and mortar school is the recess. Even the brick and mortar schools here that are "SN friendly" and SN integrated only have 20-30 minutes of dedicated recess... even for kindergartners. We have a fantastic parish Catholic school that has a special needs program, but there is no way in hades that The Marvelous Flying Marco could handle only 30 minutes a day of activity. 

[goldenecho]

I have one homeschooled and two in public school.  Both in public school (6th and 8th grade) get a PE Class (45 minutes I believe) and no recess.  In elementary they got a PE class and 15 minute recess during the day.

 

But with my homeschool I can vouch for how excercise has helped with learning.  We were getting NOWHERE with math facts until I started doing math drills  while my child jumped on the bed.  Before that he was able to understand concepts (like +1 and +0) but could not memorize for ANYTHING (so even if I said 6+6 is 12 and then asked "what is 6 plus 6" he often could not remember...that bad.  But we were able to memorize doubles and addition to 10 in no time while jumping.  Really made a difference. )

 

(The closest I've heard of schools doing something like that is that some schools are doing things like swivel chairs to allow kids to move while at their desks...my bouncy older son was given a exercise ball to sit on during class one year and it helped him concentrate. )

Edited March 20, 2017 by goldenecho

[Heathermomster]

In elementary private school, DS had 2-3 recesses per day. He also had PE. I'll have to ask DS about times. He missed some due to pullout for Wilson.

 

As a high schooler, DS is now using the elliptical and lifting weights in the afternoon. CBT told us that there is a 90 min attention boost after rigorous exercise.

Edited March 20, 2017 by Heathermomster

[Kanin]

Keep 'em comin'! I would love to convince my principal to add two extra breaks (morning + afternoon) in addition to the 30 min recess. Even if she says no, I'd like to just do it on my own, with any kids I have at the time. (We're flexible, so that wouldn't be an issue - but a school-wide initiative would be good for everyone!)

[Kanin]

I also like the idea of heavy work... I wonder how to do that at school. I do notice that when kids have tasks that are genuinely helpful - like sorting through a drawer of rubber bands, pencils + sharpies - they focus well and get a lot out of it. I'll have to think more about real jobs that kids can do that would truly take the workload off a teacher!

[nature girl]

My DD7's school only has one 30 minute recess a day (1st grade.) But they do a wonderful program called Go Noodle once or twice a day, which teaches the kids dance moves. She LOVES it, and it really keeps her going. They do yoga once a week, and she also is allowed breaks when she needs them, to visit staff she's made friends with, see the school's fish, etc. She actually rarely asks for breaks now, but it's always an option. There are a couple of other kids in the class whose ADHD is less controlled, and they get breaks as rewards (that's how DD's year started as well) where if they do well for an hour or two they're allowed to take a break. Those two kids also have bouncy bands on their chairs.

 

For heavy work (which I thought DD would need, but it turns out she hasn't) I suggested they have her push the library cart, carry boxes of supplies (making up reasons for them to be carried...) and she has an aide who could have taken her out to the hall for wall pushups if needed. Also little breaks through the day, like sharpening her pencil, being the one to erase the board, handing out papers, etc.

[Kanin]

We're big fans of Go Noodle as well  :thumbup1:

[Lecka]

Here are some ideas for heavy work:  send kids to take out the recycling box full of paper.  Have a big pail with playground balls that takes two kids to carry.  Have a big pail where kids put lunch boxes as they come in the room, then two kids carry it to another part of the room.

 

Anything where as kids walk in the room they could put things down in a big pail, that then gets carried to another part of the room, might work in the morning.

 

Carrying the big pails back to the room after lunch/recess also looks like it works well.  (They get carried down the halls, it takes 4 kids per class.) 

 

They also have a pail where kids put library books, and then it is carried to the library by two kids. 

 

There is also such a thing as writing phony notes to the office that kids are asked to deliver, to get them a break when it looks like they need one. Or be sent to the library and asked to carry back some books. 

 

Oh, also if you have a printer in your room and there is a supply of office paper somewhere, you can send kids to carry back office paper. 

 

Edit:  there are kids where I think it really helps them with the transition from recess back to class to be carrying the buckets of lunch boxes or balls. 

 

There is also the old adage of giving kids something to carry if you don't want them touching things (other people, everything they walk past, etc). 

Edited March 20, 2017 by Lecka

[PeterPan]

They get as many breaks as they need. Whatever it takes. That's what the IEP would say. Not even just for attention but also sensory integration. Whatever it takes, as much as it takes. And it can vary by the day.