Texas Schools Triple Recess Time to Help Kids Concentrate

To perform better in school, maybe kids need less time in the classroom.

Some Texas schools are gaining attention for tripling the recess time for students, and we're waiting to see if this growing trend catches on in East Texas.

Eagle Mountain Elementary in Fort Worth boosted the recess time for kindergarten and first-grade students to give them more time to run around outside and play during the school day, and the teachers are saying the kids are better able to focus in class because they're not fidgeting so much now.  The school gives kids two 15-minute recess breaks every morning and two 15-minute breaks every afternoon.

That's a lot of recess.  But if you have kids between the ages of 5 and 9 like I do, you know they cannot sit still very long.  Anything a parent can do to help them climb, tumble, run, and burn barrels of energy, we will do!  Wear 'em out and they'll sleep well at night.  Which brings up the question -- should parents be the ones giving the kids ample opportunities for exercise, or should it fall on the schools?

Several Texas schools have implemented a new program that calls for more recess time outside, to give the kids lots of breaks during the day.  When they get back to class, they're not as fidgety and the attention span is longer.  With increasing cases of ADHD, is more recess the solution?

Not only does increased recess help with attention and concentration, but some say increasing the play time helps with bad behavior too.

If you're so inclined, the experts say to contact your school board to ask for the boost in recess time each day, and request new programs that include more breaks and play time.  At the very least, as parents maybe we can include more park time and less screen time at home to help the kids channel all that energy.

Can we have more recess time at work too?  That might be a whole 'nother discussion.