I was not sure what to write about for this blog entry, so I read a few other blog posts and Amber's in particular triggered a thought in me. She wrote about how children need more vigorous play as supported by an article by Bokony and Patrick from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, because children need that athletic activity to allow them to focus more when needed. An example that popped into my head is recess. As Jean Piaget said, "Play is the work of the child," meaning that in order for children to develop into successful adults, they need to play.
This got me thinking about recent measures to take away recess in favor of more time to focus on the core subjects in elementary school. This is detailed in the scholarly article, "Recess Makes Kids Smarter" by Caralee Adams, which illustrates the importance of play- in particular, associative play, to creating a well rounded child that can focus in class and be able to run around and have a break. This debate of giving kids recess vs. giving more schoolwork dates back to the No Child Left Behind Act in 2001, giving a prime example of how adults think that taking away play will benefit a child; however, it would only hinder them.
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