MARTHA MAcCALLUM, KELLY McKENNA: America’s children need recess now more than ever

As we enter the “dog days” of summer in this 250th year, as our nation boldly declares its independence, there is a great deal of thought, as there should be, about who we are and what we truly value. As we look to the future, perhaps there is no more important measure than how we educate our children so that they can be strong guardians of our country and democracy in the decades to come.

It turns out that the basic fact of being healthy, getting fresh air, and playing play a pretty big role in achieving this goal. It’s very simple. Free. It stimulates and renews the power of learning, and it seems that most of our children get very little benefit from it.

Since the first days of the Republic, education has never been considered only as the effective transfer of knowledge. Reformers such as Horace Mann, whose vision helped shape modern American education, argued that schools should prepare children not only for work but also for democratic life. Even the word kindergarten, which means “children’s garden” in German, reflects the understanding that young minds need space to grow, explore, play and develop.

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But over time, our definition of educational success has narrowed. Beginning with A Nation at Risk in 1983 and accelerating through the No Child Left Behind accountability era, schools have come under increasing pressure to maximize instructional minutes and standardized test performance. One of the first casualties was recess, which was often treated as disposable time rather than an important part of learning.

Today, modern neuroscience has confirmed what America’s early education reformers intuitively understood: Children learn best in schools that develop the whole child, not just the test-taker. In many respects, science has finally caught up with philosophy. Earlier this summer, the American Academy of Pediatrics released its first updated policy statement on recess since 2013. Rather than reaffirming its earlier recommendations, the new statement reflects the explosion of research over the past decade; expands from roughly 44 references to more than 100 studies documenting how recess supports learning, memory, executive function, social development, mental health, and physical well-being. Ultimately, recess is not a break from learning; It is part of the way children learn.

Because recess is not just exercise. This is the only part of the school day designed around play for children. As two middle school kids explained in an op-ed published this month in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, it gives students the opportunity to “renew themselves.” It also allows them to negotiate conflicts, practice leadership, build friendships, manage stress, solve problems, and return to the classroom to focus and learn better. These are not “soft skills.” These are qualities that fuel innovation, civic engagement, resilience, and collaboration—qualities every generation of Americans needs.

In other words, the Academy’s advice is clear: Recess should be protected, never withheld as punishment or replaced with more academic classes. This result has not changed since 2013. What changed was the strength of the evidence behind it. More than a decade of new research has deepened our understanding of why recess is important; not only for children’s physical health, but also for their cognitive development, emotional health and long-term success.

The lesson is quite consistent with America’s oldest educational ideals. If the goal of education is to develop thoughtful, resilient citizens and not just higher test scores, then recess is the key to learning, not a distraction from learning.

This summer, as Americans come together to celebrate our nation’s 250th birthday, we also celebrate examples of teamwork, perseverance and excellence across the country, from neighborhood football fields to championship fields. But those qualities don’t start under the stadium lights, as in the stunning athleticism displayed by countries around the world at the FIFA World Cup or the college sports teams we’ll start watching in August. They start from the playgrounds. Long before they ever put on a team uniform as professional athletes, college athletes, or even on little league fields, kids learn to cooperate, lead, compromise, recover from failure, resolve conflict, and celebrate success together during recess.

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Two hundred and fifty years after our nation’s founding, only twelve states currently mandate daily school recess for children. But many states, including New York, are considering legislation that would change that. As we prepare for “back to school” in August and consider mandatory recess laws in the next legislative session, the country will see how states decide whether to let children play.

We have all seen the evidence that children are becoming more isolated, depressed and anxious in a society where we are all glued to our screens. Protecting children’s playtime, fresh air and opportunities for social connection is one of the simplest ways to improve their health and well-being.

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The children on today’s playgrounds will be tomorrow’s architects, engineers, scientists, doctors, diplomats, entrepreneurs, artists, teachers, military leaders, parents and elected officials. They might even be America’s World Cup soccer stars. They will shape America’s next 250 years.

The skills they will need – creativity, collaboration, resilience, curiosity, leadership, empathy and the confidence to solve problems together – will require a commitment to academic rigor in the classroom, balanced with the promise of playtime and fresh air to ‘refresh’ young minds and bodies each school day.

Kelly McKenna is the CEO of End Chronic Patient, former captain of Stanford’s varsity sailing team, and a three-time All-American.