Blog #4: In today’s world of high stakes standardized testing, where does play fit into the day?


In today’s world of education I believe it is more important than ever to give students a break! I don’t know of hardly any adult that can sit through hours and hours of classes with minimal movement and breaks! Then look at this perspective through students’ eyes and see why they can’t handle it successfully. Some may be able to sit there but they are definitely not going to be as engaged as they would be given a brain break, a chance to move a little, change seats, stretch, etc. Some even with the movement by nature can still not sit very attentive and focus. With age this becomes a little easier for children but I believe all students at any grade level deserve and need a brain break.
According to an article in the Miami Herald — a parent group won the battle to increase recess for their children’s school. A parent stated, “I believe that all the academic goals can be gained not only through formal organized goals through the curriculum, but also through spontaneous play,” said Maria Pardo, a Miami-Dade mom and recess advocate. “I think that children need to be able to improvise, to know what to do with their own time beyond instruction.” Good for them! It is sad they had to go to bat for their children instead of the school changing schedules on their own.
I can speak on my own 2nd grade classroom. We have a 15-minute recess in the morning. We have around a 20-minute recess at lunch and then we have our “specials” in the afternoon (rotation between Music, PE, Keyboarding, and Art). Even with the above schedule my students still get antsy, loose focus, and need to move. I have always been a big believer in brain breaks to rejuvenate our bodies and brains. I myself am not a sitter. I need to get up and move to be the best me I can be. Over the last few years I have loved using GoNoodle.com. It is amazing for elementary and especially lower elementary. There is a huge amount of choices and activities to get you out of your seat and moving. Each one varies but completion time takes from a minute to four minutes generally. We usually do 2–3 depending on the length of time each one is. You choose a character and then the activity and it accumulates points and the more points you earn your character morphs until you max it out. You can then print the certificate and choose a new character. My students’ love it and the meaning behind it — to have fun, exercise, and give their brains a break. They even have calming ones you can do to redirect their minds and ready them for the next learning lesson. Check it out — GoNoodle.com.
As I have stated above, I believe that students need brain-breaks, recesses, etc. at any age to be the best they can be, even in the busy world of high-stakes testing.
