CONWAY, Ark. — Longer recess periods are something many kids dream of having. Arkansas’s Extended Recess Pilot Program launched this August and a Conway school is seeing positive effects.
“I like to get on the swings and tire swings. And I like to get on the monkey bars,” 1st grader Brenynn Jones said.
Students at Marguerite Vann Elementary School in Conway are enjoying an extra 30 minutes of recess each day.
“I feel happy and good, so we can get some excessive,” Jones said.
They’re one of 24 schools in the state participating. Physical education teacher Jana Hedgecock said they usually get 30 minutes a day.
“It is doubling our recess time each day,” Hedgecock said.
Hedgecock said the only issue this school saw was creating a new schedule for the campus.
“Pulling five to 10 minutes from each subject area so it’s not just coming from one subject area,” Hedgecock said.
Kindergarten gets three 20-minute recess periods and 1st through 4th grade gets two 30-minute recess periods. Staff notice students developing better social skills.
“They’re not playing with the same friends each recess they’re going and visiting and playing with more friends,” Hedgecock said.
They also said students are getting out the extra energy they built up during the day.
“In our classroom, our teachers are seeing that students are more ready to learn, they’re getting more information into them,” Hedgecock said.
She said most adults don’t like to sit in one spot all day, and the same goes for these kids.
“It’s great for their brains to get that break from the academics. They get to come out and refresh, restart their brain.”
Hedgecock said the CDC recommends children get 60 minutes of play time each day, and in an era of technology, many don’t get that at home.
“Kids are loving it, they’re thrilled to come to school, they don’t want to leave. They’re sad when they miss their recess. So, we’re just really enjoying the program and seeing great things from it,” Hedgecock said.
At the end of the program, the state will look at teacher surveys, test scores, and behavioral referrals to determine whether to extend the program for another year.