Pencils And Playgrounds: What Can Outside Play Do For A Child?

Pencils and Playgrounds: What Can Outside Play Do For A Child? For many kids of the Elementary age, if you ask them what their favorite subject is, a lot of them will say “recess”. Though the response is not exactly answering the question, there is some merit to what those kids are saying. Countless studies over the years by numerous scientists have proven that play is beneficial. That being said, there are some studies, if not just as many, making the case that play during school hours should be reduced or altered in a certain way in order to make the play time “more productive”. Of course, the point to be made is that play is an integral element in the development of a child.

One way that play is significant to children is that it enables
Both socially and emotionally, children everywhere have an innate need to feel loved and wanted. Play has the ability to teach children how to work well in a group, learn how to live life, and gives kids a chance to learn behaviors both positive and negative from each other. Additionally, most, if not all of these behaviors translate directly to the classroom, so the teacher also benefits from the behavioral skills that children can learn simply by interacting with each other on the playground. Similarly, children can also benefit from increased cognitive development when being an active participant in play (Isenberg & Quisenberry 4). Evidence from multiple instances of research indicates that children can make improvements in their attention spans, planning skills, and attitudes as well. Again, all of these aspects can translate to not just the classroom but life as well, showing that play is not just a waste of
Some inner-city schools in America have implemented what they call “structured play”, which was put in place in order to create a more orderly environment (Hu 1). The schools hire a “coach” who will walk them through the basics of a game very quickly and leads them through it for their recess period. The school claimed that when kids were left to their own devices, they would bully each other, have behavioral issues and even cause injuries to themselves and others (Hu 1). It seems like a good idea on paper, but plenty of students and parents had complaints about the new utilization of the students’ time away from the classroom most saying that they “missed their free time” and one parent is even quoted as saying “I can’t imagine going through the entire day without a break, whether you’re an adult or a child.” However, those parents and students are not alone in their complaints, as experts such as Dr. Romina M. Barros from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine who disagree with structured play as well (Hu 2). Dr. Barros agreed with the parents and children who are not in support of the new regimen at Broadway Elementary School, saying that structured play simply “transplants the rules from the classroom to the playground” claiming that the brain doesn’t have the integral time needed to relax from following rules and paying attention. Most children need the time away from the classroom to become