As students return to school, the focus is on creating environments that support meaningful growth in every part of the day. Recess plays a vital role — not just as a time for play (although that’s important too!), but as a foundation for academic readiness, social development and emotional well-being. While the past few years brought new challenges, they also opened the door to rethink what children need to truly thrive — inside the classroom and beyond.
The focus now is about helping children rebuild the skills that support lifelong learning, socialization and movement. One of the most powerful tools to do that is already part of the school day: recess.
Recess Reimagined
In recent years, national and international research has confirmed what many educators have experienced firsthand — students across age groups experienced setbacks in learning, especially in reading and math. But academic gains don’t just magically come back — they’re built on strong foundations of physical activity, emotional regulation and healthy relationships.
Recess supports all of that. It gives children a chance to move, reset and connect in ways that enhance their ability to learn.
When students engage in unstructured play, they develop executive functioning, enhance focus, improve impulse control and build social confidence. These are the building blocks of classroom success.
The Role of Unstructured Play in Childhood
Recess is more than a break in the day. It’s time for self-directed exploration, discovery and meaningful social interactions. Even a short window of free play each day helps children return to class with greater focus, more emotional balance and renewed energy and focus to help them learn.
Experts agree that recess is most effective when it’s outdoors, unstructured and inclusive. These elements give children freedom to create their own games, solve problems together and build physical and emotional strength — all essential to further learning.
Holistic Play Benefits
Unstructured outdoor play supports a wide range of outcomes that directly impact school performance and personal development. There are too many to list, yes, THAT many, but some of the biggest ones are:
- Physical health: Movement improves strength, motor skills and decreases stress while reducing the risk of chronic health concerns.
- Social-emotional skills: Children practice empathy, cooperation and self-regulation through interactions with their peers.
- Cognitive readiness: Recess improves attention, memory and executive function, helping children absorb and retain new material.
- Communication: Children learn how to communicate in natural settings, set boundaries and understand both verbal and nonverbal communication.
- Creativity: Creative thinking and expression happen during free play and this helps develop innovative children with new ideas to explore.
Well-designed, engaging playground environments amplify these benefits by encouraging participation from students of all ages, backgrounds and abilities.
Four Strategies for Stronger Recess
To make the most of recess, schools and communities can take simple but impactful steps:
- Protect daily recess time and aim for at least 20 to 30 minutes twice per day.
- Keep it unstructured and let children guide their own play to support autonomy and creativity.
- Create inclusive spaces that welcome diverse play styles, backgrounds and abilities.
- Position recess as essential by making it a key part of academic recovery and child development.
Evolution of Play
As schools continue to evolve, there's growing recognition that learning happens everywhere — in motion, in nature and in communities. Recess is not a distraction from education but rather a critical part of it.
At Burke, we believe every child deserves a space to move, play and grow. Let’s make outdoor play a cornerstone of the day — one that builds healthier, more connected and more resilient learners.
Reach out to your local Burke representative to explore how we can help strengthen the recess-to-classroom connection and make it count at your school.