Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Recess and Movement Breaks Are Needs… NOT Rewards | Connected Principals

Recess and Movement Breaks Are Needs… NOT Rewards | Connected Principals:

Recess and Movement Breaks Are Needs… NOT Rewards

August 7, 2013
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cc licensed ( BY SA ) flickr photo by Camdiluv ♥: http://flickr.com/photos/camdiluv/4441155157/
Kids need movement. We all need movement.  Recess is a need.  PE is a need.  Energy breaks are necessary.
If I am in a longer session and I need to move, I get up and take a break.  I bounce my legs.  I type. This helps me to self-regulate so I can focus more and stay calm.  I wonder how I would respond or how my learning would be impacted if I got up to take a break and was told to sit down and sit still. 
At many schools, students are given energy breaks on a regular basis so students can spend the time in between the breaks being more focused on learning. Throughout the day at our school, you will obsever students walking/running around the school or climbing up and down our hill as we believe in the power of movement to help a child’s learning.
I wonder, though, how often we fail to listen to students telling us they need to move.  When a child is hyper or continually getting out of his/her seat, our first response is often “sit down”.  When a child is tapping their pencil or rocking in their chair, we often tell them to “sit still” and  ”be quiet”.  Don’t get me wrong, I know that there are times when it is important to not distract others but I