Healthy Enough Recess
American Academy of Pediatrics(AAP) released a new policy statement on Monday that children are not having enough recess at school.
The authors of the statement write that the AAP "believes that recess is a crucial and necessary component of a child's development and, as such, it should not be withheld for punitive or academic reasons," according to ABC News.
Dr. Robert Murray, one of the lead authors of the statement, said "The AAP has, in recent years, tried to focus the attention of parents, school officials and policymakers on the fact that kids are losing their free-play. We are overstructuring their day. They lose that creative free play, which we think is so important."
The statement points to the various benefits of recess with two decades worth of scientific evidence.
"The science indicates that these kinds of breaks in the day for recess are necessary for cognitive processing," said Murray.
"This policy statement is not only important because of the physical, but also the cognitive ability of our children. This policy has created a thoughtful, comprehensive look at what is to be gained by coming back to an emphasis on physical activity and recess." said Dr. Shari Barkin, director of the Division of General Pediatrics and of pediatric obesity research at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.
Healthy Enough Recess
During recess, children can get the energy from a healthy snack. When children are hungry, they are difficult to concentrate for learning in the classroom between meals. It is very important to pack recess healthy snacks that should be high nutrient, low in fat, calories, sugar and salt.
Fruits are one of good choices for healthy snack such as apples, grapes, melon wedges, oranges or bananas. Homemade trail mix is another choice. Not roasted or salted ones are recommended. Popcorn without lots of butter and salt will be an easy preparing snack that children can enjoy. Cereal bars with low sugar are easy snacks that won't need any preparation.
