Has the fun been taken out of recess, playgrounds?
Dad Days of Summer: While Momania’s Theresa Walsh Giarrusso takes a vacation, local dad and sportswriter Andy Johnston will be filling in. You can e-mail him at ajcmomania@gmail.com.
Recess sure has changed since some of us were kids.
That once glorious time that allowed us to run free, climb, slide and explore our imaginations has become one filled with rules and regulations.
Andy and his son Ty.
I knew recess is different now. I mean, we used to try to bean each other those red rubber balls in a game we called battle ball.
It resembled dodge ball in that Ben Stiller flick from a few years ago, but imagine it with about 20 excited third-graders on each side with what seemed like hundreds of red blurs flying at you from every angle.
One of Theresa’s loyal readers sent this link to a story on Shine.yahoo.com that shows just how much play has been taken from our kids’ playground.
Equipment doesn’t provide the challenges we overcame. All kinds of sports and activities have been banned from recess throughout the country. There’s no contact, no swings, no climbing. The reader who sent the link said her school district has banned tag and running at recess.
Basically, there’s no fun.
And it appears the kids are paying the price, according to Alex Gilliam, an architect, and other experts quoted in the piece and a New York Times article.
Moreover, while many parents worry that a bad fall could lead to a life-long fear of heights, the New York Times points out that the opposite is actually the case: Studies have shown that “a child who’s hurt in a fall before the age of 9 is less likely as a teenager to have a fear of heights.”
“Paradoxically, we posit that our fear of children being harmed by mostly harmless injuries may result in more fearful children and increased levels of psychopathology,” (Dr. Ellen) Sandseter and her colleague, psychologist Leif Kennair of the Norwegian University for Science and Technology, write in the journal Evolutionary Psychology.
Gilliam sums it up this way: “The whole notion of protecting kids has kind of backfired.”
He added: “We carp, as adults, all the time that we’ve lost our kids to video games, we’ve lost our kids to TV. Of course we have. We’ve made the world, the physical landscape, so boring to kids that of course a video game is going to feel more stimulating.”
What is off limits to the kids where you live?
Do you think recess has become too tame?
Have school districts gone too far?
- By Andy Johnston, for the Momania blog
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77 comments Add your comment
JJ
July 25th, 2011
2:13 pm
Rec leagues, that’s the word I couldn’t think of…..thanks.
Recently my daughter and I were cleaning out some closets. We came to a box of her softball trophies. She said “throw them away”. I said Why? She said “I didn’t EARN them, everyone got one, and they don’t mean anything to me”……WOW…..
MomsRule
July 25th, 2011
2:24 pm
LOL – sounds like my son! See….the kids know. The adults aren’t fooling anyone :)
tl06
July 25th, 2011
2:25 pm
My son is one of those kids that needs recess during the day. I can always tell when he has to sit out for recess. I also have a problem with the whole team sport thing as well. My son plays football and basketball and I do not care for the everybody gets a trophy thing. I think the reason that this happens though is because of the parents.
JJ
July 25th, 2011
2:37 pm
Even I need recess during the day. Here at work, we get two breaks, along with a lunch HOUR…..we need to step away, get some fresh air, and go back and FOCUS……when I’m stuck on a difficult task, I’ll step back, go outside and get some fresh air, then come back in and tackle the task….
tl06
July 25th, 2011
2:39 pm
It’s always the parents of the worst kid on the team who complains.
JJ
July 25th, 2011
2:40 pm
I’d love to hear a rec sports coach stand up at the awards ceremony and say “and then there was little Johnny, who SUCKS at this game, and gets NOTHING…..his momma would sue!!! But then again, she probably had her lawyer at the ceremony, just in case. Because she knows her child is not good at that sport. LOL…..
roget
July 25th, 2011
2:52 pm
I don’t have any restrictions when my children play outside. I typically shout to them as they are walking outside that I don’t want to go to the hospital today because we haven’t met our deductible yet. That typically works and all bumps and bruises are kept to a min.
I don’t agree with everyone getting an award for participating in a sport. I paid for the sport and my kids award was having a willing parent pay, watch every game and cheer them on regardless of skill.
My 10yo didn’t make the competitive volleyball team last year. No problem she said. After the season she has worked in her skills and has set a goal of making the competitive team next year. I love it!!!
Andy Johnston
July 25th, 2011
2:59 pm
The trophy conversation is a little off topic, but when did it become the thing to do to give trophies to award kids for showing up? I’ve been involved in athletics as either a participant or covering sports as a writer, but don’t remember when it came into fashion. I don’t remember it being that way in the 1970s and 80s.
shaggy
July 25th, 2011
3:14 pm
I need adult recess too…it usually involves 12 ounce curls, which it could be argued is not recess, but required “physical therapy”.
JJ
July 25th, 2011
3:21 pm
@Andy – it became fashionable, just after teachers started using Purple ink, instead of Red ink, to grade kids’ tests. It was decided Red was too bold, and the use of a red pen while grading a paper, humiliated the child. Purple is a softer color, so as not to upset the child, then to get sued by the parent for embarrassing the child for doing poorly.
HB
July 25th, 2011
3:34 pm
“It’s always the parents of the worst kid on the team who complains.”
That’s not true. My mom never complained! ;-)
I received a little trophy for teams I was on going back to the early-80s, so it’s not new. Honestly, I don’t know why people get so worked up about it, either for or against them. It’s just a little souvenir given to reward the kids for being good little teammates. Some years we were are given a little certificate praising us for what we did best — best catcher, fastest runner, strongest bat, most spirit/enthusiasm, most improved (I usually got one of the last two). Why not praise a kid for what they bring to the team, even if it’s not athletic skills?
There’s nothing wrong with competition, and I think it’s fantastic that there are upper-level teams for the good athletes. But it’s important to offer rec teams where the competition isn’t quite so fierce too. Everyone says they want kids to be more active. Well, some kids aren’t athletically inclined, so we need places where they can play, be encouraged to keep trying, and know that winning isn’t always the most important thing. If every team is about earning playing time through skill and striving to be the best, then the not-so-good kids are going to give up and go plop themselves down on the couch.
JJ
July 25th, 2011
3:40 pm
@HB – Very well said!!!
MomsRule
July 25th, 2011
3:56 pm
@HB – I agree with you – there is a certainly a place for rec leagues. And I think they are great. But, being rewarded a trophy for showing up to practice occassionally and blowing off half the games does send the wrong message. At least its not the message I wany my kids receiving.
homeschooler
July 25th, 2011
4:50 pm
@ first time poster. Perhaps I should have said 365 days a year (excluding weekends). My point is that when kids are in a group, structured setting the majority of their waking hours, they to not learn to think for themselves. They are told what to do, when and how to do it. Being controlled on the playground is just another example of this. My kids may be home with me the majority of the time but their lives are filled with opportunities to think for themselves. I never supervise their play with other kids. Currently they are running a road side business in which they are learning to talk to customers and add their profits. Who is learning more about using their own minds? Them or their peers in daycare who spent the day inside a building watching movies, making some craft or going to Chuck E Cheese. Put them in little boxes and they will stay in little boxes.
First time poster
July 25th, 2011
7:41 pm
@ homeschooler. Again, I don’t have any experiences with the type of daycares you are describing. As someone who has actually used daycare in the past, I can say that my child’s every movement was not directed and they had plenty of free play time. Maybe I’ve just had good luck. I know several helicopter parents, one who home schools and one who does not (goes to public school and shock, even has been in daycare) and the result is the same 2 kids who are immature for their ages and have difficulty making decisions on their own. My point again is that sheltering children too much has a far greater impact on their ability to make decisions then structured playtime or no recess.
HB
July 25th, 2011
9:47 pm
I get what you’re saying MomsRule, but I think you’re overthinking it. You see a trophy as a significant prize being awarded for nothing. I think kids see them as a fun thing to take home but don’t value them as much as ones earned for being the best at something. They know the difference between the hard-earned and participation awards, as I think both you and JJ pointed out about your own kids’ attitudes toward their trophies. And for the unathletic kid who struggled just to stick it out, it may be something to be proud of (much like a h.s. diploma being a big accomplishment for some kids, but not all that significant really to the honors student with lots of awards and a college scholarship). It’s all relative…
the dude
July 25th, 2011
11:37 pm
Big shock that teenaged kids are offing themselves an their classmates in record numbers. They’ve been raised to think that they’re great and can’t cope with the reality that they aren’t. It all goes back to the playground.
CJ
July 25th, 2011
11:57 pm
I hardly remember a recess that teachers were walking around. We had fun…played games. People are too sue happy. It’s ridiculous! Kid falls? Sue the school for not having a chaperone for every kid on the playground. For not employing teachers that have super powers and can leap across 20 other kids in time to catch the fall. I don’t understand what this world has come to. I dread putting my 15 month old twins in this sorry excuse for schools. Not all schools are bad, I know…wish we’d hear more about good schools. We celebrated birthdays, and holidays…INCLUDING CHRISTMAS! We had art class, music class, and PE! 3/4 of the class didn’t have ADD or ADHD! UGH!
therese persaud
July 26th, 2011
11:29 am
motherjanegoose
“When children move, their blood pumps oxygen to their brains and they can process and think better! Plus, some children are Kinesthetic learners!”
You are a breath of fresh air ….the same holds for what happens in school ,especially in elementary ones. !!!…Do send your post to the quacks who have imposed standardized testing on the unfortunate kids !!!
Intown Dad
July 26th, 2011
1:17 pm
No recess? Absurd. When are the kids supposed to smoke cigarettes and score weed?
MS
July 26th, 2011
1:56 pm
I can’t stand the ‘everyone wins’ attitude for childrens athletic events. I think you need to learn what your strengths and weaknesses are, if everyone pats you on the back and you suck, you’ll NEVER get better. I learned early on I WON running and I LOST kickball, even though I lost I still had fun trying. I played basketball for one year and scored -2 points (don’t ask). I tried the speech club and couldn’t memorize the poem I was supposed to recite, Edgar Allen Poe’s, “The Bells”, I joined student government and was actually elected.
My point is, it seems we inadvertently close doors and opportunities by not allowing the natural selection process to play out, not everybody is good at everything and we need to teach our children how to cope with losing and winning.
EVERYBODY WINS. Hmmmph. We see what happens with that concept…look at Charlie Sheen #winning.
Amy in the ATL
July 26th, 2011
4:49 pm
We need more unstructured playtimes for kids, especially younger ones. I truly believe that we would see less ADHD, childhood obesity,and behavioral issues if we let kids get out and physically challenge themselves. And it’s not just at school–parents are at fault, too. We are trying so hard to protect our kids that we end up doing them harm.
And while we’re on this topic, I find it incredibly sad that we’ve removed all the diving boards from pools. Yeah, I know it’s a liability, but what adult doesn’t remember what an accomplishment it was to do your first backdive off the board, your first flip, or the first time you got the courage up to try the high dive?
We’ve taken away too much fun stuff, and then we wonder why we have a childhood obesity problem.
And I agree with First Time poster that this isn’t just a school issue. Hands down, the most sheltered overprotected kid I’ve ever seen was homeschooled, and his every waking moment was scheduled (and padded) my his mom. Which of course, is not to say that homeschooling is the issue…this was one particular case. But the same thing goes for daycares. It depends on the environment. We had a wonderful experience with the daycare my 2 girls went to, but then of course, I had selected that particular facility because their philosophy of encouraging independence was similar to mine and my husband’s.
djm_NC
July 26th, 2011
9:52 pm
andy your kid wont be still doing that in sschool. you will have to make sure he gets all his play time in becasue most schools dont. why are kids so over weight? its not just the happy meals. seriously–i am 58 and i truly cant remember having many over weight kids around when i was growing up. yes there were a couple. but kids ran around and played and got hurt and got up and were so much healthier. but i think back in the day the parents werent so prone to sue someone for every bump and scratch their kids got. so whatever you do always make sure your son gets all the play time in that he needs. if not he might be antsy in class and then they will be on you to medicate him because he is over active!
brie
July 27th, 2011
7:13 am
I teach in APS, and at my school we have recess every day and kids have PE twice a week. Our kids are well adjusted, we never have fights, and the kids even know what it’s like to solve problems on their own. Recess is necessary, but it all comes down to what the community, parents, teachers, and principal believe is best for kids, and what they are willing to do to make it happen.
If your school doesn’t have recess (or other things you expect from a school) work WITH the school to figure out how you can achieve that goal together. Be flexible and creative and be ready to make a commitment of time, energy, or cash to make it happen. We are not miracle workers, and most schools don’t deserve these blanket criticisms we are pounded with all the time. The “it takes a whole village thing” is really true. It’s worth the effort to get the school you want for your children without having to pay for private school.
Delores Mosley
July 27th, 2011
9:36 am
Most school systems deny teachers to take students out for recess,especially if it is the day they are scheduled for physical ed., and some school systems have dropped phys.ed. from the curriculum (what a shame). Now No recess…. No phys.ed., but yet SOME school systems are
changing test score answers (lol) so let them have their recess, it might help so test score answers
won’t have to be changed.
LydiasDad
July 27th, 2011
11:04 am
Mother Jane, I grew up in the south, but we always used Halloween on school calendars when I was a kid. None of this “offended by Halloween” nonsense. That’s all new.
motherjanegoose
July 27th, 2011
3:03 pm
@ Lydia’s Dad…I know exactly what you mean…I am speaking about the past 10 or so years.
I moved here 22 years ago and it was not an issue.