The Power of Play

Editor's Notes

• #3 TRANSCRIPT: The purpose of this presentation is to explore and offer solutions to the problematic decline of physical activity in primary school. Numerous studies reveal physical activity or “play” to be a vital part of children’s social, emotional and cognitive development. Physical activity positively influences the brain’s ability to learn, retain, and recall new information as well as improves a child’s ability to concentrate and reason. Physical activity is linked to improved health and wellness and provides students with a positive outlet to relieve stress. Furthermore, physical activity helps students to learn important lessons in leadership, self-confidence, conflict resolution, problem solving, and communication.     SLIDE: Quote from Johann Bernhard Basedow Include some statistics on how increased play is correlated with increased scholastic performance.   TRANSCRIPT: In light of these numerous benefits of physical activity in the life of children, many children are deprived of adequate time for recess or physical education. The President’s Council on Fitness suggests that children should have at least 60 minutes of physical exercise per day. However, many public school students are provided with little or no opportunity to engage in physical activities. Due to the increasing demands of standardized testing and performance, public schools are often pressured to limit recess time in favor of additional instruction time. SLIDE In 2005 the National Center for Education Statistics survey revealed that: 7 percent of first graders and 8 percent of third graders never had recess 14 percent of first graders and 15 percent of third graders had only 1 to 15 minutes of recess per day A study by No Child Left Behind found that 20 percent of schools have decreased recess time by an average of 50 minutes per week.   TRANSCRIPT: Unsurprisingly, a lack of play-time in schools is correlated with the increasing crisis of obesity and poor health conditions of students. Students who do not play or exercise are at greater risk for obesity related problems like diabetes and heart disease. A lack of physical activity inhibits cognitive abilities and exacerbates attention and behavioral problems. Furthermore, marginalized and economically disadvantaged students are at an even further risk of being deprived of physical activity. SLIDE The Play, Policy, and Practice Interest Forum found “no research to support administrator’s assumptions that test scores required by No Child Left Behind could be improved by keeping children in the classroom all day.” TRANSCRIPT It is glaringly apparent that educators must step up and provide viable solutions to this problem. My solution is an integrative approach that rejects the notion that recess or physical activity are dispensable to the school curriculum. My solution integrates elements of play and physical activity into the daily curriculum framework. Many school expect physical education instructors to have an aspect of the core curriculum integrated within their activities. What if teachers were expected to integrate play and physical activity into their curriculum? There are many ways that this can be done. My integrative curriculum approach allows teachers to accomplish the task of increasing physical activity in a simple, flexible manner. The FLEx Framework: Freedom, Learning, Exploration Educator Johann Bernhard Basedow implemented 3 hours of physical activity into the school day. He often taught students through explorative activities like hiking and backpacking. He was an early believer in the power that play and activity could have on the life of his students. Obviously, teachers do not have such freedom with time or the same geographical resources as Basedow, but they can still follow his lead through recognizing the importance of and taking steps to ensure time for physical activity. The FLEx Framework provides teachers with the minimal wiggle room needed to integrate physical activity into their instruction. This framework quite literally gives teachers flexibility by providing them with 60 minutes of FLEx time to distribute physical activities throughout the day. Rather than imposing a 30 or 60 minute period of recess on teachers, teacher can even distribute exercise and physical-learning throughout the school day. Creative Possibilities: For instance, teachers can implement physical exercise into daily classroom regimen by inserting three 10 minute physical activity breaks into the classroom schedule. These breaks will allow students to recharge, relieve stress, and exercise throughout the day. Teachers can then implement a 30 minute “physical-learning” exercise into the classroom curriculum at the end of the day. If schools are so concerned about recess time cutting into instructional time, teachers can continue the learning experience on the playground, providing students with the opportunity to be free, learn, and explore. Playground Learning Activities: Teachers can cycle through a set number of games specifically designed to teach students core-curriculum topics. Important Considerations: Students may be broken into smaller groups if possible. Teachers should play games familiar and easily understandable for students.   This framework should also include an element of training for core-curriculum teachers in the importance of physical wellness. Instilling the significance of this aspect of a child’s life in our teachers will strengthen their commitment to physical wellness in the classroom.   As Johann Bernhard Basedow suggested, students that learn better at play. Increasing our commitment to physical activity is imperative to the improvement of our schools and to the improvement of our children’s welfare.