Get Out There and Play

With two eighteen-month-old sons, I’m more attuned than I used to be to news about education, so my eye was caught by a piece in The New York Times about the "4^th R" – Recess. It seems that a series of studies, including a recently published one in the Journal of Pediatrics, have found that kids who get daily recess behave better in class and that better academic performance goes hand in hand with physical activity in recess and gym class. And kids with ADD had increased attention and concentration if they got out and walked in natural settings.

One theory about all this is that there are two kinds of attention, the kind you use when you’re hard at work, called "directed" attention, and another, called "involuntary" attention which, according to the Times, "takes over when we’re distracted by things like running water, crying babies, a beautiful view, or a pet that crawls into our laps." (Actually, I don’t really see how "crying babies" fits on that list – I’m just quoting.)

The point, though is that we get "attentional fatigue," and we need refreshment. And in those studies of kids, it’s the active outdoor kind of break that is the most refreshing. (I confess to knowing some folks who prefer napping or meditating as a way to recover from attentional fatigue, but those pursuits were not covered in the Times article, so I’m leaving them out here.)

There isn’t any reason I can see to suppose that the benefits of active recess – increased concentration, learning and intellectual (work) performance – should be restricted to kids. (Besides, it wouldn’t be fair, would it?)

I know it may seem counterintuitive (not to say just plain wrongheaded), to be suggesting taking a recess, or any kind of break, when the future is so uncertain, job security feels constantly at risk, and we’re all worried that our businesses will fail because of external economic challenges. Perilous times like these seem to make everything feel like an emergency that has to be dealt with right now.

But it’s been my experience that working smarter is usually lots more effective than just working longer. So I’m going out on a limb and guessing that we grownups can get happy results like the ones enjoyed by schoolkids – thus improving our ability to deal with all our business challenges (and our personal ones as well) – by getting out there and taking our own recess every day. And that doesn’t mean standing in front of the building and smoking a cigarette.

I know I’m going to make recess a part of my own daily routine.

Comments

[Linda Hann]

How true it is that play time makes us all well rounded beings! I think that we forget our human-ness and that being playful, in a natural setting - whatever kind of play that is - brings us back to our center and that connection alone brings us joy. I look forward to reading this journal again soon!