A Call for States to Level the Playing Field in School Recess

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child mandates play as a fundamental right of every child, through age 18.

Unfortunately, the United States remains the only nation in the world to not ratify children’s rights, including the right to play, in their constitution. Unsurprisingly, the United States also ranks near the bottom of the world in time allotted for unstructured play (i.e., recess) during school hours, averaging anywhere from 0 to 28 min per day across the country, as opposed to the global average of 49 min per day.

In the last 10 years, several states have proposed laws to mandate children’s time for recess with varying levels of legislative success.

In light of both the passage and failed passage of various bills, this commentary lays out common arguments against recess legislation and uses the available research evidence to refute these arguments. We conclude with a proposed legislative framework that all states could adopt to protect all children’s fundamental right to play.