Standardized testing is becoming increasingly important in schools. This is causing programs such as art, music and physical education to be phased out. School has become a stressful environment for students. Large corporations are making money off of ADHD medications and other drugs at an attempt to increase concentration and conformity in children who do not necessarily need the medication. In an attempt to find a more natural solution to increase the attention span of students without the use of medication, several schools are trying something different.
Multiple schools in Texas are being praised for implementing a new program in hopes of solving behavioral problems. The program is surprisingly simple. They're allowing children to play outside more often during the school day.
Increased Play Time Improves Test Scores
Allowing children more play time has been proven to work well in other schools. In Finland, students' test scores improved with increased play time. This case served as inspiration for the program that Texas schools are implementing. They have quadrupled the amount of outdoor recreational time and have seen amazing results. Students are showing an overall increase in focus, along with an overall decrease in distraction and behavioral interruptions. According to Today, students at Eagle Mountain Elementary in Fort Worth, Texas, are given recess breaks four times a day. The school has been giving kindergarten and first-grade students two 15-minute recess breaks every morning and two 15-minute breaks every afternoon to go play outside. At first, teachers were worried about losing the classroom time. But now that the experiment has been going on for about five months, teachers say the kids are actually learning more because they're better able to focus in class. They listen more attentively and follow directions, and there are fewer discipline issues.
