All work and no playTen years ago, if you asked a child what their favorite part of school was, the answer would be the same in all areas: recreation. Recess may be remembered as time spent playing tag, climbing the monkey bars, or seeing who could reach the highest on the swing. If you asked a child the same question today, their answer would probably sound like lunch or a gym class. Unfortunately, recess has taken a back seat in many schools across the country. Recess has become more of a luxury than a daily routine. According to Christian Science Monitor reporter Amanda Paulson, “studies have shown that up to 40 percent of U.S. school districts have reduced or eliminated recess” (Paulson). How would employees feel if labor laws allowed employers to eliminate 40 percent of their daily breaks? Children view recess as a time to play with their friends and play kickball, but researchers and professionals in the field understand that recess plays a much more important role. Why recess has become a thing of the past remains debatable and ranges from the need for increased academic instruction to fear over playground safety. Some school districts and policymakers have begun to fight back and attempt to implement policies to protect recess. The fact that the number of private schools remains so high remains a cause for concern. Despite school districts' efforts to protect recess, the problem of children deprived of the crucial free play that ensures their social, physical, and cognitive development still affects American children every day. The issue of disappearing recess in schools will be potentially traumatic for this country...... middle of paper ...... and limited periods of time will not allow them to absorb the material that schools are so desperately trying to teach them. Sedentary behavior will not, in the slightest, move this country in the right direction toward healthy children with less chance of facing the potentially deadly side effects of obesity. Allowing a child to exercise their right to explore a playground and learn from their environment and peers will prove to provide greater cognitive, physical and social growth than any amount of reading, d writing or arithmetic cannot provide any. The pressure must be taken off the backs of teachers and replaced with the knowledge and training necessary to effectively supervise a safe and secure playground environment. Recess plays an imperative role in development and desperately needs to be restored to schools across the country before the damage caused becomes irreversible..