Recess in the 21st Century Post-COVID World

Global Recess Alliance; Ramstetter, Catherine L.; Baines, Ed; Brickman, Charlene Woodham; Hyndman, Brendon; Jarrett, Olga; London, Rebecca A.; Massey, William; McNamara, Lauren; Murray, Robert; Rhea, Debbie

Publication

Recess in the 21st Century Post-COVID World

Global Recess Alliance; Ramstetter, Catherine L.; Baines, Ed; Brickman, Charlene Woodham; Hyndman, Brendon; Jarrett, Olga; London, Rebecca A.; Massey, William; McNamara, Lauren; Murray, Robert; Rhea, Debbie

Publisher

Wiley

Date

2022

Abstract

The abrupt onset of the COVID-19 pandemic forced the world into frenzied action, creating a series of ongoing stressors: school/work closings, remote learning, canceled events, family strife, fear, and a significant loss of social interactions. It is now unsurprising to learn that children's mental health has suffered. As social connection is tightly entwined with children's mental health, supporting school-based spaces for quality social interactions is an important post-pandemic recovery strategy. The unstructured school recess space is ideal for supporting recovery. A large and growing body of evidence supports the important role of recess, yet evidence also suggests that recess is not always implemented in ways that fulfill its promise.