Let’s Make Structured Play Sexy Again

We have to lay it out: the case for structured play during the school day

Unstructured play, aka recess, is considered far more sexy than structured play, aka PE.  Of late, recess is the darling of play advocates who point to its developmental necessity.

If you googled: “How much time do children spend in outdoor self-directed play today” the stat that pops up is: 4-7 minutes per day. Oddly, this comes from a very old study, but it STILL pops up at the top of a search.

A more accurate assessment comes from a survey by Kamik in 2018 that found children spend 40% less time outside than their parents did and only 1 in five children play outside in unstructured play once a week.  That is far from adequate according to occupational therapist and author of the book “Balanced and Barefoot” Angela Hanscom who argues that children should be in outdoor unstructured play for 3 hours a day.

And Hanscom’s recommendation aligns with historical play culture.  For all of human time, children spend the vast majority of their day in unstructured play. Even as recently as the last generation children had a quick after-school snack, did a little homework if any, and then went outside to play until dinner.  This easily filled that 3-hour bucket.

Thankfully, the message is being heard.  Schools are beginning to bring recess back, extending the time allotted for recess or requiring more than one a day.  The problem is, no state is doing it 100% right and what is on the books is still not developmentally appropriate.  One state requires a 15-minute recess which is far from adequate, others require 20 minutes, some require more than one a day but do not specify the amount of time for the break.  Sadly, the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend 20 minutes of daily recess but when we put it in another light, this is less than 5% of the school day based on an 8 am-3 pm school day model.  When we look at this mediocre percentage no one in their right mind can say 20-minutes is adequate.

The truth is, those who lean into longer recesses, reap astounding benefits.  Take, for example, what happened at Eagle Mountain Elementary School in Fort Worth, Texas when they tripled their recess every day.  In 2016, Eagle Mountain implemented longer recess requirements, going from 20 minutes leaving teachers skeptical they could get all their teaching accomplished in the remaining time.  But to their surprise, in the first month of school, there was less fidgeting, less tattling, and more eye contact.   Translated, their students required less redirection from their teachers which resulted in far more time for learning during the day, so, by winter break, every class was ahead of its academic schedule even though they spent 40 fewer minutes in the classroom every day.

But recess is not the only powerhouse fueling children’s learning.  Structured play, also known as P.E. is equally as important and more disregarded, shall we even go as far as to say, unsexy, than recess and unstructured play?

The fact is, if we want children to learn in a developmentally appropriate way, we have got to get them moving, in both recess AND PE. 

Why is PE important?  Let’s look at three big reasons:

1.  Adequate strength and skill development can be missed in unstructured play. At Pivot to Play®, we have found 18 specific strengths and skills that are particularly weak in children today.  They are weaker than they should be and weaker than they have been.  Those 18 strengths and skills are essential for classroom success, and the stronger they are, the easier school becomes.  Whether it is crossing the midline, grip strength, directional awareness, or visual motor integration, all of these motor-based skills, when weak, make school harder than they should be.

When a child has a weakness, they also lack confidence in their ability.  In other words, moving is hard and we all know that when something is hard, a child will choose not to do it because it isn’t fun.  That means these choices make any weaknesses even more prevalent.  It also means, when children aren’t moving because it isn’t fun, they are falling into a downward spiral of more sedentary behaviors which further weakens the other 18 strengths and skills they need for learning.  So a child at play in recess will not dig or go across the monkey bars if their hands and arms are weak, and they will find something else to do or even choose to sit out.  Either way, their choices will never strengthen their arms and hands.

In structured play that is well designed, like the Pivot to Play® curriculum, children build all 18 strengths and skills in a balanced program.  A well-designed structured play program will focus on play, not sports, particularly at the younger ages, and this play, delivered in fun, will secretly build the strengths and skills needed for learning while also helping kids gain confidence in what their bodies can do.  As they gain confidence in their movements and strength in their bodies, they will move more, seek more opportunities to move, and elevate their skill set all while giving their brains the information needed to operate successfully in the world, including a classroom.

2.  A well-designed structured play program helps teachers assess where a child’s strengths and weaknesses lie.  When all the children are in a game that requires them to bear crawl, those who have poor upper body and core strength will stand out compared to their peers who have strong core and upper bodies.  Likewise, if a child has a poorly developed vestibular system and is struggling to “hear” and process data, it will be obvious when all of his peers can follow the directions and he cannot because he is unable to filter the directions from all the other data entering his brain.

PE and structured play give teachers a chance to pinpoint weaknesses and design opportunities to hone those weaknesses, weaknesses that might not otherwise be obvious in free, unstructured play.

3. Structured play helps children learn boundaries in a fun, unthreatening way.  Whether we like it or not, life as an adult requires us to adhere to boundaries: a red light is not a suggestion, cutting in line at the coffee shop is not acceptable, and using ugly language with the bank teller is inappropriate.  As children, we practice self-regulation in the kind of play that requires us to stay behind the line to throw a ball, tag gently, and not push, or pick up only one item at a time.  Self-regulation and self-control are essential adult skills that are internalized in the structured play of PE with limits, boundaries, and rules set by others.

Children learn in play.  We all know that.  We can USE play to help them internalize essential skills while building strengths that set them up for success.  We have to remember that their brains need their bodies to perform at the highest and most effective level.  When their brains know what to do with their bodies then they learn to move with skill, and it is easier to write, use scissors, or climb the ladder to the slide.  When their bodies have moved enough in this physical play they innately crave, then their brains don’t make their bodies move at less appropriate times and ways.

Moving is how children wire their brains for self-regulation, attention, and learning.   When we don’t give them enough time to play, in both structured and unstructured play, then it is like giving them half of what they need to learn: half of a pencil, half of a book, half of an equation, and expecting them to be successful.  It is impossible and frankly, unfair.  But when we give them plenty of time to move and play, we give their bodies and brains what they need for a happy successful classroom experience.

It is time to make structured play as sexy as unstructured play.  Bring on the PE!

Purposeful Play Curriculum! 

Our curriculum is purposeful play tied up in a neat little box ready for you to put to use to outsmart the wiggles and bring calm to your classroom.  By targeting all 18 strengths and skills we see as weak in kids today, we help you help them build what they need for learning while satisfying their brains’ need to move.  Learn more about our curriculum for 2-year-olds to 5-year-olds here.

Get your students moving with…

Balls

We love these balls that are easy to hold in small hands but hold up to all kinds of games and play.  Get yours here.

Cones

We use them right side up and upside down.  They are hats, ice cream cones, mitts, and so much more.  Get yours here

Hula Hoops

A standard for much of our play, we love these hoops because they are indestructible, and it is worth paying more for hoops that don’t kink.  We like the 24″ Durahoops in rainbow colors.  Get yours here.

Low Cones

There are so many uses for these guys!  They can be volcanoes, popcorn, markers, items to stomp.  The list is endless! Get yours here.

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