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Recess should be mandatory for all elementary school students

Imagine you’re six years old, trying your best at school: sitting still, keeping your hands to yourself, listening to your teacher. Now imagine after hours of that, when recess finally arrives — your one chance to run and play with friends — you’re told instead to stay in your seat.

For many, this isn’t hypothetical. Today, only 10 US states require a minimum daily recess time. New York isn’t one of them. Some New York districts only require 10 or 15 minutes of recess a day, if at all. 

And some New York schools that haven’t cut traditional recess time, per se, have still replaced it with more time sitting indoors.

A 2024 Chalkbeat article, for example, described local fifth graders watching 40 minutes of Disney films during so-called “indoor recess,” and kindergarteners at a Brooklyn elementary school, deemed “too loud,” kept inside to watch movies while older students took exams. 

Over the last thirty years, with the rise of standardized testing and policies like No Child Left Behind, many schools have increased the time spent on tested subjects, at the expense of non-tested subjects like recess. Of course, ensuring students are academically prepared is critical.

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But when unstructured play disappears, stress, inattentiveness, and emotional dysregulation rise, while children’s opportunities to develop independence, confidence, and emotional coping skills fall out the window. 

Is it any coincidence that, during the same period, youth anxiety and depression have reached record levels, with 1 in 5 kids now facing a mental health challenge?

Gov. Hochul has proposed expanding Teen Mental Health First Aid statewide, advanced $1 billion to transform New York’s mental-health system, and is currently proposing more than $200 million in youth-focused investments in this year’s budget — all commendable steps. 

But what if there were low-cost ways to complement those investments by strengthening kids’ mental health in their everyday lives? 

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Enter Assemblymember Carrie Woerner and state Sen. Rachel May. Their Assembly Bill 6939/Senate Bill 6858 would require K-5 public schools statewide to offer at least 30 minutes of daily, screen-free recess on school days exceeding five hours.

Echoing what local fourth-graders recently described as their dream law, the bill would guarantee supervised, student-directed play, while preventing recess from being replaced with test prep or withheld as punishment. 

Exercising and socially connecting are widely documented to improve mental health. A 2024 study even found that exercise can be as effective at reducing depression as therapy or medications.

The American Academy of Pediatrics, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the World Health Organization all recommend that kids get at least 60 minutes of physical activity per day. Yet, as many as 80% of children nationwide are failing to meet this minimum. Mandating 30 minutes of recess would be a big step in the right direction.

The benefits would extend beyond mental health, too. Childhood obesity and other chronic diseases have reached record highs. Recess helps students be more physically active, improve cardiovascular health, and establish habits that reduce long-term risk of chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disease.

The bill would also likely enhance academic performance. Research consistently shows that students concentrate better after physical activity, and active students generally get better grades and perform better on assessments. Movement also strengthens executive functioning, which is essential for learning and academic success.

While some argue that space constraints make statewide standards challenging — particularly in dense urban districts — that’s nothing that creative leadership can’t solve.

Assemblymember Chantel Jackson of the South Bronx, for example — whose district is arguably among the toughest to implement such a bill given density and infrastructural constraints — is one of recess’s strongest champions, recognizing that the children who face the greatest structural barriers to safe outdoor play often need it the most. 

Besides, the bill allows flexibility for space-constrained schools to develop customized solutions — using staggered schedules, shared gym spaces, rooftops, and other creative alternatives. If no feasible pathways exist, districts can seek waivers from the state Education Department. 

A statewide recess requirement aligns squarely with the governor’s commitment to addressing youth mental health and does so at its root. It also honors a thoughtful proposal raised by local students — one that makes excellent policy sense. New York is the concrete jungle. Let’s make it where our kids’ recess dreams are made, too.

Kelly McKenna is CEO of End Chronic Disease. 

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