Henrico parents push to extend elementary school recess time to 45 minutes

“Just 15 more minutes!”

More than 500 Henrico parents and community members are calling on Henrico Schools to extend elementary-schoolers’ 30-minute daily recess by another 15 minutes – a small change that they say will have significant positive impacts.

At the June 12 Henrico School Board meeting, several parents spoke out in favor of establishing a 45-minute recess for all elementary schools countywide starting this upcoming fall. A petition supporting the change also has 524 signatures from community members.

The push is spearheaded by a new group of Henrico parents and educators – “Parents for More Play” – launched by HCPS parent Laura Cole and several former HCPS teachers this past January. Cole, who formerly taught in Rockingham and Hanover counties, said that her mindset on recess completely changed when she had her son, who is now a rising third-grader in Henrico.

“As a teacher, I understand the pressures teachers face with curriculum and testing and getting that all done. But then when I became a mother and sent my son to kindergarten, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, he’s still a kid!’” Cole said. “He needs to still have these experiences where he gets to explore and run and have this free time with his friends at school.”

Rather than one 45-minute recess period, Cole and other parents want HCPS to establish two 22-minute recess blocks each day, with one in the morning and one in the afternoon. The model is similar to one just passed by Hanover County Public Schools.

Cole said she learned about the recess model from the principal of Garland R. Quarles Elementary School in Winchester County, which implements four 15-minute recesses each day for all students after each 45-minute learning period – a model originating from schools in Finland. 

Since implementing this model, the school has seen a number of positive changes, Cole said, such as better attendance, higher test scores, fewer behavioral issues, and better social skills.

“Kids are learning all kinds of reasoning skills and planning skills,” Cole said. “You’ll hear kids talking on the playground: ‘Hey, we’re going to play tag this first recess, but during the second recess, let’s get together and start a kickball game.’”

Quarles Elementary, which has a higher number of English Learner students, has also seen the benefits of extra recess for students who speak little English and are new to the area. Cole believes the recess model could have similar outcomes for Henrico Schools, which has a growing number of English Learners.

“It’s a time for those kids that English isn’t their first language to maybe connect with family members or other people in their community that speak the same language as them,” Cole said. “It’s daunting to sit in a classroom and listen to teachers speak a language you aren’t familiar with. To have that break and then come back is really helpful for them to process.”

Since speaking out at the school board meeting, Parents for More Play members are at a bit of a “standstill,” Cole said. While HCPS officials seem open to the idea, she said, many seem convinced that time would need to be added to the school day to accommodate extra recess, while others have suggested that the change should be up to each school rather than countywide.

However, many other counties in Virginia with six-and-a-half hour school days – the same as Henrico Schools – have been able to make the change, Cole said, such as Hanover, which now has 40 minutes of recess each day.

Extending recess not only will help students academically, said HCPS parent Jennifer Hines, it also will help build social-emotional skills, boost mental health, and foster more connections between students.

“Research shows that regular, unstructured playtime boosts cognitive performance, improves classroom behavior, strengthens peer relationships, and even reduces disciplinary issues,” she said. “Children need time and space to simply be kids – to laugh, explore, create, move, and build friendships. . . Recess isn’t just a break, it’s an essential part of a well-rounded education and healthy child development.”

During the rest of the school day, students do not have much downtime or playtime, Cole said. Elementary-schoolers in HCPS only get 45 minutes of P.E. each week, and class time is spent trying to cover curriculum and boost state Standards of Learning scores. 

But students do not go to school just to learn math and English, Cole said. They need to learn so many other life skills as well.

“I understand that schools feel the pressure to spend every minute they can trying to get kids to be where they need to be academically. And I know with COVID, things got really tricky because we fell behind,” she said. “But there was also with COVID a lot of the social-emotional issues that we found with kids not being able to be around people as often. So giving them that time to reconnect with peers and learn those social skills is really important.”

“School should be a place where you feel happy and excited and not stressed.”
– Laura Cole, HCPS parent and
Parents for More Play co-organizer

Parents for More Play also wants to make sure that when recess is moved indoors, it can remain screen-free for students. Cole said that when her son’s teacher banned computers and iPads during indoor recess time, he often came back home with comic books that he and his friends made during recess, or with other creative projects.

“Kids are on their devices for school anyway, and we want them to be playing during recess, whether it be card games or board games or building blocks,” Cole said. “And if kids are on devices when they get home, they’re not necessarily getting that exposure outside of school.”

A few HCPS teachers have expressed reservations about expanding recess, said Cole. Some elementary teachers in the upper grade levels are concerned about having enough time to cover all of the curriculum, while other teachers are worried about having enough supplies for indoor recess. 

But Cole hopes that either Parents for More Play will be able to fundraise enough money to purchase supplies or that Henrico Schools will provide the necessary materials. 

While Cole is hopeful that the extended recess time will be adopted, she worries that HCPS “doesn’t see the urgency” in making the change. Adding more recess time will have immediate benefits for elementary students, she said, and should be a priority for HCPS.

“School should be a place where you feel happy and excited and not stressed,” she said. “Going into the next school year, we just want what's best for them. And we know that more unstructured play is what's best for them. So why wait?”

Liana Hardy is the Citizen’s Report for America Corps member and education reporter. Her position is dependent upon reader support; make a tax-deductible contribution to the Citizen through RFA here.