When kids dread recess, we have a problem

As the polar vortex descended on Toronto last month, I asked my sons how they were managing the seven consecutive indoor hours at school imposed on them by the subarctic temperatures.

“It’s better,” they said. “Indoor recess is way more fun than outdoor recess.”

It’s not the answer you’d expect of kids who choose to spend most of their free time in the relative wilds of backyards, parks and quiet residential streets. So what was the appeal of indoor over outdoor recess?

“There’s more to do,” said one. “It’s safer,” said the other.

Their answers go to the heart of a problem that’s drawing the attention of a growing number of scholars and educators, who claim that recess in its current form is failing to provide the physical activity and social opportunities that are its raison d'être – and that the consequences are serious.