"No more playground rules during recess!
That’s what administrators at Swanson Primary School in Auckland, New Zealand, decided, and the results have been amazing: a decline in rates of bullying, injuries and vandalism, as well as an increase in students’ concentration during class...
As parents and educators know, children need time to play, since play is essential to positive human development. More importantly, as renowned child development expert David Elkind points out, children need time for unstructured play, instead of always being directed. Elkind recognizes that there are different types of play: play that teaches children concepts and skills, play that initiates children into the world of peer relations, and play that helps kids develop strategies for dealing with stress.
But what these variations on play have in common is that they are self-initiated and self-directed. Children need free, unscheduled time to master their environment."
Who'da thunk it? Kid's need to play!
Full article
here. 
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