ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a brief overview of theories whcih is used to generate hypotheses about the role of recess and play in children's learning and development. It provides the scientific side of the argument because this sort of information is needed to argue a case to change school policy. The chapter argues that play and recess do have beneficial consequences. It discusses some psychological theory that has guided, and will continue to guide, research in the field. The chapter examines evidence of the benefits on learning of distributed practice, which recess affords, followed by a brief discussion of the development of cognitive efficiency and how recess may especially facilitate learning in younger and cognitively immature children. It addresses the scientific side of the argument because this sort of information is needed to argue a case to change school policy. Studying the ways in which children learn to read and write seems a more legitimate venue for an educational psychologist.
