LEILA FADEL, HOST:
In elementary school, recess used to be when you could head outside and just play. But there are rules now at most schools to ban the rougher stuff because they want kids to be safe. But some schools in Kansas are trying a new approach that lets children play more freely. Suzanne Perez of member station KMUW takes us to the playground.
(SOUNDBITE OF CHILDREN PLAYING)
SUZANNE PEREZ, BYLINE: The scene at Wichita's Allen Elementary School at recess time is boisterous - a lot of running, jumping, climbing and screaming - pretty typical for a school playground. But there's something a little different here that's hard to see right away. Principal Alison Renner says an old rule used to be no twisting or jumping off the swings. But now...
ALISON RENNER: And we even see it over here. If you want to swing on your stomach, go for it. If you want to twist, go for it. And if you get dizzy afterwards, that's the natural consequence of it.
PEREZ: The new approach - sometimes called risky play - follows research that shows children benefit from climbing, running and testing their physical limits. Canadian schools have advocated the practice for decades, and it's starting to catch on in the U.S. Wichita's Allen Elementary adopted the approach last year after P.E. teachers complained that students weren't getting enough unstructured playtime. Even recess - that sacred 20 minutes before or after lunch - had become chock-full of rigid rules - things like no going head-first off a slide, no playing tag, no roughhousing.
RENNER: It ended up being, like, a lot of corrections and maybe micromanaging. And it also kind of puts a damper on creative play for kids, and it also restricts some of their social interactions.
PEREZ: The rules were there to prevent injuries, which is a concern. Parents sometimes sue school districts if they think an accident could have been prevented with safer equipment or better supervision. So that leaves schools trying to balance playground safety against children's need to horse around, and researchers say it's a primal urge.
STUART BROWN: Risky play is a really necessary and important part of growing up and being a child.
PEREZ: That's psychiatrist Stuart Brown with the National Institute for Play. He says unstructured play teaches valuable skills like communication and empathy. But it happens gradually, so schools need to make it part of their regular routine.
Michele Ingenthron is Wichita's assistant superintendent for elementary schools. She says easing up on rules during recess makes sense.
MICHELE INGENTHRON: You know, I think about when I played as a kid. We just played. And if something went wrong, we just talked to each other about it, or we just went and played someplace else. And so that's what we're trying to get back to. It's human nature. It's how kids develop.
PEREZ: To be clear, risky play does not mean dangerous play. Equipment should be age-appropriate, and teachers still monitor recess to make sure rough-and-tumble activities don't get out of hand. Researchers explain it this way - kids should be kept as safe as necessary, not as safe as possible. Bumps and bruises are a natural part of childhood, and minor setbacks, like falling, teach kids muscle control and resilience.
At Allen Elementary, some first-graders are playing on slides while others set up a game of hopscotch. Recess monitor Tatiana Cook referees an impromptu foot race.
TATIANA COOK: Ready, set, go.
PEREZ: Renner, the principal, says easing up on rules has improved recess for students and teachers.
RENNER: We can enjoy the time interacting with kids and kind of celebrating the joy of kids playing instead of constantly looking and telling kids to stop, stop. Let's do this instead.
PEREZ: Wichita leaders say the pilot project has been successful so far at three schools. In coming years, it could be adopted district-wide.
For NPR News, I'm Suzanne Perez in Wichita.
(SOUNDBITE OF BELLE AND SEBASTIAN SONG, "IF YOU'RE FEELING SINISTER") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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