Danielle Dalton, OTD, OTR/L, is an occupational therapist, an educator at the University of Southern Maine and the newly established Maine Say YES to RECESS chapter leader.
Growing up as a Mainer, recess meant making the most of whatever the weather gave us: snowball fights, building forts, making snow angels, sliding down a wet slide from the morning dew, splashing in mud puddles, playing four square and running around with friends until the bell rang.
We made up our own games, figured things out as we went, and didn’t need much more than a little time and freedom away from adults to play. Those simple recess moments are some of the childhood memories that have stayed with me.
As an occupational therapist and university educator, I now see those memories differently. I wasn’t simply taking a break from learning. I was learning.
I was learning how to negotiate when my friends and I couldn’t agree on a game. I was learning how to solve problems when something didn’t go as planned. I was learning how to take turns, communicate, navigate conflict, manage frustration and make decisions without an adult directing every step.
I was also moving, imagining, creating and connecting. That’s learning, too.
We sometimes talk about recess as though it happens between the important parts of the school day, as if learning happens in the classroom and recess is simply a break from it.
But what if we’ve been asking the wrong question? Instead of asking how much instructional time children can afford to lose for recess, perhaps we should ask: What are children learning while they play?
Think about an ordinary recess. A child figures out how to join a game already in progress. Two children disagree about the rules. Someone becomes frustrated when they lose. A group decides what to play next. A child takes a risk, makes a mistake and decides what to do next.
There is no worksheet or multiple-choice answer. They’re learning by doing.
We rightly care about whether children can read, write and solve math problems. Those skills matter tremendously. But so do the skills that allow children to navigate the world beyond a worksheet: communication, problem-solving, flexibility, self-regulation, collaboration and independence. These skills are foundational to how children participate in school, relationships and life.
As an occupational therapist, I think about the skills children need not only to complete a task but also to participate in life. Children don’t develop these skills only because we teach them about them. They develop them by doing.
The playground gives children a place to do exactly that.
The American Academy of Pediatrics 2026 policy statement recognizes recess as an important part of children’s physical, social, emotional and cognitive development, and identifies communication, negotiation, problem-solving and self-regulation among the skills supported through recess. It also emphasizes that recess and physical education serve different, complementary purposes.
Maine’s Department of Education similarly describes recess as time to move, play, problem-solve and socialize. Its wellness policy recommends 20 or more minutes of recess each day for elementary students, but that is a model policy, not a statewide minimum. Maine law protects recess from being withheld as a disciplinary consequence for students in grade 5 and below, but Maine does not currently establish a statewide minimum amount of daily recess.
This is part of what led me to become the Maine chapter leader for Say YES to RECESS. SYTR’s national mission is to ensure every child has access to at least 60 minutes of unstructured play each day. In Maine, our petition calls for two 30-minute recess periods, creating protected time for children to move, play, connect and learn through play.
This isn’t about choosing recess over academics. It is about recognizing that play is part of learning, and that some of the most important skills children develop cannot be taught solely through instruction.
When I think back to those Maine recesses, I don’t remember them as time we took away from learning. I remember them as learning. I remember them as childhood. And I believe Maine’s children deserve both.