Play First. Eat Later.

Article by healthybalance.com staff
Posted on February 12, 2010

Schools across America are making a simple change in their students’ routines and reaping wonderful benefits. Instead of marching hungry kids—who are often groggy and grouchy from a morning at their desks—straight to the lunchroom, they are letting them loose outdoors for a 15-minute recess. The result? Kids are not only eating more nutritious foods and behaving better in the lunchroom, they are also settling down and accomplishing more in the classroom after lunch.

On the recommendation of its school nurse, North Ranch Elementary in Scottsdale, Arizona adopted this approach nine years ago. They set about tracking food waste, visits to the nurse and teachers’ reports on how kids were behaving. The results were amazing. Visits to the school nurse dropped by 40%. Kids had fewer headaches and tummy aches. One little boy said he was happy about the change because he no longer threw up after lunch.

Principal Sarah Hartley noted, “We saved 15 minutes every day because kids could play, then go into the cafeteria and eat and cool down, and come back to the classroom and start academic work immediately.”

Because the children were eating their fruits and vegetables and drinking their milk, they didn’t get the “hungries” during afternoon lessons. And, the number of children going home sick during afternoons dropped.

Now more schools are catching on. Sharon Elementary School in Robbinsville, New Jersey changed its lunch and recess schedule last fall. “Kids are calmer after they’ve had recess first,” reports principal Janet Sinkewicz. “They feel like they have more time to eat and they don’t have to rush. All the wiggles are out. For some reason, kids aren’t losing things outside. The lost-and-found mound has gone down.”

A report from that the State of Montana Team Nutrition program said that “children who played before lunch wasted less food, drank more milk and asked for more water.” As reported by other schools, kids were calm and ready to hit the books when they got back to class, which gave teachers more instructional time.

Another benefit, instead of wolfing their food down in a hurry so they could get outdoors, the after recess lunch encourages kids to eat more slowly. This could have lifelong benefits as far as the health issues of obesity and overweight. When people eat on the run, they don’t enjoy their food—and that leaves them craving for more.

What’s in it for you?

If you don’t have school age children or grandchildren, learn a lesson from the schoolyard. No matter what your age, fresh air, sunshine and exercise are good for you. Here’s added proof! Perhaps including an outdoor walk before lunch is just what the doctor ordered when it comes to your own daily routine. Get your wiggles out. Wake up your brain. Then, enjoy a nutritious midday meal. Your day will go better—and you might just accomplish more on that to do list every afternoon.