In the News

Shrinking budgets and strict academic mandates prompted California schools to cut gym classes and cut back on recess time. Now, an Oakland-based nonprofit is trying to put more focus on…

Six public school principals in Seattle are thinking about "outsourcing" their recess programs. The ultimate goal is better behavior in the classroom.

Sports4Kids is just one among many service organizations that will continue to have job openings. Places like Teach for America, Citizen Schools and City Year are in much the same…

Stuart Brown says play makes kids happier, healthier, and better students, but how can parents make that happen in a stressed-out, overscheduled world?

Who has time to play these days? Life is pretty darned serious. But play is essential for both kids and grown-ups to stay healthy, creative, and productive…

The best way to improve children’s performance in the classroom may be to take them out of it. New research suggests that play and down time may be as important…

Can a kickball game help transform the climate of a school? That playground activity and other informal “classic games,” such as four-square and tag, can promote student health, as well…

As a pediatric resident in a hospital in Brooklyn, N.Y., Dr. Romina M. Barros sat in on a regular first-grade class at a local elementary school. Classes started at 8:30…

The sound of laughing children playing tag or hide-and-seek isn't often heard on the streets of Richmond's notorious Iron Triangle. Gunshots are too common, producing an unexpected casualty: Some kids…