As teenagers, students don’t always have the best focus or attention span. They get bored and tired easily, and that makes it hard to remain attentive during their classes. 

According to a study done by the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and Yale Child Study involving a nationwide student survey, all demographic groups reported feeling negative emotions about school. More than 50% of students reported that they were tired and just under 50% felt emotions such as stress, boredom, calmness and happiness.

Scheduled breaks for students throughout the day should be put into place, as doing so would help student’s academic pursuits and their mental well-being.

It would give student’s minds a break, no matter if they’re brief or not, as well as give their bodies time to recharge. A chance to refresh and recuperate could be what’s needed for students.

Breaks throughout the day could also help with engagement in the classroom. It would reduce some daily stressors for students, help with brain functioning and development and is a great way to help retain the information learned previously in classes.

There have always been a few determining factors about why high school students shouldn’t have recess or get breaks during the school day, one of the largest being that it’s too time-consuming for the amount of time spent at school already.

However, even small breaks, as little as five minutes, can be helpful. A study conducted by the National University of Singapore had two different groups perform a task in two 65-minute sessions. The group with a five-minute break between the sessions experienced less cognitive decline and mental exhaustion.

Although some students consider lunch and passing periods to be their break time, it’s not effective or sufficient. Lunch breaks are for eating and aren’t super long, and passing periods can be stressful, as students have to rush to their next class to get there on time.

So implementing short breaks throughout the school day would not only enhance student focus and motivation, but would also foster a more balanced and enjoyable learning experience and environment for students while helping physical and mental health.