Everyone knows that recess is good for children, but most people don't know why, leaving room for schools to reduce or eliminate it altogether recreation. This can harm children and inhibit learning. By 2005, approximately 40 percent of schools had reduced or eliminated recess from the average school day for elementary students (Bland). Teachers may need more instructional time to meet the new demand resulting from standardized testing, but extended, unstructured play is essential. It increases children's cognitive abilities by promoting healthy chemical exchanges within the brain during physical activity, giving more space to creativity and improving social skills. Physical activity helps boost cognitive abilities in children. Recess generally involves a lot of running, playing, and games that involve physical exercise. Recent research, in fact, has found a direct correlation between intelligence and physical fitness, especially in children under 16 and in the elderly (Pica 64). In a study conducted by FL Martens, academic scores, attitudes and physical fitness improved when a third of the school day was spent on recess. Another study found that at least five hours of physical activity led to substantially higher academic achievement in core subjects (Pica 63). Exercise is known to produce endorphins and BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) (Widrich). BDNF is a protein that promotes the survival of nerve cells and plays a role in the growth, maturation and maintenance of neurons. It also plays a role in synapses between nerve cells. It also helps synaptic plasticity, which is important for memory and learning (ghr.nlm.nih.gov). According to the Oxford dictionary, “endorphins are any of the hormones secreted… middle of paper… can be punished even more seriously. When schools conduct their bullying counseling sessions between the victim who reported the crime to authorities, the bully, and the school counselor, schools open up the possibility for further bullying to occur. Bullies should be punished and should apologize to the victim. Usually, if a teacher discovers bullying, the situation does not become serious enough to require a meeting with the counselor. Playtime is essential for children's mental development through the release of chemicals that rebuild the brain during physical activity, improving their mood. through creativity, social skills improve and risks can be faced. The ideal break that at least elementary school children should have is a minimum of an hour of completely unstructured play. Unstructured play is essential for children and should never be taken away.