The Challenge: Regular physical activity can reduce children’s risk of obesity and improve their classroom performance, but many schools provide few opportunities for students to be active.

Make an impact: Schools can provide excellent opportunities for children to be physically active through regular recess.

What the findings are about: This brief summarizes the growing body of research examining recess, which shows that providing recess during the school day is an effective and efficient way to increase physical activity and improve academic performance among children.