Children can be found playing on playhouses such as this during recess.

This article is about the break period. For the television show, see Recess (TV series).

Recess is a general term for a period of time in which a body of people is temporarily dismissed from its duties. In parliamentary procedure, "recess" refers to legislative bodies—such as parliaments, assemblies, juries—that are released to reassemble at a later time. This is used as an alternative to adjournment. Under the commonly used Robert's Rules of Order, a motion to recess may not be called when aother person has the floor, is not reconsiderable, and requires a second and a majority vote. Combination playground equipment (plastic) Taken by Elf | Talk 15:28, 3 May 2004 (UTC) May 1, 2004, San Jose, CA File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Combination playground equipment (plastic) Taken by Elf | Talk 15:28, 3 May 2004 (UTC) May 1, 2004, San Jose, CA File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The Recess Crew. ... A parliamentary procedure is the individual process used for decision making by a deliberative assembly. ... A legislature is a governmental deliberative assembly with the power to adopt laws. ... An aerial view of Parliament of India at New Delhi. ... Assembly may refer to the following things: In politics, any body meeting together to discuss matters, a parliament or a legislative assembly such as the French revolutionary Legislative Assembly, or a body more designed to mediate between otherwise independent bodies, such as the United Nations General Assembly. ... This article may be confusing for some readers, and should be edited to enhance clarity. ... In chess, adjournment of a game involves suspending it and postponing it until later, typically the following day. ... Roberts Rules of Order is a book containing rules of order, intended to be adopted by a deliberative assembly as its parliamentary authority. ... In physics, motion means a change in the position of a body with respect to time, as measured by a particular observer in a particular frame of reference. ...

In education, "recess" is the North American term (known as "playtime" or "break" in Great Britain or "interval" or "morning tea" in New Zealand) for a daily period in elementary school where students are allowed to leave the school's interior to enter its adjacent outdoor playground, where they can play on such recreational equipment as seesaws and swing sets, or engage in activities such as basketball or four square. Although no formal education exists during recess (this fact being touted most often by the children themselves), sociologists and psychologists consider recess an integral portion of child development, to teach them the importance of social skills and physical education. World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America North America is a continent in the northern hemisphere bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the south by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west by the... Primary or elementary education is the first years of formal, structured education that occurs during childhood. ... Combination playground structure for small children; slides, climbers (stairs in this case), playhouse A playground is an area designed for children to play freely, without structure, which helps to develop the childs physical, emotional, cognitive, and social well being. ... A seesaw (also known as a teeter-totter) is a long, narrow board suspended in the middle so that, as one end goes up, the other goes down. ... A little girl playing on a swing A swing is a hanging seat in a playground, for acrobats in a circus, or on a porch for relaxing. ... Basketball is very popular in U.S. colleges. ... The serve and first two hits in a Four Square game. ... Sociology is the study of the social lives of humans, groups and societies. ... A psychologist is a social scientist who studies psychology, the study of the human mind, thought and human behaviour. ... Social skills are skills a social animal uses to interact and communicate with others to assist status in the social structure and other motivations. ... In most educational systems, physical education (PE) is a course in the school curriculum which utilizes the learning medium of large-muscle activities in a play or movement exploration setting. ...

In North America, the point where recess ends in a child's education is largely dependent on the school district, though by many standards it is removed when the child enters middle school. However, in the United Kingdom and Ireland, where there are traditionally few, if any, free periods during the school day, a recess-like period of free time in the morning is maintained by most schools of all ages. In both regions, access to outdoor facilities during a lunch break of varying duration is common to most schools, regardless of age level. School districts are a form of special-purpose district in the United States (amongst some other places) which serves to operate the local public primary and secondary schools. ... Middle school, (Intermediate/Junior high school) covers a period of education that straddles primary education and secondary education, serving as a bridge between the two. ... Lunch is a meal that is taken at noon or in the early afternoon. ...

In Australia and New Zealand, generally in public schools "recess" occurs as a break between morning and mid-morning classes. It is followed after mid-morning classes by a more lengthy break, lunchtime. Thus, the structure of the school-day consists of three lesson blocks, broken up by two intervals: recess and lunch respectively.

In Scotland, a playtime snack is called a "playpiece" or a "leevie." ...

Sources and further reading

• Patnode, Dr. Darwin. Robert's Rules of Order: The Modern Edition. Berkley: 1989. ISBN 0425116905. Pages 8, 11, 30, 32, 125.