Originally published in Fox29 by Fox San Antonio, April 2019

An area school district is increasing recess time for students. Seguin ISD is taking part in a program called LiiNK, or Let’s Inspire Innovation ‘N Kids. Many of the schools in the district now have four 15-minute unstructured, outdoor play breaks every day.

According to their website, “The LiiNK Project is based on research in the U.S. and other countries to incorporate a much more inclusive, innovative model than traditional public schools have adopted over the past 20 years. The approach traditional public schools have adopted is centered around a required number of minutes in specific content areas daily. Standardized tests are the focus of determining the success of a school or grade level achievement. LiiNK is based on improved brain development as a result of physical activity and outdoor exposure throughout the day, and character development taught daily. State requirements are still included.”

Dr. Matthew Gutierrez, Seguin ISD Superintendent, says, “With high-stakes testing, I think there is a lot of pressure from teachers and administrators to really focus on getting kids prepared for assessments, and this is a way to ease that anxiety.”

The LiiNK Project was just implemented this year in Seguin ISD.

Dr. Gutierrez says they have already seen results in achievement and discipline in the classroom, and not just with the students.

“I think this allows teachers to also get outside, it increases the level of teacher engagement, and also allows teachers to build stronger relationships with kids.”

Source: http://foxsanantonio.com/news/local/inspiring-kids-teachers-with-recess