Especially in the US there is a trend towards banning school recess or at least strongly controlling what games children are allowed to play (NY Times article.) Perhaps because I am Scandinavian I find it horrifying that somebody would prevent children from playing. At the same time, the argument is complicated to make: Children are sometimes physically and emotionally hurt during play, try arguing against this with the big-picture viewpoint that it is good for their development and happiness in the long term (though I am pretty sure this is the case).
MONTVILLE, Conn. — Children at the Oakdale School here in southeastern Connecticut returned this fall to learn that their traditional recess had gone the way of the peanut butter sandwich and the Gumby lunchbox.
No longer could they let off their youthful energy — pent up from hours of long division — by cavorting outside for 22 minutes of unstructured play, or perhaps with a vigorous game of tag or dodgeball. Such games had been virtually banned by the principal, Mark S. Johnson, along with kickball, soccer and other “body-banging” activities, as he put it, where knees — and feelings — might get bruised.
Instead, children are encouraged to jump rope, play with Hula Hoops or gently fling a Frisbee. Balls are practically controlled substances, parceled out under close supervision by playground monitors.
The article does not mention the obvious gender perspective – it is usually the play activities of boys that are controlled.
For further reading – Helen B. Schwartzman’s article “Child-structured play” in The World of Play (1983) is an overview of studies of children’s unsupervised play.