Although school break times have been justified by children's need to release surplus energy, research findings show little support for this theory. Restlessness and inattentiveness may be attributable to boredom. Regular breaks can be justified for other reasons. (SK)

Examined stability of activity and attention in 48 boys, originally evaluated as outpatients in a child psychiatry clinic. Measures of gross and fine motor activity, sustained attention, and self-vocalization showed significant stability over the two years for both free play and restricted academic settings. (Author/BL)