Indoor recess can be so hard! There can be a lot of built up wiggles during the first few hours of learning and it becomes impossible for much learning to take place without some kind of break! This becomes increasingly difficult when the weather doesn’t allow students to go run and get some fresh air outside of the school building. Most elementary schools have two very different indoor recess situations. One is keeping the students in their original classroom for recess and the other is during the teachers’ lunch hour so the students of multiple classrooms all congregate in the gym during indoor recess.
1- My number one, absolute essential for Indoor Recess is to keep it as easy and independent as possible so you (the teacher) and the students get a break from each other.
2- Although they can’t get the fresh air of outdoor recess, allow them to still have the freedom and independence of choices. Allow multiple different options for activities so they can pick something that allows their brain to unwind their preferred way.
3- I also always allowed them to play (almost) anywhere they wanted as long as it wasn’t by my desk or somewhere unsafe. The activities always seem more fun to them under desks or in small corners of the room for some reason.
Multiple different activities occurring in your classroom at once without timed rotations, assigned seating and your normal organization will naturally increase the movement, sound and possibly the chaos. How do you handle this increase?
4- Breathe. Yes, breathe. For the few minutes of Indoor Recess, your day will go better if you allow yourself to let go of quite a bit of control during this time. This is the only way for both you and the students to get any sort of a break.
5- Routine. Yep, the same answer to every sort of Classroom Management. Have clear options established before hand so that students know exactly what is allowed and not allowed during Indoor Recess. When the bell rings for recess, students know exactly what is expected and know exactly how to clean up before the next bell. Some options that my students always enjoyed but didn’t take any preparation from me were as follows:
Easy Indoor Recess Ideas In the classroom:
1- Math manipulatives: My students knew where our math manipulative were and loved playing with them. Math class doesn’t always allow a lot of time for building and creating with them so they enjoyed having free rein to play with them how they wanted. Their favorites were the linking cubes and geometric shapes. This was easy for me and something supplied by the school curriculum!
2- DI or GoodWill puzzles/games: A quick trip to a second hand store can easily stock a bottom cabinet of your classroom with a variety of puzzles and games for students to play during recess in the classroom. You may be surprised how simple games become a favorite when they are in the classroom.
3- Craft Leftovers: Designate a tote in your classroom for recycling craft supplies. Anytime you do something creative in the classroom, tell students to put any useable scraps or materials in the tote. Allow students to create with anything in the tote during recess in the classroom.
4- GoNoodle.com – Set up a free account for several options for brain breaks throughout your day or indoor recess and project a recess activity on your smart board. The idea is to get them up and moving not sitting and watching so make sure you select an option that gets your kids excited and moving.
Easy Indoor Recess Ideas with large groups in the gym:
1- GoNoodle is also an easy option for a big group if you have a way to project a website in your gym. Searching Dance-along videos for kids can also be fun and free in a large group.
2- Unlock the closet for gym supplies and pull out a a limited amount of gym equipment at time. Consider favorites like plastic scooters that do not need a lot of rules and they cannot break easily.
3- Assorted balls for independent games can be perfect for recess in the gym. Try to avoid arranging large group games so that students can still feel their independence and it can feel like free time as opposed to gym class.
4- Saving my very favorite for last: The best indoor recess activity is to pull out mats and other gym supplies to create a quick obstacle course around the gym with the very best part being an inflatable bounce house. This creates just the right amount of entertainment and physical activity combined with independence and creativity as they can work together or play independently to run the course however they’d like. We love this option because it still adds the excitement that indoor recess is often missing and is a great way to use a school bounce house that can benefit your school at many different times during the year. Check out our article on all the benefits of a bounce house in your school HERE.
Indoor Recess can be hard but it doesn’t have to be impossible. However, if at all possible, indoor recess should not be a regular occurrence because students need to be outdoors and playing in the sunlight as much as possible for their breaks.