14 Ways to Beat the Indoor Recess Blues

It’s raining. AGAIN. Its twenty degrees. AGAIN. You have indoor recess. AGAIN. You’re GOING TO LOOSE YOUR MIND. AGAIN. Not to mention the fact that your students still have to sit still and attempt to absorb new knowledge for the rest of the school day.

Try some of these fun indoor activities to ensure that recess time is still used to keep kids moving and grooving (and let’s be real, to keep your sanity).

 
·        1. Set up a jumping station
o   Have students see how far they can jump or who can jump the farthest. If you have beanbags, one student can toss a beanbag to have another student jump to. Want to really tire them out? Put on a timer and see who can jump for the longest amount of time.
 
·         2. Play with a small balloon
o   Students can play volleyball, hot potato or try volleying the balloon with a particular body part (head, knee, thumb, etc.). 
 
·         3. Put on a movement website
o   Check out the YouTube channels in this post by Childhood101: https://childhood101.com/brain-breaks-7-youtube-channels-to-get-kids-moving-grooving/
 
·         4. Go on an ABC word hunt

o   Have students walk the room to find an object that begins with each letter of the alphabet. Each time they find an object, have students do 10 fill in physical activity here (jumping jacks, push-ups, sit-ups, frog hops, etc.).

·        5. Play charades or Twister
 
·         6. Do a puzzle relay
o   Divide the class into two teams. Put puzzle pieces on opposite sides of the room. Have students take turns to get a piece of the puzzle from across the room, bring it back to their side of the room and put it in the correct spot. The first team to successfully complete their puzzle wins.
 
·         7. Play hula hoop ring toss
o   Put out a large bucket (for example, the big orange, Home Depot buckets). Have students take turns throwing the hula hope around the bucket.
 
·         8. Have students pretend they are a bubble
o   Students pretend they are floating around the room as a bubble. They cannot touch anyone (always key for indoor recess) or anything. When they get close to a person or object they should “bounce off” (still without touching!) and head in the opposite direction.  If they touch someone or something they are out.
 
·         9. Play Simon Says
 
·         10. Have a dance party
 
·         11. Have a cup stacking challenge
o   See which student or team of students can build their (large or small, plastic or paper) cups the highest.
 
·         12. Do the Limbo
o   Use a yard stick, broom handle or anything else you can think of that you already have in the classroom.
 
·         13. Create a marble maze
o   Using empty (tissue, cereal, mailing, etc.) boxes and toilet paper and paper towel rolls, have students create a maze for a marble to get through.
 
·         14. Two words: bubble wrap
o   Feel free to join in!  You know your students would love to see you participate in some solid bubble popping!

 

 

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