The days seem to get shorter. The temperatures start to drop. Or maybe it's a day that the rain just don't stop. (ohhh I rhymed lol). But you get my drift...you start to fell that pit in your stomach. You're a teacher and....it's an indoor recess kind of day :( UGHHHHHH
Believe me I've been there. But check out my tips and tricks that have helped this Maryland teacher survive indoor recess in 2nd and 1st grades! We alternate our indoor recess schedule from Games (that's listed below), to a Gonoodle indoor recess activity (my kids love to do the guided dances), and then movie day. We have 30 minutes for recess daily.
The games I've listed below I have either purchased myself, or items were donated from parents into my classroom. Gonoodle is a fantastic website that is great for not only indoor recess, but also for transitions or brain breaks! I use my Amazon to watch our 'movie days', when you sign up for amazon prime it comes with the benefit of videos. My students have fallen in love with their sitcom Annedroids! But they also have a wide range of options like Insectibles, Pete the Cat, Lost in Oz, and many more!
This is a non-gender specific toy, that you can request parents to send in at any time throughout the year! And as a parent, I appreciate the opportunity to purge some of my own children's things! My students, love to get their engineering on with building different lego items! Especially since Minecraft became a big sensation, they say, "We're building in real life, like we do on Minecraft!" Whatever gets them excited right?!?
Play-doh is another highly popular indoor recess activity in my room. I allow students to use only 2 colors at a time, being careful not to mix them! This is also an item you could ask for donations from parents (although I'd be hesitant to take used play-doh because it may be dried out). Play-doh also works great for students to create characters or plan out their writing in a narrative writing--helps get their creative juices flowing!
I have a pretty consistent group of kids that want to get the K'nex out every indoor recess day and play with them. K'nex is another activity that encourages their imaginations and engineering! And I was able to pick up this set from a yard sale a few years ago! Nothing like saving money!!
These little hashtags are super cute and connect together to build! These have been a hot commodity in my room since I first introduced them! I found them in the Target dollar spot, but I have also seen them at Hobby Lobby.
These gears were a favorite of my students last year. They would build different creations, and then they'd have competitions to see who could make a longer line with the gears.
There's nothing better than helping kids, and they don't even realize you are helping them! This game, Tricky Fingers, comes with 2 game squares, so 2 students can play. They manipulate the balls inside, using their fingers, working and beefing up their fine motor skills!
Another great fine motor activity that is a hit are these Mushroom Nail art building kit. Kids can build pictures like the images in the book, or just build from their own imaginations!
Another arts-infused option for indoor recess are these magnetic shapes. When I taught first grade, I put these out as a center, but now in 2nd grade, I utilize these during our indoor recess time! The kids just love to build with these Magnetic Shapes.
Suspend is one of our new options that I just recently purchased. It helps students build their problem solving skills. They have to get the metal bars to stack on top of each other. There is a cube they roll and have to stack that particular bar. My students have been really excited about this!
Kanoodle is another great game that builds problem solving. It only comes with one 'board' which is also the container that stores the circular objects. So I wish I would have ordered more than 1. It's a puzzle game, that you have to figure out how to put the circular objects together. You can try 2-d or 3-d challenges. And because I only got one, I had 2 students share it, but it was also highly sought after, so I may have to be ordering another couple sets!
Floam, like the play-doh, is a loved activity in my room! Students can easily move and create with it, and the texture is super fun. I ordered the Fun Floam modeling beads this past summer and introduced it to my students this year during our indoor recess time.
Then there's always the great "Heads Up, 7 Up" game. Where 7 students are the pickers, while everyone else puts their head down. The 7 pickers walk around the room, while all others have heads down and eyes shut. If a 'picker' taps you, you put your hand up, with your eyes still shut. The pickers then return to the front of the room. The students who were tapped then stand up, when all pickers are back to the front of the room, and then the students tapped guess which 'picker' picked them.
So indoor recess doesn't have to be a pain! It can be fun! Also in years past, I've offered coloring books or blank sheets of paper for them to draw. Some students prefer to read as well during indoor recess time. Hope this helps ease your indoor recess days!!
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